sweetened; sweetening
ˈswē-tᵊn-iŋ 
ˈswēt-niŋ
1
: to make sweet
2
: to soften the mood or attitude of
3
: to make less painful or trying
4
: to free from a harmful or undesirable quality or substance
especially
: to remove sulfur compounds from
sweeten natural gas
5
: to make more valuable or attractive
sweeten the deal
: such as
a
: to increase (a pot not won on the previous deal) by anteing prior to another deal
b
: to place additional securities as collateral for (a loan)
: to become sweet
Examples of sweeten in a Sentence
He sweetened his cereal a little.
He sweetened the deal with a large signing bonus.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lightly sweetened with hot honey, this cornbread uses red Fresno chiles for a little subtle spice.
—
Elizabeth Nelson, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2025
Inside, luxe features like heated floors sweeten the deal.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2025
The funnel cake itself tasted like any regular funnel cake, but the chocolate drizzle and dollop of German chocolate cake frosting, which features sweetened shredded coconut and chopped pecans, is what made the whole dessert.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Sep. 2025
The dressing is bright with lemon zest and juice, sweetened with maple syrup and savory with olive oil, pink salt and black pepper.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sweeten
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Elizabeth Nelson, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2025
Inside, luxe features like heated floors sweeten the deal.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2025
The funnel cake itself tasted like any regular funnel cake, but the chocolate drizzle and dollop of German chocolate cake frosting, which features sweetened shredded coconut and chopped pecans, is what made the whole dessert.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Sep. 2025
The dressing is bright with lemon zest and juice, sweetened with maple syrup and savory with olive oil, pink salt and black pepper.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sweeten
Cite this Entry
“Sweeten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweeten. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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