sugar-coat

/ˈʃʊɡə kəʊt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈʃʊɡər kəʊt/ (ame, ipa)

sugar-coat — verb

  • sugar-coatpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • sugar-coatshe / she / it
  • sugar-coatedpast simple
  • sugar-coating-ing form

1. to describe an unpleasant fact or situation in a way that hides its true harshne

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to describe an unpleasant fact or situation in a way that hides its true harshness or seriousness

例句

The company's report sugar-coated the job losses by calling them a 'workforce rebalancing initiative.'

sugar-coat + euphemistic corporate language

Instead of sugar-coating the poor exam results, Ravindra explained exactly where he had lost marks.

同義詞
  • gloss over

    suggests briefly mentioning a problem and moving past it, rather than choosing positive language to describe it

  • whitewash

    stronger and more negative, implying a deliberate cover-up of wrongdoing or scandal

  • soften

    gentler; means making bad news easier to accept without necessarily hiding the core truth

  • downplay

    focuses on making something seem less important rather than less unpleasant

反義詞
  • tell it like it is

    an idiom meaning to speak honestly and directly without hiding the truth

文法句型

sugar-coat + noun phrase (the truth, bad news, criticism)

sugar-coat + wh-clause

用法筆記

The figurative sense is far more common than the literal one. Almost always used transitively with an object that names an unpleasant reality — e.g., bad news, a failure, criticism, or an uncomfortable truth.

常見錯誤

❌The teacher sugar-coated the exam, making it easier.
✅The teacher sugar-coated the exam results by telling students they passed when most had failed.
💡sugar-coat is about how you describe something, not about making the thing itself easier or better.

2. to give a food item or a medicinal tablet a smooth outer layer made of sugar so

2.動詞及物B1
釋義

to give a food item or a medicinal tablet a smooth outer layer made of sugar so that it tastes sweet

例句

The bakery sugar-coats fresh donuts every morning before putting them in the display case.

active voice: factory/bakery sugar-coats + food item

Mert's grandmother sugar-coated bitter medicine tablets with honey to help her children swallow them.

同義詞
  • coat

    broader meaning; can describe covering with any substance, not only sugar

  • glaze

    similar but suggests a glossy, liquid-based coating that hardens, like a pastry glaze

文法句型

sugar-coat + noun phrase (food, pill)

用法筆記

Common in the passive (is sugar-coated, are sugar-coated) when describing how commercial food products or medicines are made. The past participle sugar-coated is also frequently used as an adjective, e.g., sugar-coated almonds.

常見錯誤

❌She sugar-coated the cake with chocolate frosting.
✅She iced the cake with chocolate frosting.
💡sugar-coat refers to a thin sugar layer, not thick frosting. For cakes, use frost or ice.