Jump To:

• sweet
  sweet

  adjective

  having the taste or flavor characteristic of sugar, honey, etc.
• Sweet
  Sweet

  noun

  Henry, 1845–1912, English philologist and linguist.

sweet

¹ American  

[sweet] / swit /

adjective

• sweeter,
  comparative
• sweetest
  superlative

1. having the taste or flavor characteristic of sugar, honey, etc.

   Synonyms:

   sugary

2. producing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is not bitter, sour, or salt.

3. not rancid or stale; fresh.

   This milk is still sweet.

4. not salt or salted.

   sweet butter.

5. pleasing to the ear; making a delicate, pleasant, or agreeable sound; musical.

   Synonyms:

   mellifluous, melodious

6. pleasing or fresh to the smell; fragrant; perfumed.

   Synonyms:

   aromatic, redolent

7. pleasing or agreeable; delightful.

8. amiable; kind or gracious, as a person, action, etc.

   Synonyms:

   charming, lovable, winning

9. dear; beloved; precious.

10. easily managed; done or effected without effort.

11. (of wine) not dry; containing unfermented, natural sugar.

12. (of a cocktail) made with a greater proportion of vermouth than usual.

13. sentimental, cloying, or unrealistic.

    a sweet painting of little kittens.

14. (of air) fresh; free from odor, staleness, excess humidity, noxious gases, etc.

15. free from acidity or sourness, as soil.

16. Chemistry.

    1. devoid of corrosive or acidic substances.

    2. (of fuel oil or gas) containing no sulfur compounds.

17. (of jazz or big band music) performed with a regular beat, moderate tempo, lack of improvisation, and an emphasis on warm tone and clearly outlined melody.

---

adverb

1. in a sweet manner; sweetly.

interjection

1. Slang. (used to express approval, admiration, satisfaction, pleasure, etc..

   I hear she got a promotion. Sweet!

noun

• sweets
  plural

1. a sweet flavor, smell, or sound; sweetness.

2. something that is sweet or causes or gives a sweet flavor, smell, or sound.

3. sweets,

   1. candy, pie, cake, and other foods high in sugar content.

   2. Informal. sweet potatoes.

4. Chiefly British.

   1. a piece of candy; confection or bonbon.

   2. a sweet dish or dessert, as a pudding or tart.

5. something pleasant to the mind or feelings.

6. a beloved person.

7. Often sweets (in direct address) darling; sweetheart.

   Yes, my sweet.

idioms

1. sweet on, infatuated with; in love with.

   He's sweet on her.

2. short and sweet. see short and sweet.

Sweet ² American  

[sweet] / swit /

noun

1. Henry, 1845–1912, English philologist and linguist.

---

sweet ¹ British  

/ swiːt /

adjective

1. having or denoting a pleasant taste like that of sugar

2. agreeable to the senses or the mind

   sweet music

3. having pleasant manners; gentle

   a sweet child

4. (of wine, etc) having a relatively high sugar content; not dry

5. (of foods) not decaying or rancid

   sweet milk

6. not salty

   sweet water

7. free from unpleasant odours

   sweet air

8. containing no corrosive substances

   sweet soil

9. (of petrol) containing no sulphur compounds

10. sentimental or unrealistic

11. individual; particular

    the electorate went its own sweet way

12. jazz performed with a regular beat, with the emphasis on clearly outlined melody and little improvisation

13. slang satisfactory or in order; all right

14. archaic respected; dear (used in polite forms of address)

    sweet sir

15. smooth and precise; perfectly executed

    a sweet shot

16. fond of or infatuated with

17. to ingratiate oneself in order to ensure cooperation

---

adverb

1. informal in a sweet manner

noun

1. a sweet taste or smell; sweetness in general

2. (often plural) any of numerous kinds of confectionery consisting wholly or partly of sugar, esp of sugar boiled and crystallized ( boiled sweets )

3. a pudding, fruit, or any sweet dish served as a dessert

4. dear; sweetheart (used as a form of address)

5. anything that is sweet

6. (often plural) a pleasurable experience, state, etc

   the sweets of success

7. See sweet potato

Sweet ² British  

noun

1. Henry. 1845–1912, English philologist; a pioneer of modern phonetics. His books include A History of English Sounds (1874)

---

sweet More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing sweet

• short and sweet
• take the bitter with the sweet

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• oversweetness
  noun
• supersweetness
  noun
• sweetness
  noun
• nonsweet
  adjective
• oversweet
  adjective
• supersweet
  adjective
• sweetish
  adjective
• oversweetly
  adverb
• supersweetly
  adverb
• sweetly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sweets
  plural

Adjectives

• sweeter
  comparative
• sweetest
  superlative

---

Etymology

Origin of sweet

First recorded before 900; (adjective and adverb) Middle English swet(e), Old English swēte (adjective); (noun) Middle English swet(e), derivative of the adjective; cognate with Old Saxon swōti, Old High German swuozi ( German süss ); akin to Dutch zoet, Old Norse sætr, Gothic suts, Sanskrit svādú-, Greek hēdýs, hādýs “sweet,” Latin suāvis “pleasant” and suādēre “to recommend”

---

Explanation

Food that’s sweet is full of sugar, bad for your teeth, but oh so tasty. People who are sweet are super nice, like that sweet lunch lady who gives you an extra cookie. Sweet can be an adjective or a noun. It can describe something pleasing to the senses, like a sweet song, or when you're playing basketball and get nothing but net. Sweet! As a noun, it's a confection, a little something for dessert. The poet Khalil Gibran said, “Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.” Don’t opportunistically take your friends for granted, or you could become the target of some sweet revenge.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sweet Sweet sweets sweeter sweetest

El Pollo Loco is riding a wave of momentum as it opens new restaurants and sits in a sweet spot for cost-conscious consumers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

And while it’s good to replace that metaphorical candy with something healthier, we cannot flog ourselves into not needing something sweet to survive the bitter world we live in.

From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026

Halloween shoppers in the US seeking sweet relief this spooky season have instead been shocked by the high price of seasonal treats, as cost of living pressures continue to bite.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Sugar substitutes are often promoted as a healthier way to enjoy sweet foods and drinks without consuming as much sugar.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

He squeezes my hand, a silent thanks, and a breeze blows through, bringing with it the scent of sweet clover and moss.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Sweet said she was aware of the erosion dangers in Hemsby, but thought she would have at least 10 to 20 years there.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

Julie Sweet snapped up 12,200 shares of the large consulting company at an average price of about $246.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

What connects this place of worship to a band known for its macabre aesthetic, however, is its music video for the song “Helena” from the album “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

“I do like KFC’s food but I would probably go there a lot less if not for Sweet Lightning,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

Sweet Pea squeaked and started biting at the air.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

She said the incident had left her feeling hyper-vigilant about any future sweets he receives but was incredibly thankful she had checked the sweets before her son had a chance to eat them.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

"We checked over the sweets with a fridge magnet and four of the sweets actually reacted to them and stuck to it," she told BBC News NI.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

By the time I remember it’s happening, all the good sweets are gone from grocery store shelves, so any visiting trick-or-treaters get butterscotch suckers, breath mints or candy corn.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026

And one claim is going viral this spooky season: that giving out full-sized candy bars to Halloween trick-or-treaters makes more financial sense than bagging the smaller “fun size” sweets.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Then we stopped by a shack where brightly colored sweets were packed tight in glass jars, and you chose your favorite color—green.

From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman

"I worked incredibly hard, showed a lot of grit and determination. I think these are a lot sweeter than the ones you win with ease."

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

"Conversely, the sweeter milk chocolate scent acts more like a hedonic reward cue, enhancing training volume by creating a highly pleasant sensory environment rather than by shifting basic metabolic hunger signals."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

Coca-Cola technicians secretly concocted a sweeter, smoother cola.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

But there’s something sweeter about this version of McConaughey and it’s due in large part to his performance opposite LookingGlass, who bears a quiet magnetism onscreen and capably shoulders her portion of the story.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The sow had a sweeter temper than some horses he had ridden.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

“And sweetest in the gale is heard; and sore must be the storm that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Noah Woods' family said he was "the sweetest and most innocent little boy" who will be "missed forever"

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

“Hayden Panettiere is the sweetest thing in the world,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

It might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted—and was the only drink I couldn’t finish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

‘You know, they don’t advertise,” said Dolly in the sweetest possible voice.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• appealing
• beautiful
• charming
• delightful
• engaging
• generous
• gentle
• lovable
• loving
• luscious
• mild
• mushy
• pleasant
• pleasing
• tender

---