What does sweeten mean?
Sweeten is a verb meaning to make something sweet, and it is also widely used figuratively. To sweeten an offer or proposal is to make it more attractive by improving its terms; to sweeten the pill is to make an unpleasant situation easier to accept. The phrase “sweeten the deal” is especially common in negotiations and business. In informal use, sweeten can also describe giving someone money or another inducement to influence them, usually with the implication that the payment is improper or intended to gain undue advantage. Overall, the word suggests making something more pleasant, palatable, or persuasive, whether the object is a drink, a negotiation, or an unpleasant experience.
verbTo make something sweet or sweeter; figuratively, to make something more appealing, pleasant, or advantageous. Informally, it can also mean to give someone money or another inducement in order to influence their actions.
- To make something sweet or sweeter.
- To make something more appealing, pleasant, or advantageous.
- Informally, to offer money or another inducement to influence someone's actions.
"The company offered to reduce the monthly fee in order to sweeten the deal."
"A spoonful of honey can sweeten a bowl of tart yogurt."
"The employer improved the working conditions to sweeten the proposal."
"They were accused of trying to sweeten a local official with cash."
It can sweeten a drink, soften an unpleasant truth, or even sweeten a negotiation with money.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of sweeten
Sweeten was formed in English by adding the verb-forming suffix -en to the adjective sweet, following the productive pattern of English verbs such as broaden and strengthen. The word shares its root with forms such as sweetness and sweetly. Its extended meanings developed naturally from the literal idea of making something sweeter to the figurative idea of making a situation or proposal more agreeable or attractive.
Related word forms
How sweeten is actually used
The literal sense is neutral. The figurative senses are common in formal and informal contexts, while the bribery sense is informal and often carries a negative connotation.
Easily confused with sweeten
Sweet describes a taste or quality, while sweeten is the verb meaning to make something sweet or more appealing.