Meaning & use
sweet-talking
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nouninformaldisapproving
Using flattery and kind words to persuade someone to do something, often in a way that is not sincere.
Grammar: Comes before the noun it describes: a sweet-talking stranger.
Patterns
- a sweet-talking person
- a sweet-talking salesman
He was a sweet-talking salesman who could sell anything to anyone.
She did not trust the sweet-talking man who kept offering to help her.
A sweet-talking voice on the phone promised her a free holiday.
verbtransitive or intransitiveinformaldisapproving
Persuading someone with flattery and kind words, especially to get something from them.
Grammar: The full verb is 'sweet-talk'; 'sweet talking' is its -ing form. It usually takes an object: sweet-talking the boss.
Patterns
- sweet-talk someone
- sweet-talk someone into something
- sweet-talk someone into doing something
He spent the evening sweet-talking the manager into giving him a discount.
Stop sweet-talking me and tell me the truth.
She is good at sweet-talking people into lending her money.
Word forms
| base form | sweet-talk |
|---|---|
| third person singular | sweet-talks |
| past tense | sweet-talked |
| past participle | sweet-talked |
| -ing form | sweet-talking |
Common combinations
- sweet-talk someone into something
- He sweet-talked his brother into lending him the car.
- sweet-talk your way into something
- She sweet-talked her way into the private party.
- sweet-talk the boss
- If you want the day off, you will have to sweet-talk the boss.
- a sweet-talking salesman
- A sweet-talking salesman convinced them to sign the contract.
- smooth-talking
- The smooth-talking presenter kept the audience entertained.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flatter
- Means to praise someone more than they deserve; it focuses on the praise itself, while sweet-talking focuses on persuading someone to do something.
- coax
- Means to gently persuade someone, often with patience rather than flattery; it is less disapproving than sweet-talking.
- cajole
- Means to persuade by pleasant talk or promises; it is more formal than sweet-talking and often suggests persistence.
- wheedle
- Means to persuade by flattery in order to get something; it is close in meaning but stronger and more disapproving.
Opposites
Word family
- sweet-talk verb
- To persuade someone with flattery and kind words.
- sweet talk noun
- Flattering words used to persuade someone.
- sweet-talker noun
- A person who often persuades others with flattery.
Commonly confused: sweet-talking or small talk? sweet-talking or sweet-tempered?
sweet-talking vs small talk
Small talk means light conversation about unimportant things; sweet talking means using flattery to persuade someone.
sweet-talking vs sweet-tempered
Sweet-tempered means kind and gentle by nature, not persuasive or flattering.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'sweet talking' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Sweet talking' is used to persuade someone, so it fits with an object such as 'his boss' and the pattern 'into a pay rise'. The other options do not express the idea of persuading anyone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sweet-talking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.