dulcet

adjective

dul·​cet ˈdəl-sət How to pronounce dulcet (audio)
1
: sweet to the taste
2
: pleasing to the ear
dulcet tones
3
: generally pleasing or agreeable
a dulcet smile
dulcetly adverb

Did you know?

Some of the most dulcet tones in American folk music are said to come from the dulcimer, a fretted stringed instrument traditionally played on the lap and integral to the work of such sweet-voiced musicians and song collectors as Jean Ritchie, Loraine Wyman, and Margaret MacArthur. The essence of dulcet, after all, is sweetness; the word has been in use in English since the 1400s describing not only desserts and other confections that are pleasing for their literal sweetness, but figuratively sweet things such as smiles and even balmy weather. Dulcet is today used most often, however, to describe sounds, including melodies, voices, and especially tones with a notably honeyed quality. Fittingly, dulcet comes from the Latin word for “sweet,” dulcis, an ancestor of many musical English words, including the musical direction dolce (“to be played sweetly”), Dulciana (a type of pipe organ stop), dolcian (a small bassoon-like instrument), and, of course, dulcimer.

Examples of dulcet in a Sentence

the dulcet tones of her voice although she flashed a dulcet smile, she was secretly seething with resentment
Recent Examples on the Web Buffett and Harris keep that original energy while smoothing out some of the edges, most notably substituting the tender creak of the original song’s violin (played by Scarlet Rivera) for the dulcet plunk of the steelpan drum. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2023 The first teaser for Distant Lands featured the soft, dulcet tones of BMO singing a song, as performed by voice actor Niki Yang, and the clip reveals more of the on-screen tune. EW.com, 11 June 2020 Somewhere, a Bluetooth speaker was stashed away and playing the kind of soft, dulcet melodies heard in expensive spas. New York Times, 6 Dec. 2019 But inside and down a few stairs, there is faint, dulcet chanting piped through speakers. Kaya Laterman, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2017 The dulcet tones of Kylie Jenner's secret album made with input from Kanye and Tyga? Sarah Lindig, Cosmopolitan, 12 June 2015

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dulcet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English doucet, from Anglo-French, from duz, douz sweet, from Latin dulcis; perhaps akin to Greek glykys sweet

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dulcet was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Dulcet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dulcet. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

dulcet

adjective
dul·​cet ˈdəl-sət How to pronounce dulcet (audio)
: sweet to the ear : melodious
dulcet voices
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