[shoo g-er-koh-ting]


the act or process of covering something with sugar.
a coating or layer of sugar or a sugary substance.
a thing used to make something else considered unpleasant or disagreeable seem attractive or palatable.

Nearby words

  1. sugarbird,
  2. sugarbush,
  3. sugarcane,
  4. sugarcane borer,
  5. sugarcoat,
  6. sugared,
  7. sugarhouse,
  8. sugaring,
  9. sugaring off,
  10. sugarloaf

Origin of sugarcoating

First recorded in 1905–10; sugar + coat + -ing1


[shoo g-er-koht]

verb (used with object)

to cover with sugar: to sugarcoat a pill.
to make (something difficult or distasteful) appear more pleasant or acceptable: There was no way to sugarcoat the bad news.

Origin of sugarcoat

First recorded in 1865–70; sugar + coat Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sugarcoating

Word Origin and History for sugarcoating




Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper