sweetness C2+ Topic:Senses & Perception US /ˈswitnəs/ UK /ˈswiːtnəs/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the quality of being sweet in taste, sound, or temperament The sweetness of the ripe figs was almost cloying. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the quality of being sweet... sugarinessmellownessfragrancegentlenesskindnesspleasantness ↔ Opposites bitternesssournessharshness Word family Related forms sweetsweetensweetie Etymology AI details From Old English swētnes ('sweetness'), from swēte ('sweet') + -nes, from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz, from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus ('sweet'). swētnes Old English *swéh₂dus Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Senses & Perception Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # sweetness **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈswitnəs/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈswiːtnəs/ ## Meanings 1. the quality of being sweet in taste, sound, or temperament ## Examples - The sweetness of the ripe figs was almost cloying. ## Synonyms - sugariness - mellowness - fragrance - gentleness - kindness - pleasantness ## Antonyms - bitterness - sourness - harshness ## Related Forms - sweet - sweeten - sweetie ## Roots and Affixes - Root: swētnes - Root: *swéh₂dus ## Etymology From Old English swētnes ('sweetness'), from swēte ('sweet') + -nes, from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz, from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus ('sweet'). ## AI Etymology Sweetness is from Old English swētnes ('sweetness'), from swēte ('sweet') + -nes, from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz, from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus ('sweet'). Important recorded forms include swētnes (Old English) and *swéh₂dus (Proto-Indo-European). Morphologically, the native -ness suffix turns an adjective or quality word into an abstract noun naming the state or condition. The modern sense is largely compositional, with the historical elements narrowing into a stable English lexical item. In current use it covers the quality of being sweet in taste, sound, or temperament. The wider family includes related words such as sweet, sweeten, and sweetie. ## Topics - Senses & Perception - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown