sweet / swēt/ • adj. 1. having the pleasant taste characteristic of sugar or honey; not salty, sour, or bitter: a cup of hot sweet tea | fig. a sweet taste of success. ∎  (of air, water, or food) fresh, pure, and untainted: lungfuls of the clean, sweet air. ∎  [often in comb.] smelling pleasant like flowers or perfume; fragrant: sweet-smelling flowers. 2. pleasing in general; delightful: it was the sweet life he had always craved. ∎  highly satisfying or gratifying: some sweet, short-lived revenge. ∎  [often as interj.] inf. used in expressions of assent or approval: Yeah, I'd like to come to the party. Sweet. ∎  working, moving, or done smoothly or easily: the sweet handling of this motorcycle. ∎  (of sound) melodious or harmonious: the sweet notes of the flute. ∎  denoting music, esp. jazz, played at a steady tempo without improvisation. 3. (of a person or action) pleasant and kind or thoughtful: a very sweet nurse came along. ∎  (esp. of a person or animal) charming and endearing: a sweet little cat. ∎  (sweet on) inf., dated infatuated or in love with: she seemed quite sweet on him. ∎  dear; beloved: my sweet love. ∎ archaic used as a respectful form of address: go to thy rest, sweet sir. 4. used for emphasis in various phrases and exclamations: What had happened? Sweet nothing. ∎  (one's own sweet ——) used to emphasize the unpredictable individuality of someone's actions: I'd rather carry on in my own sweet way.• n. 1. chiefly Brit. a small shaped piece of confectionery made with sugar: a bag of sweets. 2. (sweets) sweet foods, collectively: Americans eat too many sweets. ∎ Brit. a sweet dish forming a course of a meal; a dessert: she served up a lovely sweet made with whipped chestnuts and almond paste. 3. used as an affectionate form of address to a person one is very fond of: hello, my sweet. 4. (the sweet) archaic or poetic/lit. the sweet part or element of something: you have had the bitter, now comes the sweet. ∎  (sweets) the pleasures or delights found in something: the sweets of office.PHRASES: sweet dreams used to express good wishes to a person going to bed.sweet sixteen used to refer to the age of sixteen as characterized by prettiness and innocence in a girl.DERIVATIVES: sweet·ish adj.sweet·ly adv.