sweet Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun English phonetician; one of the founders of modern phonetics (1845-1912)
    Henry Sweet.
  2. noun a dish served as the last course of a meal
    dessert; afters.
  3. noun a food rich in sugar
    confection.
  4. noun the taste experience when sugar dissolves in the mouth
    sweetness; sugariness.
  5. noun the property of tasting as if it contains sugar
    sweetness.
  6. adjective having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
  7. adjective satellite having a sweet nature befitting an angel or cherub
    cherubic; seraphic; angelic; angelical.
    • an angelic smile
    • a cherubic face
    • looking so seraphic when he slept
    • a sweet disposition
  8. adjective satellite pleasing to the ear
    mellifluous; mellisonant; honeyed; dulcet.
    • the dulcet tones of the cello
  9. adjective satellite pleasing to the senses
    • the sweet song of the lark
    • the sweet face of a child
  10. adjective satellite pleasing to the mind or feeling
    gratifying.
    • sweet revenge
  11. adjective satellite having a natural fragrance
    sweet-scented; sweet-smelling; scented; odoriferous; perfumed; odorous.
    • odoriferous spices
    • the odorous air of the orchard
    • the perfumed air of June
    • scented flowers
  12. adjective (used of wines) having a high residual sugar content
    • sweet dessert wines
  13. adjective not containing or composed of salt water
    fresh.
    • fresh water
  14. adjective satellite not soured or preserved
    unfermented; fresh.
    • sweet milk
  15. adjective satellite with sweetening added
    sugared; sweetened; sweet-flavored.
  16. adverb in an affectionate or loving manner (`sweet' is sometimes a poetic or informal variant of `sweetly')
    sweetly.
    • Susan Hayward plays the wife sharply and sweetly
    • how sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank"- Shakespeare
    • talking sweet to each other

WordNet

Sweet adjective
Etymology
OE. swete, swote, sote, AS. swete; akin to OFries. swete, OS. swoti, D. zoet, G. süss, OHG. suozi, Icel. sætr, soetr, Sw. söt, Dan. söd, Goth. suts, L. suavis, for suadvis, Gr. , Skr. svadu sweet, svad, svad, to sweeten. *175. Cf. Assuage, Suave, Suasion.
Wordforms
comparative Sweeter ; superlative Sweetest
Definitions
  1. Having an agreeable taste or flavor such as that of sugar; saccharine; -- opposed to sour and bitter; as, a sweet beverage; sweet fruits; sweet oranges.
  2. Pleasing to the smell; fragrant; redolent; balmy; as, a sweet rose; sweet odor; sweet incense.
    The breath of these flowers is sweet to me. Longfellow.
  3. Pleasing to the ear; soft; melodious; harmonious; as, the sweet notes of a flute or an organ; sweet music; a sweet voice; a sweet singer.
    To make his English sweet upon his tongue. Chaucer.
    A voice sweet, tremulous, but powerful. Hawthorne.
  4. Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; mild and attractive; fair; as, a sweet face; a sweet color or complexion.
    Sweet interchange Of hill and valley, rivers, woods, and plains. Milton.
  5. Fresh; not salt or brackish; as, sweet water. Bacon.
  6. Not changed from a sound or wholesome state. Specifically: (a) Not sour; as, sweet milk or bread. (b) Not state; not putrescent or putrid; not rancid; as, sweet butter; sweet meat or fish.
  7. Plaesing to the mind; mild; gentle; calm; amiable; winning; presuasive; as, sweet manners.
    Canst thou bind the sweet influence of Pleiades? Job xxxviii. 31.
    Mildness and sweet reasonableness is the one established rule of Christian working. M. Arnold.
    ✍ Sweet is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, sweet-blossomed, sweet-featured, sweet-smelling, sweet-tempered, sweet-toned, etc. Syn. -- Sugary; saccharine; dulcet; luscious.
Sweet noun
Definitions
  1. That which is sweet to the taste; -- used chiefly in the plural. Specifically: (a) Confectionery, sweetmeats, preserves, etc. (b) Home-made wines, cordials, metheglin, etc.
  2. That which is sweet or pleasant in odor; a perfume. "A wilderness of sweets." Milton.
  3. That which is pleasing or grateful to the mind; as, the sweets of domestic life.
    A little bitter mingled in our cup leaves no relish of the sweet. Locke.
  4. One who is dear to another; a darling; -- a term of endearment. "Wherefore frowns my sweet?" B. Jonson.
Sweet adverb
Definitions
  1. Sweetly. Shak.
Sweet transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To sweeten. Obs. Udall.

Webster 1913