sweeten

A2 Topic:Food & Drink

US /ˈswiːtən/ UK /ˈswiːtən/ See IPA manual

Freq #23392

Meanings

1

verb
to make food or drink taste sweeter, usually by adding sugar or another sweetener

She used honey to sweeten the tea.
2

verb
to make an experience, task, or situation more pleasant or agreeable

Music helped to sweeten the long hours of repetitive work.
3

verb
to make an offer or agreement more attractive by adding a benefit

The company offered extra leave to sweeten the deal.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make food or drink taste... add sugar tosugar

2 verb · to make an experience,... improve softenmake pleasant

3 verb · to make an offer or... improve enhancemake more attractive

Opposites

sour embitter worsen

Word family

Forms sweetenedsweetens

Derived forms sweetenersweeteningback-sweeten

Related forms sweet sugar honey deal

Etymology

Formed in English from sweet + the verb-forming suffix -en, literally 'make sweet.' The figurative senses extend pleasant taste to improved feelings, easier work, and more attractive offers. It displaced Middle English verbs borrowed from Old French that had the same basic meaning.

Topics

Food & Drink

External links

# sweeten

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈswiːtən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈswiːtən/
**Frequency rank:** 23392

## Meanings
1. to make food or drink taste sweeter, usually by adding sugar or another sweetener
2. to make an experience, task, or situation more pleasant or agreeable
3. to make an offer or agreement more attractive by adding a benefit

## Examples
- She used honey to sweeten the tea.
- Music helped to sweeten the long hours of repetitive work.
- The company offered extra leave to sweeten the deal.

## Synonyms
- sugar
- improve
- soften
- enhance

## Antonyms
- sour
- embitter
- worsen

## Derived Forms
- sweetener
- sweetening
- back-sweeten

## Related Forms
- sweet
- sugar
- honey
- deal

## Etymology
Formed in English from sweet + the verb-forming suffix -en, literally 'make sweet.' The figurative senses extend pleasant taste to improved feelings, easier work, and more attractive offers. It displaced Middle English verbs borrowed from Old French that had the same basic meaning.

## Topics
- Food & Drink

markdown