sweet
sweet — adjective
1. having the flavour of sugar or honey, rather than sour, salty, or bitter.
having the flavour of sugar or honey, rather than sour, salty, or bitter.
Tunde added extra sugar to his coffee because he liked it sweet.
it + adjective (object complement)
The mangoes from Bao village were so sweet that he ate three in a row.
so + adjective + that-clause
This lemon cake is less sweet than the chocolate one.
Mizuki prefers sweet breakfast foods like honey on warm toast.
A bowl of sweet red strawberries made the perfect afternoon snack.
用法筆記
The opposite is sour (for fruit), bitter (for chocolate or coffee), or savoury (for non-sweet dishes).
常見錯誤
2. giving you a good, happy feeling; enjoyable and emotionally satisfying.
giving you a good, happy feeling; enjoyable and emotionally satisfying.
For Faisal, the sweetest moment of the trip was watching the sunrise.
superlative: the sweetest moment
The team tasted the sweet joy of victory after months of hard practice.
collocation: sweet joy of [abstract noun]
Salma said goodbye, but the sweet memory of their time together stayed with her.
There is something sweet about returning home to a warm house in winter.
- pleasant
similar meaning but less emotional intensity
- gratifying
more formal; stresses fulfilment of a desire
- bitter
especially in 'bitter-sweet' contrast
- unpleasant
general opposite
用法筆記
Common in fixed expressions like 'sweet taste of success' (the good feeling from achieving something) and 'sweet victory' (a win that feels especially satisfying).
3. producing a soft, clear, and pleasing sound, especially a musical one.
producing a soft, clear, and pleasing sound, especially a musical one.
The sweet sound of a violin drifted through the open window.
collocation: sweet sound of [instrument]
Élise heard her baby's soft laughter from the next room and smiled.
Christopher found the gentle sweet melody of the flute very relaxing.
Nothing is as sweet as the sound of rain on the roof at night.
用法筆記
Often used for voices, musical instruments, and natural sounds such as birdsong. The opposite for sound is harsh or grating.
4. looking pleasant and gentle in a way that makes you feel fond, often because of
looking pleasant and gentle in a way that makes you feel fond, often because of being small or delicate.
The cafe had a sweet little garden with yellow flowers and old wooden tables.
sweet little [noun] — common collocation for small things
Felix gave his grandmother a sweet smile when she handed him a gift.
Paloma bought a sweet ceramic cat at the market to put on her desk.
The kitten's sweet face made everyone in the room want to hold it.
- ugly
plain opposite for appearance
- unattractive
gentler opposite
用法筆記
Used mainly for things, animals, or children that are endearing because of their small size or innocent appearance. For adults, can imply a gentle appearance but may sound patronising.
5. having a gentle, caring nature and showing thoughtfulness towards other people.
having a gentle, caring nature and showing thoughtfulness towards other people.
It was sweet of Min to bring soup to her neighbour who was unwell.
it + be + sweet of + person + to-infinitive
Emily's sweet nature made her a favourite among the children at school.
The old man had a sweet way of talking that put everyone at ease.
Aunt Rosa is one of the sweetest people I know she never forgets a birthday.
- kind
broader in meaning; sweet adds a sense of warmth and gentleness
- gentle
emphasises softness and lack of harshness
- thoughtful
stresses consideration of other needs
用法筆記
Focuses on someone character rather than their appearance. The expression 'it is sweet of someone to do something' is a common conversational pattern for appreciating kind acts.
常見錯誤
6. having a pleasant, fresh, or flowery smell that is usually light and natural.
having a pleasant, fresh, or flowery smell that is usually light and natural.
The sweet smell of jasmine filled the garden on warm summer evenings.
collocation: sweet smell of [flower]
Tunde picked a bunch of sweet roses for the dinner table.
Maya opened the box and a sweet flowery scent drifted into the room.
The morning air was sweet with the fragrance of pine trees after rain.
用法筆記
Used for natural scents from flowers, fruit, plants, and fresh air. For artificial smells (perfume, air freshener), sweet may imply overly strong or cloying.
sweet — noun
1. a small food item made of sugar or chocolate, usually eaten as a treat.
a small food item made of sugar or chocolate, usually eaten as a treat.
Christopher offered the children a bag of sweets from the corner shop.
plural: a bag of sweets
Mizuki sucked on a sweet while she worked through the maths problems.
singular: a sweet
The little girl's pockets were full of sweets from the birthday party.
Please do not eat sweets right before dinner it will spoil your appetite.
- candy
American English equivalent for small sugar-based food
- confectionery
formal or shop-category term; broader range
用法筆記
This sense is countable and is the ordinary British English word for what American English calls candy. In American English, sweet is not used for individual pieces of candy — use candy instead.
常見錯誤
2. any kind of food that contains a large amount of sugar, such as candy, cake, or
any kind of food that contains a large amount of sugar, such as candy, cake, or ice cream.
After cutting out salty snacks Bao found his craving for sweets grew stronger.
craving for sweets
The festival offered a wide range of sweets including cakes and pastries.
Faisal's doctor told him to reduce his intake of sweets and sugary drinks.
Paloma brought a box of assorted sweets to share with her colleagues.
- candy
overlaps but candy is more specific; sweets is broader in British English
- confectionery
more formal category term
- savoury food
salty or non-sweet dishes
用法筆記
Often in plural form 'sweets' to refer to sugary foods in general. Overlaps with sense 1 but is broader — includes all sugary foods, not just individual pieces of candy.
3. a sweet course that rounds off a lunch or dinner.
a sweet course that rounds off a lunch or dinner.
For the final course the waiter brought a chocolate sweet with fresh berries.
indefinite article: a chocolate sweet
Salma always saved room for a sweet after dinner no matter how full she felt.
saved room for a sweet
The restaurant's signature sweet is a warm apple tart with vanilla ice cream.
Emily ordered a sweet for the table so everyone could share a taste.
用法筆記
British English uses sweet for what American English calls dessert. In a restaurant context, you may also hear pudding (especially in northern England). The American term dessert is increasingly understood in Britain too.
常見錯誤
4. the taste that sugar produces on the tongue; the quality of being sweet.
the taste that sugar produces on the tongue; the quality of being sweet.
The natural sweet of the ripe peach needed no added sugar at all.
the natural sweet of [food]
Min detected a faint sweet in the tea even though no honey had been added.
detect a faint sweet
The sweet of honey pairs wonderfully with the tang of fresh lemon juice.
This wine has a pleasant natural sweet that comes from the grapes.
- sweetness
the more common abstract noun form
- sugariness
rare; describes very high sugar content
- sourness
sharp, acidic taste sensation
- bitterness
sharp, sometimes unpleasant taste
用法筆記
An abstract or semi-abstract noun. Can be modified by adjectives like natural, faint, pleasant, or overwhelming. Do not confuse with the adjective 'sweet' — this sense refers to the sensation itself.
sweet — exclamation
1. said when you feel happy about a piece of news, a success, or something that has
said when you feel happy about a piece of news, a success, or something that has happened.
Sweet! We got tickets to the concert Felix shouted when he read the email.
exclamation as standalone utterance
The mechanic finished the repair and said, 'Sweet! Your car is ready to go.'
Sweet! The package arrived early said Christopher tearing open the box.
Sweet! I finally finished my novel said Tunde after typing the last word.
- Great!
more neutral and widely understood across registers
- Awesome!
similar level of informality; more common in American English
- Brilliant!
British equivalent; slightly less informal
用法筆記
Very informal, used mainly by younger speakers in British and Australian English. Similar in meaning to 'Great!', 'Awesome!', or 'Brilliant!' but less common in writing. Not used in formal situations.
常見錯誤
sweet — adverb
1. in a way that goes smoothly, easily, or works well without problems.
in a way that goes smoothly, easily, or works well without problems.
Everything went sweet for the project once the team fixed the computer bug.
phrasal verb: go sweet — informal
The new software plays sweet with the older operating system.
phrasal verb: play sweet — compatible
If you follow the instructions the whole setup process should run sweet.
The rehearsal went sweet for the whole band from the very first song.
用法筆記
A poetic or informal substitute for the standard adverb sweetly. Found mainly in informal speech and in lyrics or dialect writing. The standard form sweetly is preferred in most written contexts.