swee

S1W4E1E1
Singapore/swi˦˨/Singapore, reduplication/swi˧ swi˦˨/Singapore/swi˨˦ -/

noun

A finch of species Coccopygia melanotis, found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Similar
swee waxbill
UncommonScrabble 7

Meanings

swee1

nounswee (plural swees)

plural swees

  1. A finch of species Coccopygia melanotis, found in sub-Saharan Africa.

    Synonyms: swee waxbill

swee2

adjectiveswee (comparative more swee, superlative most swee, reduplicated swee swee)

comparative more swee · superlative most swee · reduplication swee swee

  1. SinglishGreat, neat, nice, excellent (often used as an interjection when something has gone smoothly).

    When it comes to charity, Irene will make sure everything is ‘swee swee’ (Hokkien for perfect).

    2011 April 3, Yeoh Wee Teck, quoting Harry Yew, The New Paper, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, pages 10–11
    1 more example

    “Sweee!” and “Gooaaal!” That’s the familiar cry heard throughout the neighbourhood. It’s English Premier League and there’s no greater equaliser ground than the kampung coffeeshop in uniting Singapore’s football fans and followers.

    2014 January 26, Sylvia Toh Paik Choo, The Sunday Times, quoted in Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, page 3
  2. SinglishrareNeat and tidy.
  3. SinglishrarePretty, good-looking.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA finch of species Coccopygia melanotis, found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Similar
swee waxbill
Also see

Origin

swee · noun

Onomatopoeia, from its call.

Full word history & related roots →

swee · adjective

  1. Hokkien媠“pretty”
  2. Englishswee

From Hokkien 媠 (súi, “pretty”). Compare Tagalog yasuwi. Perhaps reinforced by sweet.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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