Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense sweetens, present participle sweetening, past tense, past participle sweetened
1. verb
If you sweeten food or drink, you add sugar, honey, or another sweet substance to it.
He liberally sweetened his coffee. [VERB noun]
Many Australians fry their bananas and sweeten them with honey. [VERB noun + with]
Synonyms: sugar, honey, sugar-coat More Synonyms of sweeten
2. verb
If you sweeten something such as an offer or a business deal, you try to make someone want it more by improving it or by increasing the amount you are willing to pay.
They may have to sweeten the deal to keep investors on board. [VERB noun]
She had been careful to sweeten the deal with a rather generous cash payment. [VERB noun with noun]
Synonyms: soften, ease, alleviate, relieve More Synonyms of sweeten
More Synonyms of sweeten
sweeten in British English
(ˈswiːtən)
verb(mainly tr)
1. (also intr)
to make or become sweet or sweeter
2.
to mollify or soften (a person)
3.
to make more agreeable
4. (also intr) chemistry
to free or be freed from unpleasant odours, acidic or corrosive substances, or the like
5. finance, mainly US
to raise the value of (loan collateral) by adding more securities
6. informal poker
to enlarge (the pot) by adding chips
sweeten in American English
(ˈswitən)
verb transitive
1.
to make sweet with or as with sugar
2.
to make pleasant or agreeable, as to the sense of smell
3.
to counteract the acidic condition of (the soil, the stomach, etc.)
4.
a.
to mollify; appease
b. Rare
to alleviate; ease
5. Business; Informal
a.
to increase the value of (collateral for a loan) by pledging additional securities
b.
to increase the value of (an offer) in order to induce acceptance, promote sales, etc.
6. Poker; Slang
to add further stakes to (a pot) before opening
verb intransitive
7.
to become sweet
Examples of 'sweeten' in a sentence
sweeten
Limit naturally sweetened drinks to no more than two per day.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
These delicious fried pastry parcels are sweetened with honey and filled with pecorino cheese.
The Sun (2014)
He dried them and added some wild field honey to sweeten them enough to get them down.
Christianity Today (2000)
Add runny honey to sweeten if desired.
Turner, Roger Newman The Hayfever Handbook - a summer survival guide (1988)
It will keep for up to a week in the fridge and can be used to sweeten any drink.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Without a sweetened offer or going to arbitration, industrial action could begin within a fortnight.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Traders thought a sweetened takeover offer might be in the offing, although probably not today.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Should the offer be sweetened, they make more.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Avoid sugar, instead use fresh and dried fruit to sweeten food.
Holford, Patrick The Family Nutrition Workbook (1988)
Strain, sweeten with honey and enjoy the drink.
The Sun (2013)
Check the seasoning and sweeten with honey, to taste.
The Sun (2015)
Also add a little honey to sweeten, if you like.
The Sun (2013)
Plus, experiments on animals suggest that eating artificially sweetened foods promote weight gain in the long term.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It makes an ideal end to a meal, especially with a spoonful of yoghurt sweetened with honey.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A recent study said two sweetened drinks a day can damage the heart.
The Sun (2015)
Drink a cup an hour before bed, with a teaspoon of honey to sweeten it if you want.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
JUST two sweetened drinks a day can dramatically raise heart risk, studies show.
The Sun (2015)
Sometimes a supplier can't budge on the price tag itself but can throw in additional items or services to sweeten the deal for you.
The Sun (2010)
To sweeten the deal, the investor would also get 50% of the voting rights.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Don't bet against a sweetened offer at the 11th hour.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In addition, Liberty does not have a huge amount of cash at its disposal to sweeten any deal.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
I wouldn't be surprised if the Germans end up offering a premium and some cash to sweeten the deal.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
sweeten
British English: sweeten VERB
If you sweeten food or drink, you add sugar, honey, or another sweet substance to it.
He liberally sweetened his coffee.
American English: sweeten
Brazilian Portuguese: adoçar
Chinese: 使变甜
European Spanish: endulzar
French: sucrer
German: süßen
Italian: dolcificare
Japanese: 甘くする
Korean: 달게 하다
European Portuguese: adoçar
Latin American Spanish: endulzar
Chinese translation of 'sweeten'
sweeten
(ˈswiːtn)
vt
使变(變)甜 (shǐ biàntián)
1 (verb)
Definition
to make (food or drink) sweet or sweeter
He liberally sweetened his coffee.
Synonyms
sugar
honey
sugar-coat
2 (verb)
Definition
to make (an offer or a proposal) more acceptable
They sweetened the deal with a rather generous cash payment.
Synonyms
soften
He could not think how to soften the blow of what he had to tell her.
ease
I made her a hot water bottle to ease the pain.
alleviate
A great deal can be done to alleviate back pain.
relieve
Drugs can relieve much of the pain.
temper
a new way of tempering glass
cushion
He spoke gently, trying to cushion the blow of rejection.
mellow
She has mellowed with age.
make less painful
3 (verb)
Definition
to be nice to (someone) in order to ensure cooperation
He is likely to try to sweeten them with pledges of fresh aid.
Synonyms
mollify
The investigation was undertaken to mollify pressure groups.
appease
The offer has not appeased separatists.
placate
He smiled, and made a gesture intended to placate me.
soothe
He would take her in his arms and soothe her.
pacify
Is this just something to pacify the critics?
soften up
sugar the pill
Additional synonyms
in the sense of alleviate
Definition
to lessen (pain or suffering)
A great deal can be done to alleviate back pain.
Synonyms
ease,
reduce,
relieve,
moderate,
smooth,
dull,
diminish,
soften,
check,
blunt,
soothe,
subdue,
lessen,
lighten,
quell,
allay,
mitigate,
abate,
slacken,
assuage,
quench,
mollify,
slake,
palliate
in the sense of appease
Definition
to pacify (someone) by yielding to his or her demands
The offer has not appeased separatists.
Synonyms
pacify,
satisfy,
calm,
soothe,
quiet,
placate,
mollify,
conciliate
in the sense of cushion
Definition
to lessen the effects of
He spoke gently, trying to cushion the blow of rejection.
Synonyms
soften,
dampen,
muffle,
mitigate,
deaden,
suppress,
stifle
Synonyms of 'sweeten'
sweeten
Explore 'sweeten' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of ease
Definition
to make or become less difficult or severe
I made her a hot water bottle to ease the pain.
Synonyms
relieve,
calm,
moderate,
soothe,
lessen,
alleviate,
appease,
lighten,
lower,
allay,
relax,
still,
mitigate,
assuage,
pacify,
mollify,
tranquillize,
palliate
in the sense of mellow
Definition
to make or become calm and relaxed
She has mellowed with age.
Synonyms
relax,
improve,
settle,
calm,
mature,
soften,
sweeten
in the sense of pacify
Definition
to soothe or calm
Is this just something to pacify the critics?
Synonyms
calm (down),
appease,
placate,
still,
content,
quiet,
moderate,
compose,
soften,
soothe,
allay,
assuage,
make peace with,
mollify,
ameliorate,
conciliate,
propitiate,
tranquillize,
smooth someone's ruffled feathers,
clear the air with,
restore harmony to
in the sense of placate
Definition
to calm (someone) to stop him or her feeling angry or upset
He smiled, and made a gesture intended to placate me.
Synonyms
calm,
satisfy,
humour,
soothe,
appease,
assuage,
pacify,
mollify,
win someone over,
conciliate,
propitiate
in the sense of relieve
Definition
to lessen (pain, distress, boredom, etc.)
Drugs can relieve much of the pain.
Synonyms
ease,
soothe,
alleviate,
allay,
relax,
comfort,
calm,
cure,
dull,
diminish,
soften,
console,
appease,
solace,
mitigate,
abate,
assuage,
mollify,
salve,
palliate
in the sense of soothe
Definition
to make (a worried or angry person) calm and relaxed
He would take her in his arms and soothe her.
Synonyms
calm,
still,
quiet,
hush,
settle,
calm down,
appease,
lull,
mitigate,
pacify,
mollify,
smooth down,
tranquillize
in the sense of temper
Definition
to reduce the brittleness of (a hardened metal) by reheating it and allowing it to cool