sugarcoated remark
- noun
- /ˈʃʊɡərˌkoʊtɪd rɪˈmɑrk/
:
comentario edulcorado
- Though her sugarcoated remark sounded kind, it masked an underlying critique of his work.
Examples
-
The manager delivered a sugarcoated remark to soften the blow of the negative feedback.
-
His sugarcoated remarks made the criticism easier to accept.
-
He preferred honesty over a sugarcoated remark that hid the truth.
-
She always gives me a sugarcoated remark instead of the truth.
-
The manager delivered a sugarcoated remark to soften the blow of the negative feedback.
-
Though her sugarcoated remark sounded kind, it masked an underlying critique of his work.
-
His sugarcoated remark made the harsh criticism easier to accept.
Synonyms
3
4.3
Flattering words that try to persuade someone but are not sincere
A word used to make a statement sound less harsh
Antonyms
How Harsh
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase simply combines 'sugarcoat' (to present something as more pleasant) with 'remark' (a statement), so the meaning — a statement whose criticism is softened — is directly derived from the parts. This compositional, metaphorical 'making something sweeter' pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will very likely understand it.
Etymology
Sugarcoated remark comes from the picture of covering something with sugar so it is coated, like bitter medicine made sweet. So a sugarcoated remark is a comment that sounds kind but hides 'criticism' or tries to 'soften the blow'.