sweet
gb/swˈit/ us/swˈit/
A1
English
~ 2500
Senses
0 senses
adjective
A1
property
1
pleasant sugary taste
Tasting like sugar; not sour, salty, or bitter.
Usage pattern:
[something] tastes sweet
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'sweet' with 'savory' when talking about food flavors.
Synonyms
sugary (Emphasizes a high sugar content, sometimes with a negative tone.)
Antonyms
bitter (Describes a sharp, unpleasant taste, opposite to sweet.)
Collocations
sweet taste
|sweet flavor
|sweet dessert
|sweet fruit
|sweet drink
Themes
food
|daily life
|food_drink
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The cake was rich and sweet.
- These strawberries are so sweet this season.
- I prefer sweet coffee over bitter coffee.
- The mango has a sweet and juicy flesh.
- Her tea was too sweet for my liking.
Learner examples
- The apple is sweet.
- This cake is sweet.
- I like sweet juice.
- The candy is very sweet.
adjective
informal
A2
property
2
kind or endearing nature
Very nice and kind in a way that makes people like you.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is sweet
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'sweet' meaning 'kind' with 'sweet' meaning 'tasting like sugar'. Context is important.
Synonyms
kind (General term for being nice to others; less emotionally warm than 'sweet'.)
Antonyms
mean (Unkind and unpleasant, the opposite of sweet in personality.)
Collocations
sweet person
|sweet gesture
|sweet smile
|sweet child
Themes
emotions
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- That was so sweet of you to help me.
- She has such a sweet smile.
- He's a sweet little boy who loves animals.
- Thanks for the flowers — you're very sweet.
- It was sweet of her to remember my birthday.
Learner examples
- You are very sweet.
- She is a sweet girl.
- That is a sweet dog.
- He is sweet to his friends.
Noun
A1
entity
3
piece of candy or dessert
A small food that tastes like sugar, such as candy or chocolate.
Usage pattern:
eat [a/an] sweet
Common mistake:
Learners may use 'sweet' instead of 'sweets' when referring to multiple pieces of candy in British English.
Synonyms
candy (Common in American English; 'sweets' is more common in British English.)
Antonyms
savory snack (Food with a salty or spicy flavor instead of sugar.)
Collocations
eat sweets
|bag of sweets
|chocolate sweets
Themes
food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The children were given sweets after the party.
- I bought some sweets for the road trip.
- Too many sweets can harm your teeth.
- She offered me a sweet from the jar.
Learner examples
- I like sweets.
- He eats sweets every day.
- Sweets are bad for teeth.
- The shop sells sweets.
adjective
informal
B1
property
4
excellent or pleasing (slang)
Informal: very good or nice.
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse this slang meaning in formal contexts where it sounds inappropriate.
Synonyms
awesome (Very informal term for something impressive; more emphatic than 'sweet'.)
Antonyms
lame (Slang for something unimpressive or disappointing.)
Collocations
sweet deal
|sweet ride
Themes
slang
|emotions
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- You got front-row tickets? Sweet!
- That's a sweet guitar you have there.
- Sweet move! That was amazing.
Learner examples
- Sweet! I can go to the party.
- That car is sweet.
- Sweet job!
Grammar
Dictionary form
sweet
IPA
GB/swˈit/
US/swˈit/
Syllables & stress
sweet (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (sweet)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: sweet
- Comparative: sweeter
- Superlative: sweetest
Noun
- Base: sweet
- Plural: sweet, sweets
Word family
Expressions
short and sweet
1/ʃˈɔɹt ˈænd swˈit/
idiom
brief but pleasant
Quick but nice or enjoyable.
Examples
- His speech was short and sweet, just five minutes long.
- Let's keep this meeting short and sweet so we can go home early.
sweet dreams
1/swˈit dɹˈimz/
fixed phrase
wish for pleasant sleep/dreams
'Good night'; said to hope someone sleeps well and has nice dreams.
Examples
- Good night, sweet dreams!
- She kissed her daughter and said, 'Sweet dreams.'
home sweet home
1/hˈoʊm swˈit hˈoʊm/
fixed phrase
Feeling happy to be at home
Used when you feel happy and comfortable to be back at your own house.
Examples
- After two weeks away, it was finally home sweet home.
- After two weeks abroad, it was nice to say, 'Home sweet home.'
- Home sweet home, she sighed as she sat on her sofa.
- We finally arrived—home sweet home!
revenge is sweet
1/ɹivˈɛnd͡ʒ ˈɪz swˈit/
idiom
informal
enjoyment from successful revenge
People say this when someone feels happy and satisfied after they successfully hurt or punish a person who hurt them.
Examples
- As he watched his former boss get fired, he smiled and whispered, "Revenge is sweet."
- She knew revenge is sweet, but it didn’t fix the past.
- When their team finally beat the champions, the coach joked, "Revenge is sweet!"
revenge is sweet
2/ɹivˈɛnd͡ʒ ˈɪz swˈit/
idiom
satisfaction from revenge
People feel happy when they hurt someone who hurt them first.
Examples
- He smiled—revenge is sweet.
- When she beat her old rival, she thought, 'Revenge is sweet.'
sweet tooth
1/swˈit tˈuθ/
fixed phrase
love for sugary foods
A strong liking for food that tastes like sugar.
Examples
- I have a sweet tooth and love chocolate.
- I have a real sweet tooth and can't resist chocolate.
- Her sweet tooth makes dessert her favorite part of the meal.
- If you have a sweet tooth, you'll love this bakery.