Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Preserved with sugar: Describes food, especially fruit, that has been cooked in sugar syrup or coated with sugar to preserve it and give it a sweet taste.
   • Glazed or encrusted with sugar: Describes something covered with a hard, sugary coating.
   • Excessively sweet or flattering (figurative): Used to describe speech or manner that is overly sweet, insincere, or flattering.

Usage and Examples

• Adjective (Preserved with sugar):

  • She decorated the cake with candied cherries and orange peel.
  • I prefer candied ginger to the raw kind for this recipe.

• Adjective (Glazed with sugar):

  • The almonds were candied and crunchy.
  • The recipe calls for candied bacon as a topping.

• Adjective (Figurative: overly sweet):

  • He was put off by her candied words, which felt insincere.
  • The politician's candied promises failed to convince the public.

Advanced Usage

• "Candied" as a participial adjective: The word often functions as a past participle adjective derived from the verb "candy."
  • The fruit, having been candied for weeks, was ready to use.
• In compound descriptions: While the core word is "candied," it is frequently used before nouns to specify the type of sweetened food.
  • candied yams, candied pecans, candied violets

Variants and Related Words

• Candy (verb): To cook, glaze, or preserve (food) in sugar or syrup.
  • She learned how to candy rose petals.
• Candying (gerund/noun): The process of preserving food with sugar.
  • The candying of fruit is an old preservation technique.

Synonyms

• Glacé: (especially for fruit) Preserved or coated in sugar.
• Glazed: Coated with a smooth, shiny substance, often sugar.
• Sugar-coated: Literally covered with sugar; figuratively, made to seem more pleasant.
• Honeyed: (figurative) Sweet-sounding, often insincerely so.

Antonyms

• Bitter: Having a sharp, unpleasant taste.
• Sour: Having an acidic taste.
• Acerbic: (figurative for speech) Sharp and forthright.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Candied words: A phrase describing speech that is excessively flattering or sweet-sounding, often to deceive or manipulate.
  • He saw through her candied words and recognized the hidden threat.

Adjective

1. (used especially of fruits) preserved by coating with or allowing to absorb sugar
2. encrusted with sugar or syrup
   • candied grapefruit peel