sweet

[[t]swi͟ːt[/t]]

♦♦♦

sweeter, sweetest, sweets

1) ADJ-GRADED Sweet food and drink contains a lot of sugar.

...a mug of sweet tea...

If the sauce seems too sweet, add a dash of red wine vinegar.

...the sweet taste of wild strawberries.

Derived words:

sweetness N-UNCOUNT

Florida oranges have a natural sweetness.

2) N-COUNT Sweets are small sweet things such as toffees, chocolates, and mints. [BRIT]

(in AM, use candy)

3) N-VAR A sweet is something sweet, such as fruit or a pudding, that you eat at the end of a meal, especially in a restaurant. [BRIT]

The sweet was a mousse flavoured with whisky.

Syn:

dessert

(in AM, use dessert)

4) ADJ-GRADED A sweet smell is a pleasant one, for example the smell of a flower.

...the sweet smell of her shampoo...

She'd baked some bread which made the air smell sweet.

Ant:

foul

5) ADJ-GRADED If you describe something such as air or water as sweet, you mean that it smells or tastes pleasantly fresh and clean.

I gulped a breath of sweet air.

...a stream of sweet water.

Ant:

foul

6) ADJ-GRADED A sweet sound is pleasant, smooth, and gentle.

Her voice was as soft and sweet as a young girl's.

...the sweet sounds of Mozart.

Derived words:

sweetly ADV-GRADED usu ADV with v

He sang much more sweetly than he has before.

7) ADJ-GRADED If you describe something as sweet, you mean that it gives you great pleasure and satisfaction. [WRITTEN]

There are few things quite as sweet as revenge.

...the sweet taste of illicit love...

His success was all the sweeter for being at the expense of Europe's most admired team.

Ant:

bitter

8) ADJ-GRADED If you describe someone as sweet, you mean that they are pleasant, kind, and gentle towards other people.

He was a sweet man but when he drank he tended to quarrel...

How sweet of you to think of me!

Derived words:

sweetly ADV-GRADED usu ADV with v

I just smiled sweetly and said no.

9) ADJ-GRADED If you describe a small person or thing as sweet, you mean that they are attractive in a simple or unsophisticated way. [INFORMAL]

...a sweet little baby girl...

The house was really sweet.

Syn:

cute

10) N-VOC You can address someone as sweet or my sweet if you are very fond of them. [OLD-FASHIONED]

I am so proud of you, my sweet!

Syn:

darling

11) → See also , sweetness

12) PHRASE: V inflects If you keep someone sweet, you do something to please them in order to prevent them from becoming annoyed or dissatisfied. [INFORMAL]

Where's the money to keep us sweet?

13) a sweet tooth → see tooth