sugarcoat
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To make something unpleasant seem more attractive or acceptable by using pleasant words or a positive presentation.
- To cover or coat something with a layer of sugar or a sweet substance.
Usage
- The primary use is figurative, meaning to present harsh truths in a more palatable way.
- The literal use refers to the physical act of coating with sugar.
Examples
- Figurative Use:
- The manager didn't sugarcoat the bad news about the layoffs.
- Politicians often sugarcoat their policies to gain public support.
- Literal Use:
- The company sugarcoats the pills to make them easier for children to swallow.
- These almonds are sugarcoated and delicious.
Advanced Usage
- "to sugarcoat the truth/pill": A common idiom meaning to make an unpleasant truth or reality easier to accept.
- It's better to be honest than to sugarcoat the truth.
- The doctor tried to sugarcoat the pill by focusing on the positive outcomes of the treatment.
Variants and Related Words
- Sugarcoating (noun): The act or an instance of making something seem less unpleasant.
- His report was full of sugarcoating and avoided the main problems.
- Sugar-coated (adjective): Describing something that has been made to seem more pleasant or is literally covered in sugar.
- We received a sugar-coated version of events.
- I prefer sugar-coated cereal.
Synonyms
- Figurative: Gloss over, soften, gild, whitewash, prettify.
- Literal: Glaze, frost, candy.
Antonyms
- Figurative: Be blunt, be straightforward, lay bare.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- "To sugarcoat the bitter pill": To make a difficult or unpleasant necessity more acceptable.
- The new regulations are tough, and no amount of sugarcoating the bitter pill will change that.
Verb
- cause to appear more pleasant or appealing
- The mayor did not sugarcoat the reality of the tax cuts
- coat with something sweet, such as a hard sugar glaze