sugar-coat
Make more palatable
To sugar-coat something is to make it more palatable or acceptable, like coating bitter medicine in sugar.
The word almost always describes softening unpleasant truths: Don't sugar-coat it—just tell me what happened.
Sugar-coated candies and pills exist literally, but the figurative sense dominates.
The word often appears in the negative, as a request for directness.
Cause false belief
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- distortTwist from original form
- misrepresentDepict inaccurately or falsely
- obfuscateMake unclear intentionally
camouflage · mask · conceal · obscure · cover-up · hide · deceive · manipulate
Gloss over unpleasantness
- candiedPreserved by sugar-coating
- icingSweet cake covering
- frostingSweet cake covering
- glazeThin lustrous coating
caramelized · fondant · glacé · crystallized · praline · marzipan · confectionery · syrup
Make less firm
- downplayDiminish perceived importance
- whitewashConceal or coat pale
- sanitizeCleanse of pathogens
- varnishLiquid that dries glossy
candy-coat · temper · tactful · diplomatic · palatable · circumlocution · mollify · cushion
mislead
Cause false belief
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- distortTwist from original form
- misrepresentDepict inaccurately or falsely
obfuscate · camouflage · mask · conceal · obscure · cover-up · hide · deceive · manipulate · falsify
candy-coat
Gloss over unpleasantness
glaze · caramelized · fondant · glacé · crystallized · praline · marzipan · confectionery · syrup · honey
soften
Make less firm
varnish · candy-coat · temper · tactful · diplomatic · palatable · circumlocution · mollify · cushion · spin
sugar-coattell it like it is
Speak with complete candor
brutal honesty · not mince words · lay it on the line · speak plainly · pull no punches
sugar-coatlay bare
Reveal completely
expose · reveal · strip down · rub someone's nose in it · unmask