saccharine

sac·cha·rine
S1A1C3C3H4A1R1I1N1E1
UK/ˈsækəɹaɪn/UK/-ɹɪn/UK/-ɹiːn/UK/ˈsækɹɪn/

adjective

Of or relating to sugar; sugary.

Similar
saccharouscloyingsicklysickly sweetprecioussaccharinedtweesyrupy
Opposite
nonsaccharine
OriginNew Latin saccharum ← Latin saccharon ← Ancient Greek σάκχαρ (sákkhar) →
UncommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

saccharine1

adjectivesaccharine (comparative more saccharine, superlative most saccharine)

comparative more saccharine · superlative most saccharine

  1. datedOf or relating to sugar; sugary.

    Synonyms: saccharous

  2. datedContaining a large or excessive amount of sugar.

    Synonyms: cloying, sickly, sickly sweet

  3. derogatoryfigurativelyExcessively sweet in action or disposition, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness; sickly sweet, syrupy.

    Synonyms: cloying, precious, saccharined, sickly, twee · Antonyms: nonsaccharine

  4. biologyResembling granulated sugar; saccharoid.
nounsaccharine (uncountable)
  1. dateduncountableSomething which is saccharine or sweet; sugar.
  2. figurativelyuncountableSentimentalism.

    If Captain Archie Blaine regarded these outpourings as so much adolescent saccharine he never revealed it by a single word, a smile or the flicker of an eye.

    1960, H[erbert] E[rnest] Bates, An Aspidistra in Babylon: Four Novellas, London: Michael Joseph, →OCLC, page 31

saccharine2

adjectivesaccharine (not comparable)
  1. not comparableOf or relating to saccharin (“a white, crystalline powder, C₇H₅NO₃S, used as an artificial sweetener in food products”).

saccharine3

nounsaccharine (plural saccharines)

plural saccharines

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of saccharin.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveOf or relating to sugar; sugary.

Similar
saccharous

adjectiveContaining a large or excessive amount of sugar.

Similar
cloyingsicklysickly sweet

adjectiveExcessively sweet in action or disposition, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness; sickly sweet, syrupy.

Similar
cloyingprecioussaccharinedsicklytwee
Opposite
nonsaccharine

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveoverly sweet

Similar
cloyingsyrupytreaclysweet
Also see
cloyingcutesymelliferousprecioussicklysickly sweetsweetsyrupytreaclytwee

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

saccharine · adjective, noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱorkeh₂
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranian*ćárkaraH
  3. Proto-Indo-Aryan*śárkaraH
  4. Sanskritशर्क॑रा (śárkarā)
  5. Palisakkharā
  6. Ancient Greekσάκχαρ (sákkhar)
  7. Latinsaccharon
  8. New Latinsaccharum
  9. Englishsaccharine

From New Latin saccharum (“sugar”) + English -ine (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Saccharum is derived from saccharon (“syrupy liquid from bamboo or reeds”), from Ancient Greek σάκχαρον (sákkharon), from Pali sakkharā (“sugar; gravel; granule, grain; crystal; potsherd”), from Sanskrit शर्करा (śárkarā, “ground or candied sugar; cotton sugar, sugarmaple; gravel, grit, pebbles; potsherd”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱorkeh₂ (“boulder; gravel”).

More words from New Latin, Ancient Greek, Pali

Full word history & related roots →

saccharine · adjective

From saccharin + -ine (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives).

Full word history & related roots →

saccharine · noun

A variant of saccharin.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic سُكَّرِيّ
  • سُكَّرِيّ (sukkariyy)of or relating to sugar — see also sugary
Bulgarian сладникав, захарен
  • сладникав (sladnikav)excessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • захарен (zaharen)of or relating to sugar — see also sugary
Catalan sacarí
  • sacaríof or relating to sugar — see also sugary
Chinese Mandarin 糖精
  • 糖精 (tángjīng)of or relating to saccharin
Dutch sacharine, honingzoet
  • sacharineexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • honingzoetexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • mierzoetexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • weeïgexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • zoetsappigexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • suikerachtigof or relating to sugar — see also sugary
Finnish imelä, siirappinen
  • imeläexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • siirappinenexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
French cucul la praline, fleur bleue
  • cucul la pralineexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • fleur bleueexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
German süßlich
  • süßlichexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
Icelandic sætur
  • sæturof or relating to sugar — see also sugary
Italian dolciastro, mieloso
  • dolciastroexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • mielosoexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • sdolcinatoexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • smielatoexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • stucchevoleexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • svenevoleexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • zuccherosoexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • saccariferoof or relating to sugar — see also sugary
  • saccarinoof or relating to sugar — see also sugary
Latin saccharīnus
  • saccharīnusof or relating to sugar — see also sugary
Māori āwenewene
  • āweneweneexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
Polish ckliwy
  • ckliwyexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
Portuguese sacarino
  • sacarinoof or relating to sugar — see also sugary
Romanian dulceag, mieros
  • dulceagexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • mierosexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • mierosof or relating to sugar — see also sugary
Russian при́торный, при́торный
  • при́торный (prítornyj)excessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • при́торный (prítornyj)of or relating to sugar — see also sugary
Spanish cursi, dulzón
  • cursiexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • dulzónexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • empalagosoexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • melosoexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • pastelosoexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • sensibleroexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness
  • sacarinoof or relating to sugar — see also sugary
  • sacaríferoof or relating to sugar — see also sugary
Swedish sötsliskig
  • sötsliskigexcessively sweet, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness

Rhymes & wordplay

Sounds the same

saccharinsaccharinsaccharinsaccharin
Cite this entry
APA

saccharine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/saccharine

MLA

“saccharine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/saccharine. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “saccharine,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/saccharine.

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