1. to cover with sugar or a sweet coating
Usage: literal sense
2. to make something seem more pleasant or acceptable than it really is
Usage: figurative sense

Examples

• The baker sugarcoated the donuts with a thick glaze.
• She sugarcoated the bitter pills to make them easier to swallow.
• Don’t sugarcoat the bad news – just tell me the truth.
• The politician tried to sugarcoat his unpopular policies.
• The report sugarcoated the company’s financial problems.
• Parents sometimes sugarcoat difficult topics when talking to young children.
• The coach refused to sugarcoat the team’s poor performance.