sweetly
- 01 B1 Intermediate
in a way that is kind, gentle, or friendly.
in a manner that is amiable, gentle, or kind, often used to describe social interactions or smiles.
Simple“She smiled sweetly at the child and offered him a piece of fruit.”
In context“The receptionist smiled sweetly at the frustrated guests, managing to calm the atmosphere without saying a single word.”
Synonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
in a way that sounds beautiful or musical.
in a melodious or harmonious manner, typically describing voices or musical instruments.
Simple“The birds were singing sweetly in the trees outside my window.”
In context“The choir sang so sweetly that several members of the audience were moved to tears by the final chorus.”
SynonymsmelodiouslyharmoniouslyAntonymsdiscordantly - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
having a smell that is nice and sugary or like flowers.
possessing a fragrant or aromatic quality that is pleasing to the senses.
Simple“The garden smelled sweetly of roses after the summer rain.”
In context“The air in the bakery smelled sweetly of vanilla and warm dough, drawing in customers from across the street.”
SynonymsfragrantlyAntonymsfoullystinking
From Middle English swetly, swetely, sweteliche, from Old English swētlīċe (“sweetly; pleasantly”), equivalent to sweet + -ly. Cognate with Old High German swuozlīhho (“sweetly”), Icelandic sætlega (“sweetly; with gratitude”), German süßlich (“sweetish; sugary”), Dutch zoetelijk (“sentimental”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.