noun / adjective
saccharin
SAK-er-in/ˈsækərɪn/
A sugar substitute with an intensely sweet taste.
The small saccharin tablet provides sweetness comparable to much more sugar.
Etymology
The sugar root names the compound by its intensely sweet taste, while the ending marks it as a chemical substance. Its sweetness makes it useful as a sugar substitute.
In context
saccharin is about 300x times sweeter than sucrose. And it also has a metallic bitter-ish aftertaste. So, because of all of that I would give saccharin a rating of 6/10.
More examples
- The label lists saccharin as the drink's sweetener.
- A little saccharin makes this lemonade taste much sweeter.
- Too much saccharin can leave a bitter aftertaste.
Forms
saccharin
Similar words
- aspartame
- A different artificial sweetener that loses sweetness during prolonged heating.
- sucralose
- A sugar-derived sweetener with less of a bitter aftertaste.