Meaning & use
treacle
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Meanings
noununcountableBritish
A thick, dark, sticky syrup left over when sugar is refined, used in baking and sweet dishes.
Grammar: Uncountable: a tin of treacle, a spoonful of treacle.
Patterns
- a spoonful of treacle
- treacle tart
Grandma stirred a spoonful of treacle into the gingerbread mix.
We had treacle tart with custard after dinner.
The tin of treacle was so thick that the spoon stood upright in it.
noununcountablefigurativedisapproving
Something that is overly sweet or sentimental, especially in music or writing.
Grammar: Figurative and mildly critical.
Patterns
- pure treacle
- pour on the treacle
Critics dismissed the film as sentimental treacle.
The singer's new ballad is pure treacle.
He poured on the treacle in his speech, praising everyone in the room.
Common combinations
- treacle tart
- Treacle tart is a classic British dessert.
- black treacle
- Use black treacle for a darker, richer flavor.
- golden treacle
- Golden treacle is lighter and sweeter than the dark kind.
- treacle sponge
- The pub offers treacle sponge with ice cream.
- wade through treacle
- Working on this form feels like wading through treacle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- molasses
- Molasses is the American term and is often a bit less sweet, while treacle is the British word for a similar syrup.
- syrup
- Syrup is any thick sweet liquid, while treacle is a specific dark sticky kind.
- golden syrup
- Golden syrup is a lighter, clearer British syrup, whereas treacle is darker and stronger.
- sentimentality
- Sentimentality is excessive emotion, while treacle in its figurative sense suggests a sticky, oversweet version of it.
Word family
- treacly adjective
- thick and sticky like treacle, or too sentimental
- treacle tart noun
- a pastry filled with golden syrup and breadcrumbs
- black treacle noun
- the darkest, strongest kind of treacle
Commonly confused: treacle or molasses?
treacle vs molasses
Molasses is the closest American term for the dark syrup, but treacle can also mean a lighter golden syrup in Britain.
Practice
Which phrase uses treacle in its figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
Calling a song pure treacle means it is overly sentimental. The other sentences refer to the actual syrup.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “treacle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.