sweeten

verb

sweet·​en ˈswē-tᵊn 

sweetened; sweetening ˈswē-tᵊn-iŋ 

ˈswēt-niŋ

transitive verb

1

: to make sweet

2

: to soften the mood or attitude of

3

: to make less painful or trying

4

: to free from a harmful or undesirable quality or substance

especially : to remove sulfur compounds from

sweeten natural gas

5

: to make more valuable or attractive

sweeten the deal

: such as

a

: to increase (a pot not won on the previous deal) by anteing prior to another deal

b

: to place additional securities as collateral for (a loan)

intransitive verb

: to become sweet

sweetener

ˈswēt-nər

ˈswē-tᵊn-ər 

noun

Synonyms

• candy
• dress up
• enhance

Examples of sweeten in a Sentence

He sweetened his cereal a little.

He sweetened the deal with a large signing bonus.

Recent Examples on the Web

And, Amtrak has sweetened the savings on its children’s discount, so little ones between two and 12 years old may travel for 50% off with an accompanying adult. —Paris Wilson, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Dec. 2024

Combine milk and cookie mix: Heat sweetened condensed milk in a large saucepan over medium, stirring often, until hot but not boiling, about 3 minutes. —Anna Theoktisto, Southern Living, 10 Dec. 2024

Too many scenes are sweetened with lousy ADR gags, a real case of subtraction by addition. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024

These vegan, 70% cocoa, gluten free, sweetened with coconut sugar are delicious, fair trade, and organic. —Esha Chhabra, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing sweeten

• pre-sweeten
• sugar/sweeten the pill
• sweeten up

Kids Definition

sweeten

verb

sweet·​en ˈswēt-ᵊn 

sweetened; sweetening ˈswēt-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to make or become sweet

sweetener

ˈswēt-nər 

-ᵊn-ər

noun