sweet

The word “sweet” means having the taste of sugar; not sour, salty, or bitter. In plain terms, tasting like sugar, or describing a kind, likeable person; also used casually to mean "great.".

“Sweet” is pronounced sweet (/swit/ in IPA).

Here is “sweet” used in a sentence: “The strawberries were perfectly ripe and sweet.”

Words with a similar meaning to “sweet” include nectareal, nectarean, nectarous, nectarine, sappy and sweetsome.

The opposite of “sweet” — its antonyms — are bitter, sour, salty, nonsweet and sugarless.

Depending on how it is used, “sweet” can be an adjective, a noun and an intj.

The word “sweet” comes from Latin. From Old English swēte, going back through Proto-Germanic to a very old Indo-European root for "sweet," shared with words in Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit.

“Sweet” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

In terms of taste, the main opposites of sweet are sour and bitter, with salty also standing in contrast. Sweetness comes from sugars, while sourness comes from acids and bitterness from compounds like those in coffee or dark chocolate. Unsweetened or savory foods are commonly described as "not sweet."

Sweet describes the sugary taste of foods like fruit, honey, and desserts. Savory describes salty, rich, or umami flavors — think roast meat, cheese, or broth — without noticeable sweetness. Many cuisines balance the two, and some dishes are deliberately sweet-and-savory, combining sugar with salt or spice.

The tongue detects five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (savory). Sweet signals sugars and quick energy, which is why humans are naturally drawn to it from birth. These tastes combine with aroma, texture, and temperature to create the full flavor of anything we eat.