confection
noun
Did you know?
As a wise blue monster with a famous sweet tooth once noted, “c” is for cookie. And sure, that’s good enough for us, but sometimes the moment calls for a wide variety of delectables, not just cookies. In such times, you might remember that “c” is also for confection. Confection is a word that refers to something confected—that is, put together—from several different ingredients or elements. Often confections are sweet and edible, but confection can also be used to refer to a finely worked piece of craftsmanship. In other words, the lacy box containing chocolate confections can be a confection itself. Tracing back to the Latin verb conficere (“to carry out, perform, make, bring about, collect, bring to completion”), confection entered Middle English as the word confeccioun, meaning “preparation by mixing ingredients; something prepared by mixing, such as a medicine or dish of food,” and has since taken on additional, often figurative meanings in English in the ensuing centuries, as in “the beloved musical confection ‘C is for Cookie.’”
Examples of confection in a Sentence
Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 19 Mar. 2026
That person — a sunny, daffy, confection of trashy Southern ridiculousness — is just not a mean person.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026
Young courtesan wannabe Gigi (Leslie Caron) and Parisian playboy Gaston (Louis Jourdan) see each other as just friends, until romance intercedes in the musical confection.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
This cake features our Luscious Lemon Frosting, a citrusy buttercream confection.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for confection
Cite this Entry
“Confection.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confection. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
confection
noun
Middle English confectioun "mixture, candy," from early French confection "mixture," derived from Latin conficere "to prepare," from con-, com- "together" and -ficere, from facere "to make, do" — related to fashion
Medical Definition
confection
noun
called also electuary
