Dictionary

sweetness en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• swēt'nəs (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈswiːtnəs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈswitnəs/ (General-American)
• (General-American) audio

Etymology

From Middle English swetnes, swetnesse, from Old English swētnes (“sweetness”), from Proto-West Germanic *swōtinassī (“sweetness”), equivalent to sweet + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian swietens (“sweetness”), obsolete Dutch zoetenis (“sweetness”), Old High German swuoznessi, suoznessi (“sweetness”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The condition of being sweet (all senses).
   • At the same time, that pain is soothed by the brain’s perception of sweetness on a totally different area of your taste buds. 2024 June 6, Brooke Younger, “What Is Swicy, and Why Do You Need It in Your Life?”, in Cozymeal:
2. (countable, uncountable) A pleasant disposition; kindness.
   • Ruth's overwhelming sweetness made Robert forget about his hopelessly low school grades.
3. (countable, uncountable) The quality of giving pleasure to the mind or senses, pleasantness, agreeableness.
   • Quiet people too, for I think that about this time a sort of remorseful tenderness comes over the bullies and the nagsters, so that they go about gently and deprecatingly, hoping by one day's record sweetness to outface the year's blusterings. 1906, Violet Hunt, The Workaday Woman, page 1:
   • The thirſt of raigne and ſweetnes of a crowne, […] / Moou’d me to menage armes againſt thy ſtate. c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene vii:
4. (countable, informal, uncountable) A term of address for one's sweetheart.
   • "Hey sweetness," he said. "How was practice?" 2011, Kimberly Gibney, Over the Edge, page 66:
   • Sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking when I said / I'd like to smash every tooth in your head. 1986, The Smiths (band), Bigmouth Strikes Again (song)

Forms

Antonyms

sourness · bitterness

Deriveds

sweetness and light

Holonyms

five basic tastes

Hypernyms

flavour

Hyponyms

chocolateness · syrupiness

Relateds

sweet

Synonyms

saccharinity · dulcitude · dulciness · sugariness · dulceness · sweetness

Translations (93)

eo dolĉeco (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ko 감미 (condition of being sweet or sugary) · es agradabilidad (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · nn søtleik (condition of being sweet or sugary) · is sætleik (condition of being sweet or sugary) · fr douceur (condition of being sweet or sugary) · it dolcezza (condition of being sweet or sugary) · eo amindeco (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · la dulcitās (condition of being sweet or sugary) · pt doçura (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ar حَلَاوَةٌ (condition of being sweet or sugary) · az şirinlik (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · da sødme (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · pt doçura (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · hy քաղցրություն (condition of being sweet or sugary) · is sætleik (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · cy melyster (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ru сла́дость (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ja 甘さ (condition of being sweet or sugary) · la mellinia (condition of being sweet or sugary) · lv saldums (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · es dulzor (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ms manis (condition of being sweet or sugary) · it dolcezza (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · he מתיקות (condition of being sweet or sugary) · sv sötma (condition of being sweet or sugary) · la dulcitūdō (condition of being sweet or sugary) · sh slatkòća (condition of being sweet or sugary) · la dulcor (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ky таттуулук (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ko 단맛 (condition of being sweet or sugary) · hu édesség (condition of being sweet or sugary) · nl zoetheid (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · cs sladkost (condition of being sweet or sugary) · sh slatkost (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · tr tatlılık (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · uk соло́дкість (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ru доброду́шие (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · ru доброта́ (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · fr goût sucré (condition of being sweet or sugary) · es melosidad (condition of being sweet or sugary) · de Süßigkeit (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · hu kedvesség (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · oc doçor (condition of being sweet or sugary) · fi herttaisuus (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · el γλυκύτητα (condition of being sweet or sugary) · cmn 甜美 (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · ast dulzura (condition of being sweet or sugary) · af soetheid (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · sq ëmbëlsi (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · rup dultseatsã (condition of being sweet or sugary) · nl zoetheid (condition of being sweet or sugary) · tr tatlılık (condition of being sweet or sugary) · uz totlilik (condition of being sweet or sugary) · de Süßigkeit (condition of being sweet or sugary) · kk тәттілік (condition of being sweet or sugary) · yi זיסקײַט (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ka სიტკბოება (condition of being sweet or sugary) · fr sucrosité (condition of being sweet or sugary) · es dulzura (condition of being sweet or sugary) · la dulcēdō (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ro dulceață (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · az şirinlik (condition of being sweet or sugary) · de Süße (condition of being sweet or sugary) · cmn 甜味 (condition of being sweet or sugary) · gl dozura (condition of being sweet or sugary) · grc γλυκύτης (condition of being sweet or sugary) · es dulcedumbre (condition of being sweet or sugary) · pl słodycz (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · la suāvitās (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ro dulceață (condition of being sweet or sugary) · la suavitudo (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · ca dolçor (condition of being sweet or sugary) · af soetheid (condition of being sweet or sugary) · gl dozura (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · th ความหวาน (condition of being sweet or sugary) · tt татлылык (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ca dolçor (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · lv saldums (condition of being sweet or sugary) · frp doçor (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ka სიტკბო (condition of being sweet or sugary) · nb sødme (condition of being sweet or sugary) · pl słodycz (condition of being sweet or sugary) · crh tatlılıq (condition of being sweet or sugary) · da sødme (condition of being sweet or sugary) · ang swētnes (condition of being sweet or sugary) · sq ëmbëlsi (condition of being sweet or sugary) · de Süße (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · fi makeus (condition of being sweet or sugary) · el γλύκα (condition of being sweet or sugary) · nb søthet (condition of being sweet or sugary) · bg ласкавост (pleasant disposition — see also kindness) · bg сла́дост (condition of being sweet or sugary)