dulcet

D2U1L1C3E1T1
UK, US/ˈdʌl.sɪt/UK, US/ˈdʌl.sət/

adjective

Sweet, especially when describing voice or tones; melodious.

“Matthew "MattKC" Wong (actor) (2024), 6s from the start, in I ported THOUSANDS of apps to Windows 95: “Ah, yes, the dulcet tones of Windows 95.””

Similar
birdsweetmellifluousagreeablesoothingsugarysweetpleasanthoneyed
OriginMiddle English doucet ← Old French doucet ← Latin dulcis →
UncommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

adjective
  1. Sweet, especially when describing voice or tones; melodious.

    Matthew "MattKC" Wong (actor) (2024), 6s from the start, in I ported THOUSANDS of apps to Windows 95: “Ah, yes, the dulcet tones of Windows 95.”

    1 more example

    Her name was Michaela, but the men called her filthy things in dulcet, ingratiating voices, and she giggled with childish joy because she understood no English and thought they were flattering her and making harmless jokes.

    1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Eternal City”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 433

    Synonyms: birdsweet, mellifluous

  2. Generally pleasing; agreeable.

    Synonyms: agreeable, soothing

  3. archaicSweet to the taste.

    […]for drink the Grape / She crushes, inoffensive must, and meads / From many a berry, and from sweet kernels prest / She tempers dulcet creams[…]

    1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC

    Synonyms: sugary, sweet

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveSweet, especially when describing voice or tones; melodious.

Similar
birdsweetmellifluous

adjectiveGenerally pleasing; agreeable.

Similar
agreeablesoothing

adjectiveSweet to the taste.

Similar
sugarysweet

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveextremely pleasant in a gentle way

Similar
pleasant

adjectivepleasing to the ear

Similar
honeyedmellifluousmellisonantsweetmelodiousmelodicmusical
Also see
canorouseuphoniceuphonioushoneyedmelliferousmellifluousmellisonantmelodicmelodiousmusicalpleasantsilver-tonguedsweetsyrupy

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latindulcis“sweet, pleasant”
  2. Old Frenchdoucet
  3. Middle Englishdoucet
  4. Englishdulcet

From Middle English doucet, from Old French doucet, from dulz, dulce (“sweet, pleasant”) + diminutive -et, from Latin dulcis (“sweet, pleasant”). Cognate with Spanish dulce, French doux, Italian dolce, Portuguese doce, and Romanian dulce. Doublet of dolcetto and doucet.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic عَذْب
  • عَذْب (ʕaḏb)sweet (voice, tone), melodious
Bulgarian мелодичен, приятен
  • мелодичен (melodičen)sweet (voice, tone), melodious
  • приятен (prijaten)generally pleasing, soothing, agreeable
  • сладък (sladăk)sweet to the taste
Finnish sointuva, suloinen
  • sointuvasweet (voice, tone), melodious
  • suloinensweet (voice, tone), melodious
  • miellyttävägenerally pleasing, soothing, agreeable
  • suloinengenerally pleasing, soothing, agreeable
  • makeasweet to the taste
  • suloinensweet to the taste
French suave
  • suavesweet (voice, tone), melodious
German wohlklingend, melodisch
  • wohlklingendsweet (voice, tone), melodious
  • melodischsweet (voice, tone), melodious
  • lieblichsweet (voice, tone), melodious
  • angenehmgenerally pleasing, soothing, agreeable
  • beruhigendgenerally pleasing, soothing, agreeable
  • lindgenerally pleasing, soothing, agreeable
  • lieblichsweet to the taste
  • süßsweet to the taste
  • angenehmsweet to the taste
Greek τραγουδιστός
  • τραγουδιστός (tragoudistós)sweet (voice, tone), melodious
Russian мелодичный, приятный
  • мелодичный (melodičnyj)sweet (voice, tone), melodious
  • приятный (prijatnyj)sweet (voice, tone), melodious
Spanish dulce, dulce
  • dulcesweet (voice, tone), melodious
  • dulcegenerally pleasing, soothing, agreeable
  • dulcesweet to the taste
Swedish ljuv, smäktande
  • ljuvsweet (voice, tone), melodious
  • smäktandesweet (voice, tone), melodious
  • ljuvgenerally pleasing, soothing, agreeable

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

decult
Cite this entry
APA

dulcet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dulcet

MLA

“dulcet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dulcet. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dulcet,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dulcet.

Source: dulcet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.