Phrase guide

syntactic sugar

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Additions to the syntax of a programming language that make code easier for humans to read or write, but that do not change the functionality or expressiveness of the language.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

Examples

  • In fact, this is how lists are actually built, by consing all elements to the empty list, []. The commas-and-brackets notation is just syntactic sugar, a more pleasant way to write code. So [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] is exactly equivalent to 1:2:3:4:5:[]. WB

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Attributed to British computer scientist Peter Landin.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: التَّجْمِيل اللُّغَوِيّ (at-tajmīl al-luḡawiyy) — Translations
  • Chinese Mandarin: 語法糖 /语法糖 (yǔfǎ táng) — Translations
  • Czech: syntaktický cukr — Translations
  • Dutch: syntactische suiker — Translations
  • Finnish: syntaktinen sokeri — Translations
  • French: sucre syntaxique — Translations
  • German: syntaktischer Zucker — Translations
  • Ido: sintaxala sukro — Translations
  • Italian: zucchero sintattico — Translations
  • Japanese: 糖衣構文 (tōikōbun) — Translations
  • Japanese: 構文糖 (kōbuntō) — Translations
  • Japanese: 構文糖衣 (kōbuntōi) — Translations
  • Japanese: シンタックス・シュガー — Translations
  • Norwegian Bokmål: syntaktisk sukker — Translations
  • Polish: lukier składniowy — Translations
  • Polish: lukier syntaktyczny — Translations
  • Polish: cukier syntaktyczny — Translations
  • Polish: cukier składniowy — Translations
  • Portuguese: açúcar sintático — Translations
  • Russian: синтакси́ческий са́хар (sintaksíčeskij sáxar) — Translations
  • Spanish: azúcar sintáctico — Translations
  • Swedish: syntaktiskt socker — Translations
  • Turkish: sözdizimsel şeker — Translations
  • Ukrainian: синтаксичний цукор (syntaksyčnyj cukor) — Translations