Meaning & use
sweet nothing
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Meanings
nounusually plural
An affectionate or flattering remark that is lovingly whispered between partners and has little practical meaning.
Grammar: Usually plural: he whispered sweet nothings in her ear.
Patterns
- whisper sweet nothings to someone
- sweet nothings in someone's ear
He whispered sweet nothings in her ear as they danced.
They spent the evening exchanging sweet nothings over candlelight.
I could hear the couple murmuring sweet nothings on the next bench.
nouncountableinformal
Something of almost no value or importance, as in a very small amount or trivial remark.
Grammar: Less common sense; treated as a joke on the phrase, often with an or the.
Patterns
- a sweet nothing
Her reply was a sweet nothing, polite but empty of any promise.
The salesman offered a sweet nothing of a discount.
After all that effort, the reward was a sweet nothing.
Word forms
| plural | sweet nothings |
|---|
Common combinations
- whisper sweet nothings
- He whispered sweet nothings across the table.
- murmur sweet nothings
- They murmured sweet nothings while watching the sunset.
- exchange sweet nothings
- The newlyweds exchanged sweet nothings on the phone.
- sweet nothings in her ear
- He kept putting sweet nothings in her ear all night.
- tender sweet nothings
- The card was full of tender sweet nothings.
Synonyms and how they differ
- endearments
- Endearments are loving words or pet names, while sweet nothings are whole little remarks that may be just pleasant noise.
- flattery
- Flattery is praise given to win favor, so it can feel insincere, whereas sweet nothings are meant as loving.
- pillow talk
- Pillow talk is intimate conversation in bed and covers more than affectionate remarks.
- pet names
- Pet names are the nicknames partners use, which is only one small part of sweet nothings.
Opposites
Word family
- sweet adjective
- pleasant, kind or tasting of sugar
- sweetly adverb
- in a gentle or kind way
- sweetheart noun
- a loved one or a kind person
- nothing pronoun
- not anything
Commonly confused: sweet nothing or sweet talk?
sweet nothing vs sweet talk
Sweet talk is flattery meant to persuade someone, while sweet nothings are affectionate words between lovers.
Practice
On their anniversary, he leaned close and whispered ______ in her ear.
Choose one answer.
Sweet nothings is the fixed phrase for tender, trivial words between lovers. The other options are not idiomatic English.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sweet nothing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.