Sweet

/swiːt/ adj, adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang

adj, adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: The basic taste sensation induced by sugar.
  • Grammar: sweet is listed as adj, adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: confection, accommodating, achingly sweet, admirable.
  • Useful contrasts: bitter, decaying, dry.
  • Usage evidence: Sitting on the rock, she sang a sweet song as she combed her hair.

How to use "sweet"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sweet" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sweet" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sweet" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sweet" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "sweet" is acting as adj, adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "confection" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "sweet", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The basic taste sensation induced by sugar. uncountable
  2. 2
    the property of tasting as if it contains sugar wordnet
  3. 3
    A confection made from sugar, or high in sugar content; a candy. India, UK, countable, especially
  4. 4
    the taste experience when sugar dissolves in the mouth wordnet
  5. 5
    A food eaten for dessert. UK, countable, especially

    "Can we see the sweet menu, please?"

Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    a food rich in sugar wordnet
  2. 7
    Synonym of sweetheart, a term of affection. countable, uncountable

    "VVherefore frovvnes my ſvveet? / Haue I too long bene abſent from theſe lips, / This cheeke, theſe eyes?"

  3. 8
    a dish served as the last course of a meal wordnet
  4. 9
    That which is sweet or pleasant in odour; a perfume. countable, obsolete, uncountable

    "a wilderness of sweets"

  5. 10
    Sweetness, delight; something pleasant to the mind or senses. countable, obsolete, uncountable

    "Fear's fire to fervency, which makes love's sweet prove nectar."

Verb
  1. 1
    To sweeten. archaic, poetic

    "In size and shape it resembles the heart of a calf, and the interior substance is similar to thick cream, sweeted with fine sugar."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Tasting of sugars.

    "a sweet apple"

  2. 2
    Retaining a portion of sugar.

    "Sweet wines are better dessert wines."

  3. 3
    Not of a salty taste.

    "sweet butter"

  4. 4
    Of a pleasant smell.

    "a sweet scent"

  5. 5
    Not decaying, fermented, rancid, sour, spoiled, or stale.

    "sweet milk"

Show 11 more definitions
  1. 6
    Of a pleasant sound.

    "a sweet tune"

  2. 7
    Of a pleasing disposition.

    "a sweet child"

  3. 8
    Of a helpful disposition.

    "It was sweet of him to help out."

  4. 9
    Free from excessive unwanted substances like acid or sulphur.

    "sweet gas"

  5. 10
    Very pleasing; agreeable. informal

    "The new Lexus was a sweet birthday gift."

  6. 11
    Doing well; in a good or happy position. Australia, slang

    ""Visit in two days though," said Tommo. "Hang in there mate, got a joey coming, we'll be sweet then.""

  7. 12
    Romantically fixated; enamored with; fond of. informal

    "The attraction was mutual and instant; they were sweet on one another from first sight."

  8. 13
    Fresh; not salt or brackish.

    "sweet water"

  9. 14
    Alkaline. UK, dated
  10. 15
    Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; mild and attractive; fair.

    "a sweet face"

  11. 16
    An intensifier.

    "For someone who hadn't seen her only sister in over twenty years, Alice sure took her sweet time."

Adjective
  1. 1
    having a natural fragrance wordnet
  2. 2
    not containing or composed of salt water wordnet
  3. 3
    having a sweet nature befitting an angel or cherub wordnet
  4. 4
    pleasing to the ear wordnet
  5. 5
    pleasing to the mind or feeling wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    pleasing to the senses wordnet
  2. 7
    with sweetening added wordnet
  3. 8
    (used of wines) having a high residual sugar content wordnet
  4. 9
    having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar wordnet
  5. 10
    not soured or preserved wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    In a pleasant manner.

    "Go down beside thy native rill, ⁠On thy Parnassus set thy feet, ⁠And hear thy laurel whisper sweet About the ledges of the hill."

Adverb
  1. 1
    in an affectionate or loving manner (‘sweet’ is sometimes a poetic or informal variant of ‘sweetly’) wordnet
Intj
  1. 1
    Used as a positive response to good news or information.

    "They're making a sequel? Ah, sweet!"

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.
  2. 2
    A female given name.
  3. 3
    An unincorporated community in Gem County, Idaho, United States.

Synonyms

All synonyms
confectionaccommodatingachingly sweetadmirableadorableaffable

Example

"Sitting on the rock, she sang a sweet song as she combed her hair."

Common questions

What does "sweet" mean?

The basic taste sensation induced by sugar.

What is a synonym for "sweet"?

Common synonyms include: confection, accommodating, achingly sweet, admirable, adorable, affable.

How do you use "sweet" in a sentence?

Sitting on the rock, she sang a sweet song as she combed her hair.

How do you pronounce "sweet"?

Pronounced /swiːt/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English swete, from Old English swēte (“sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *swōtī, from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz (“sweet”), from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus (“sweet”). Cognate and synonymous with Scots sweit (“sweet”), North Frisian sweete (“sweet”), Saterland Frisian swäit (“sweet”), West Frisian swiet (“sweet”), Dutch zoet (“sweet”), German Low German sööt (“sweet”), German süß (“sweet”), Danish sød (“sweet”), Swedish söt (“sweet”), Norwegian søt (“sweet”), Icelandic sætur (“sweet”), Latin suāvis, Sanskrit स्वादु (svādú), Ancient Greek ἡδύς (hēdús). Doublet of suave.

Etymology 2

* As an English surname, from the adjective sweet. * As a German and Jewish surname, translated from Suess, from süß (“sweet”). * As a French surname, translated from Ledoux.

More for "sweet"

Synonyms

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