What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Sweet vs Savory - What's the difference?

sweet | savory |

As adjectives the difference between sweet and savory

is that sweet is having a pleasant taste, especially one relating to the basic taste sensation induced by sugar while savory is tasty, attractive to the palate.

As nouns the difference between sweet and savory

is that sweet is the basic taste sensation induced by sugar while savory is a savory snack.

As an adverb sweet

is in a sweet manner.

As a proper noun Sweet

is {{surname|lang=en}.

sweet

English

(wikipedia sweet)

Adjective

(er)
  • Having a pleasant taste, especially one relating to the basic taste sensation induced by sugar.
  • a sweet apple
  • Having a taste of sugar.
  • Containing a sweetening ingredient.
  • (wine) Retaining a portion of sugar.
  • Sweet wines are better dessert wines.
  • Not having a salty taste.
  • sweet butter
  • * 1821 , Robert Thomas, The modern practice of physic
  • Nothing has been found so effectual for preserving water sweet at sea, during long voyages, as charring the insides of the casks well before they are filled.
  • Having a pleasant smell.
  • a sweet scent
  • * Longfellow
  • The breath of these flowers is sweet to me.
  • Not decaying, fermented, rancid, sour, spoiled, or stale.
  • sweet milk
  • Having a pleasant sound.
  • a sweet tune
  • * Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • a voice sweet , tremulous, but powerful
  • Having a pleasing disposition.
  • a sweet child
  • Having a helpful disposition.
  • It was sweet of him to help out.
  • (mineralogy) Free from excessive unwanted substances like acid or sulphur.
  • sweet soil
    sweet crude oil
  • (informal) Very pleasing; agreeable.
  • The new Lexus was a sweet birthday gift.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2014
  • , date=November 14 , author=Stephen Halliday , title=Scotland 1-0 Republic of Ireland: Maloney the hero , work=The Scotsman citation , page= , passage=GORDON Strachan enjoyed the sweetest of his 16 matches in charge of Scotland so far as his team enhanced their prospects of Euro 2016 qualification with a crucial and deserved victory over Republic of Ireland.}}
  • (informal, followed by on) Romantically fixated, enamored (followed by with), fond (followed by of).
  • The attraction was mutual and instant; they were sweet on one another from first sight.
  • (obsolete) Fresh; not salt or brackish.
  • sweet water
    (Francis Bacon)
  • Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; mild and attractive; fair.
  • a sweet''' face; a '''sweet colour or complexion
  • * Milton
  • Sweet interchange / Of hill and valley, rivers, woods, and plains.

    Synonyms

    * (having a taste of sugar) saccharine, sugary * (containing a sweetening ingredient) sugared, sweetened * (not having a salty taste) fresh, unsalty * (having a pleasant smell) fragrant, odoriferous, odorous, perfumed, scented, sweet-scented, sweet-smelling * fresh, unfermented, wholesome * (having a pleasant sound) dulcet, honeyed, mellifluous, mellisonant * (having a pleasing disposition) cute, lovable, pleasant * (having a helpful disposition) kind, gracious, helpful, sensitive, thoughtful * rad, awesome, wicked

    Antonyms

    * (having a pleasant taste) bitter, sour, salty * (containing a sweetening ingredient) nonsweet, sugarless, unsugared, unsweetened, unsweet * dry * decaying, fermented, rancid, sour, spoiled, stale * (not having a salty taste) salty, savoury * (free from excessive unwanted substances) sour * lame, uncool

    Derived terms

    * bittersweet * boiled sweet * flower-sweet * honey-sweet * meadowsweet * semisweet * short and sweet * sickeningly sweet * sickly sweet/sickly-sweet * sugar-sweet * sweet action * (sweet alison) * (sweet almond) * (sweet alyssum) * sweet and sour * sweet as * sweet as a nut * sweet as pie * sweet ball * (sweet balm) * sweet basil * sweet bay * (sweet bells) * sweet birch * sweet bread * sweetbread * sweet-breasted * (sweetbriar) * (sweet calabash) * (sweet cassava) * sweet cheeks * sweet cherry * sweet chocolate * (sweet cicely) * sweet cider * (sweet clover) * (sweet coltsfoot) * sweet corn/sweet-corn/sweetcorn * sweet cream * sweet cup * sweet dreams * (sweet elder) * sweeten * sweetener * sweet FA * (sweet fern) * sweet flag * (vern, sweet four o'clock) * sweet gale * (sweet goldenrod) * sweet grass * sweet gum tree * sweet hereafter * sweet iron * sweetish * sweetkin * sweet leaf * sweet lemon * (sweet lime) * sweetly * (sweet marjoram) * sweet Mary * sweetmeat * (sweet melon) * sweetness * sweet nothings * sweet oil * sweet on * sweet orange * sweet pea * sweet pepper * sweet pickle * sweet potato * (sweet rocket) * sweet roll * sweetroot * sweets * sweet scabious * sweet science * (sweet shrub) * sweet sixteen * Sweet Sixteen * sweet-smelling * sweet-sop * (sweet sorghum) * sweet spot * (sweet sultan) * sweet-talk * sweet talker * sweet tooth * (sweet unicorn plant) * sweet vermouth * (sweet vetch) * (sweet violet) * sweet water * (sweet wattle) * sweet william/Sweet William * sweet woodruff * sweety * sweet young thing * unsweet * (winter sweet)

    Usage notes

    * Also used as a positive response to good news or information: They're making a sequel? Ah, sweet !

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • In a sweet manner.
  • (Shakespeare)

    Synonyms

    * (in a sweet manner) sweetly

    Noun

  • (uncountable) The basic taste sensation induced by sugar.
  • (countable, British) A confection made from sugar, or high in sugar content; a candy.
  • (countable, British) A food eaten for dessert.
  • Can we see the sweet menu, please?
  • sweetheart; darling
  • * Ben Jonson
  • Wherefore frowns my sweet ?
  • (obsolete) That which is sweet or pleasant in odour; a perfume.
  • * Milton
  • a wilderness of sweets
  • (obsolete) That which is pleasing or welcome to the mind.
  • the sweets of domestic life

    Synonyms

    * (sweet taste sensation) See sweetness * (food that is high in sugar content) bonbon, candy (US), confection, confectionery, lolly (Australia) * (food eaten for dessert) See dessert

    Derived terms

    * sweet shop * sweetshop

    Statistics

    *

    savory

    English

    (wikipedia savory)

    Alternative forms

    * savoury (British)

    Etymology 1

    From the (etyl) savoure, from savourer, from (etyl) saporare, from sapor

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Tasty, attractive to the palate.
  • The fine restaurant presented an array of savory dishes; each was delicious.
  • Salty or non-sweet.
  • The mushrooms, meat, bread, rice, peanuts and potatoes were all good savory foods.
  • Not overly sweet.
  • The savory duck contrasted well with the sweet sauce.
  • (figuratively) Morally or ethically acceptable.
  • Readers are to be warned that quotations in this chapter contain some not so savory language.
    Synonyms
    * See also

    Noun

    (savories)
  • A snack.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2007, date=April 18, author=Florence Fabricant, title=Off the Menu, work=New York Times citation
  • , passage=P*ONG On Friday the pastry chef Pichet Ong will open his own cafe, with sweets and savories served at tables and a counter. }}

    Etymology 2

    (Satureja) Possibly from (etyl) saetherie, from (etyl) satureia, influenced by or via (etyl) savereie

    Noun

    (savories)
  • Any of several Mediterranean herbs, of the genus , grown as culinary flavourings.
  • The leaves of these plants used as a flavouring.
  • Derived terms
    * summer savory * winter savory