|
| sabbatical |
of or relating to the break or change from a normal
routine |
| sabotage |
damage done secretly to prevent an enemy, a competitor,
etc succeeding, esp by destroying his weapons or equipment
and spoiling his plans |
| saccharine |
overly or sickishly sweet |
| sacrifice |
an act of offering to a deity something precious; especially
:the killing of a victim on an altar |
| sacrilege |
a technical and not necessarily intrinsically outrageous
violation (as improper reception of a sacrament) of what
is sacred because consecrated to God |
| saddle |
to place (an onerous responsibility) on a person or
group |
| safeguard |
a technical contrivance to prevent accident |
| sagacious |
of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment:DISCERNING |
| salient |
standing out conspicuously:PROMINENT; especially :of
notable significance |
| salmon |
a large anadromous salmonid fish (Salmo salar) of the
No. Atlantic noted as a game and food fish |
| salubrious |
favorable to or promoting health or well-being |
| salutary |
producing a beneficial effect:REMEDIAL |
| salutation |
an expression of greeting, goodwill, or courtesy by
word, gesture, or ceremony |
| salvage |
to rescue or save especially from wreckage or ruin |
| salve |
an unctuous adhesive substance for application to wounds
or sores |
| salvo |
a simultaneous discharge of two or more guns in military
action or as a salute |
| sanctify |
to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use:CONSECRATE |
| sanctimonious |
affecting piousness:hypocritically devout; also :indicative
of affected piousness |
| sanction |
to give effective or authoritative approval or consent
to |
| sanctuary |
a place of refuge and protection |
| sand |
to smooth or dress by grinding or rubbing with an abrasive
(as sandpaper) |
| sanguine |
CONFIDENT, OPTIMISTIC |
| sanitation |
the promotion of hygiene and prevention of disease by
maintenance of sanitary conditions |
| sap |
to weaken or exhaust the energy or vitality of |
| sapient |
possessing or expressing great sagacity |
| sapling |
a young tree; specifically:one not over four inches
in diameter at breast height |
| sarcastic |
given to the use of sarcasm:CAUSTIC |
| sartorial |
of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes; broadly
:of or relating to clothes |
| satiated |
to satisfy (as a need or desire) fully or to excess |
| satire |
a literary work holding up human vices and follies to
ridicule or scorn |
| saturated |
full of moisture:made thoroughly wet |
| saturnine |
of a gloomy or surly disposition |
| saunter |
to walk about in an idle or leisurely manner:STROLL |
| savanna |
A flat grassland of tropical or subtropical regions. |
| savory |
pleasing to the sense of taste especially by reason
of effective seasoning |
| savvy |
practical know-how |
| scale |
a.an instrument or machine for weighing b.an estimate
of the amount of sound lumber in logs or standing timber |
| scalpel |
a small straight thin-bladed knife used especially in
surgery |
| scan |
to read or mark so as to show metrical structure |
| scanty |
limited or less than sufficient in degree, quantity,
or extent |
| scarce |
deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand
: not plentiful or abundant |
| scare |
to frighten especially suddenly:ALARM |
| scathing |
bitterly severe |
| schism |
a separation or division into factionsschism:consensus::interruption:continuity |
| scintillating |
brilliantly lively, stimulating, or witty |
| scion |
DESCENDANT, CHILD |
| scission |
a division or split in a group or union:schism |
| scissor |
a cutting implement consisting of two blades joined
by a swivel pin that allows the cutting edges to be opened
and closed |
| scoff |
to show contempt by derisive acts or language |
| scooter |
child's foot-operated vehicle consisting of a narrow
footboard mounted between two wheels tandem with an upright
steering handle attached to the front wheel |
| scorch |
to dry or shrivel with or as if with intense heat:PARCH |
| score |
the copy of a musical composition in written or printed
notation |
| scorn |
to treat with scorn:reject or dismiss as contemptible
or unworthy |
| scour |
to rub hard especially with a rough material for cleansing |
| scowl |
to contract the brow in an expression of displeasure |
| scrap |
discard;to abandon as no longer of enough worth to retain |
| scrappy |
quarrelsome;having an aggressive and determined spirit |
| scrawl |
to write or draw awkwardly, hastily, or carelessly |
| screw |
a nail-shaped or rod-shaped piece with a spiral groove
and a slotted or recessed head designed to be inserted
into material by rotating |
| scribble |
to write hastily or carelessly without regard to legibility
or form |
| script |
the written text of a stage play, screenplay, or broadcast;
specifically :the one used in production or performance |
| scrupulous |
having moral integrity:acting in strict regard for what
is considered right or proper |
| scrutable |
capable of being deciphered:COMPREHENSIBLE |
| scrutiny |
a searching study, inquiry, or inspection:EXAMINATION |
| scuff |
to scratch, gouge, or wear away the surface of |
| sculptor |
an artist who makes sculptures |
| scurrilous |
using or given to coarse language |
| scurvy |
disgustingly mean or contemptible:DESPICABLE |
| scutter |
to move with a clattering, scurrying sound |
| scythe |
an implement used for mowing (as grass) and composed
of a long curving blade fastened at an angle to a long
handle |
| secluded |
Removed or remote from others; solitary |
| secrete |
to form and give off (a secretion) |
| sedate |
to dose with sedatives |
| sedentary |
not migratory:SETTLED |
| seduce |
to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty |
| sedulous |
involving or accomplished with careful perseverance |
| seemly |
conventionally proper:DECOROUS |
| seminal |
containing or contributing the seeds of later development |
| seminary |
A school, especially a theological school for the training
of priests, ministers, or rabbis |
| sensation |
a mental process (as seeing, hearing, or smelling) due
to immediate bodily stimulation often as distinguished
from awareness of the |
| sensitive |
highly responsive or susceptible |
| sentinel |
SENTRY:GUARD, WATCH; especially :a soldier standing
guard at a point of passage (as a gate) |
| sepulchral |
suited to or suggestive of a sepulchre:FUNEREAL, MORTUARY |
| sequela |
A secondary consequence or result |
| sequester |
to place (property) in custody especially in sequestration |
| seraph |
one of the 6-winged angels standing in the presence
of God |
| sere |
being dried and withered |
| serendipity |
the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable
things not sought for |
| serenity |
the quality or state of being shining bright and steady |
| serfdom |
a member of a servile feudal class bound to the soil
and subject to the will of his lord |
| sermon |
a religious discourse delivered in public usually by
a clergyman as a part of a worship service |
| serpentine |
Of or resembling a serpent, as in form or movement;
sinuousserpentine:directness::?? |
| serrate |
notched or toothed on the edge; specifically having
marginal teeth pointing forward or toward the apex |
| serried |
crowded or pressed together:COMPACT |
| servile |
meanly or cravenly submissive:ABJECT |
| severe |
rigorous in restraint, punishment, or requirement:STRINGENT,
RESTRICTIVE |
| shackle |
to deprive of freedom especially of action by means
of restrictions or handicaps:IMPEDE |
| shadow |
to follow especially secretly:TRAIL |
| shaft |
arrow or spear/smth long and narrow |
| shale |
a fissile rock that is formed by the consolidation of
clay, mud, or silt, has a finely stratified or laminated
structure, and is composed of minerals essentially unaltered
since deposition |
| sham |
an imitation or counterfeit purporting to be genuine |
| shard |
fragments of pottery vessels found on sites and in refuse
deposits where pottery-making peoples have lived |
| shelter |
to constitute or provide a shelter for:PROTECT |
| shiftless |
lacking in ambition or incentive:LAZY |
| shirk |
to evade the performance of an obligation |
| shopworn |
stale from excessive use or familiarity |
| shrewd |
marked by clever discerning awareness and hardheaded
acumen |
| shrink |
to recoil instinctively |
| shrug |
to raise or draw in the shoulders especially to express
aloofness, indifference, or uncertainty |
| shun |
to avoid deliberately and especially habitually |
| shunt |
to switch (as a train) from one track to another |
| shuttle |
to cause to move or travel back and forth frequently |
| sidereal |
of, relating to, or expressed in relation to stars or
constellations:ASTRAL |
| signal |
distinguished from the ordinary |
| simpleton |
a person lacking in common sense |
| simulate |
to give or assume the appearance or effect of often
with the intent to deceive:IMITATE |
| sin |
an offense against religious or moral law |
| sincere |
free of dissimulation:HONEST |
| sinecure |
an office or position that requires little or no work
and that usually provides an income |
| sinew |
solid resilient strength:POWER |
| singe |
to burn superficially or lightly:SCORCH; especially
:to remove the hair, down, or fuzz from usually by passing
rapidly over a flame |
| singular |
distinguished by superiority:EXCEPTIONAL |
| sinister |
singularly evil or productive of evil |
| sinuous |
of a serpentine or wavy form:WINDING |
| sip |
to drink in small quantities |
| siren |
One of a group of sea nymphs who by their sweet singing
lured mariners to destruction on the rocks surrounding
their island. |
| skeptic |
a person disposed to skepticism especially regarding
religion or religious principles |
| sketchy |
wanting in completeness, clearness, or substance:SLIGHT,
SUPERFICIAL |
| skimpy |
deficient in supply or execution especially through
skimping:SCANTY |
| skirt |
to avoid especially because of difficulty or fear of
controversy |
| skit |
a brief burlesque or comic sketch included in a dramatic
performance (as a revue) |
| skittish |
easily frightened:RESTIVE |
| slake |
SATISFY, QUENCH |
| slant |
to present so as to conform to a particular bias or
appeal to a certain audience |
| slate |
a list of candidates for nomination or election |
| slew |
a large number |
| slight |
1. to treat with disdain or indifference 2. small of
its kind or in amount:SCANTY, MEAGER |
| slink |
to go or move stealthily or furtively (as in fear or
shame):STEAL |
| slippery |
causing or tending to cause something to slide or fall |
| slipshod |
wearing loose shoes or slippers |
| sloppy |
wet so as to spatter easily:SLUSHY |
| sloth |
disinclination to action or labor:INDOLENCE |
| slouch |
to walk, stand, or sit with a gait or posture characterized
by an ungainly stooping of the head and shoulders or excessive
relaxation of body muscles:DROOP |
| sloven |
untidy especially in personal appearance:slovenly |
| sluggard |
an habitually lazy person |
| sluggish |
averse to activity or exertion:INDOLENT; also :TORPID |
| slumber |
to be in a torpid, slothful, or negligent state |
| slur |
an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo:ASPERSION |
| sly |
lacking in straightforwardness and candor:DISSEMBLING |
| smarmy |
Hypocritically, complacently, or effusively earnest;
unctuous |
| smart |
1. stylish or elegant in dress or appearance 2. a smarting
pain; especially :a stinging local pain |
| smattering |
superficial piecemeal knowledge |
| smirk |
to smile in an affected or smug manner:SIMPER |
| smother |
to be overcome or killed through or as if through lack
of air |
| smug |
highly self-satisfied |
| smuggle |
to convey or introduce surreptitiously |
| snare |
to capture by or as if by use of a snare |
| snarl |
to cause to become knotted and intertwined:TANGLE To
growl viciously while baring the teeth |
| sneer |
to smile or laugh with facial contortions that express
scorn or contempt |
| snob |
one who has an offensive air of superiority in matters
of knowledge or taste |
| snub |
to treat with contempt or neglect |
| soak |
to lie immersed in liquid (as water):become saturated
by or as if by immersion |
| sober |
marked by sedate or gravely or earnestly thoughtful
character or demeanor |
| sodden |
heavy with or as if with moisture or water |
| solace |
alleviation of grief or anxiety |
| solder |
to unite or make whole by solder |
| solemn |
marked by grave sedateness and earnest sobriety |
| solicitous |
full of concern or fears:APPREHENSIVE |
| solidify |
to make solid, compact, or hard |
| solitude |
the quality or state of being alone or remote from society
: SECLUSION |
| solvent |
able to pay all legal debts |
| somber |
of a dismal or depressing character:MELANCHOLY |
| somnolence |
the quality or state of being drowsy:SLEEPINESS |
| sonata |
an instrumental musical composition typically of three
or four movements in contrasting forms and keys |
| sonnet |
a fixed verse form of Italian origin consisting of fourteen
lines that are typically five-foot iambics rhyming according
to a prescribed scheme; also :a poem in this pattern |
| soothe |
to please by or as if by attention or concern:PLACATE,RELIEVE,
ALLEVIATE |
| sop |
a conciliatory or propitiatory bribe, gift, or gesture |
| sophism |
an argument apparently correct in form but actually
invalid; especially :such an argument used to deceive |
| sophistication |
the process or result of becoming cultured, knowledgeable,
or disillusioned; especially :CULTIVATION, URBANITY |
| sophomoric |
conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly
informed and immature |
| soporific |
tending to dull awareness or alertness |
| sordid |
marked by baseness or grossness:VILE |
| sound |
SOLID, FIRM; also :STABLE |
| sparse |
of few and scattered elements; especially :not thickly
grown or settled |
| Spartan |
marked by simplicity, frugality, or avoidance of luxury
and comfort |
| spat |
a brief petty quarrel or angry outburst |
| spate |
a large number or amount |
| specialize |
To pursue a special activity, occupation, or field of
study |
| specious |
having a false look of truth or genuineness:SOPHISTIC |
| speck |
a very small amount:BIT |
| spectator |
one who looks on or watches |
| spectrum |
a continuum of color formed when a beam of white light
is dispersed (as by passage through a prism) so that its
component wavelengths are arranged in order |
| speculate |
to meditate on or ponder a subject:REFLECT |
| spendthrift |
a person who spends improvidently or wastefully |
| spent |
drained of energy or effectiveness:EXHAUSTED |
| spindly |
of a disproportionately tall or long and thin appearance
that often suggests physical weakness |
| spine |
row of bones along the back of humans and some animals;
backbone |
| spineless |
having no spine; invertebrate |
| spiny |
abounding with difficulties, obstacles, or annoyances:THORNY |
| spire |
a tapering roof or analogous pyramidal construction
surmounting a tower |
| spleen |
feelings of anger or ill will often suppressed |
| splint |
material or a device used to protect and immobilize
a body part (as a broken arm) |
| spoil |
to pamper excessively:CODDLE |
| spoke |
any of the small radiating bars inserted in the hub
of a wheel to support the rim |
| spontaneous |
arising from a momentary impulse |
| spoof |
A gentle satirical imitation; a light parody. |
| sporadic |
occurring occasionally, singly, or in scattered instances |
| sprain |
a sudden or violent twist or wrench of a joint with
stretching or tearing of ligaments |
| sprightly |
marked by a gay lightness and vivacity:SPIRITED |
| spur |
to incite to action or accelerated growth or development:STIMULATE |
| spurious |
outwardly similar or corresponding to something without
having its genuine qualities:FALSE |
| spurn |
to reject with disdain or contempt:SCORN |
| squabble |
a noisy altercation or quarrel usually over trifles |
| squalid |
marked by filthiness and degradation from neglect or
poverty |
| squall |
a short-lived commotion |
| squander |
to spend extravagantly or foolishly:DISSIPATE |
| squelch |
to completely suppress:QUELL |
| squint |
looking or tending to look obliquely or askance (as
with envy or disdain) |
| stagnant |
not advancing or developing |
| staid |
marked by settled sedateness and often prim self-restraint:
SOBER, GRAVE |
| stalemate |
a drawn contest:DEADLOCK |
| stalk |
to pursue by tracking stealthily |
| stalwart |
marked by outstanding strength and vigor of body, mind,
or spirit |
| stamina |
strength; staying power |
| stammer |
to make involuntary stops and repetitions in speaking:HALT |
| stanza |
a division of a poem consisting of a series of lines
arranged together in a usually recurring pattern of meter
and rhyme:STROPHE |
| stark |
rigid in or as if in death |
| startle |
to frighten or surprise suddenly and usually not seriously |
| static |
characterized by a lack of movement, animation, or progression |
| stature |
natural height (as of a person) in an upright position |
| status |
relative rank in a hierarchy of prestige; especially
:high prestige |
| steadfast |
firmly fixed in place:IMMOVABLE |
| stealth |
the act or action of proceeding furtively, secretly,
or imperceptibly |
| steep |
to saturate with or subject thoroughly to |
| stench |
to emit a strong offensive odor:STINK |
| stentorian |
extremely loud |
| sterile |
free from living organisms and especially microorganisms |
| stickler |
one who insists on exactness or completeness in the
observance of something |
| stiff |
lacking in suppleness or responsiveness |
| stifle |
to withhold from circulation or expression:REPRESS |
| stigma |
a mark of shame or discredit:STAIN |
| stilted |
POMPOUS, LOFTY |
| stingy |
not generous or liberal:sparing or scant in giving or
spending |
| stint |
to be sparing or frugal |
| stipple |
to engrave by means of dots and flicks |
| stipulate |
To lay down as a condition of an agreement; require
by contract. |
| stipulation |
action of stipulating |
| stock |
a store or supply accumulated; especially :the inventory
of goods of a merchant or manufacturer |
| stockade |
an enclosure or pen made with posts and stakes |
| stodgy |
BORING, DULL |
| stoic |
not affected by or showing passion or feeling; especially
:firmly restraining response to pain or distress |
| stolid |
having or expressing little or no sensibility:UNEMOTIONAL |
| stouthearted |
having a stout heart or spirit:STUBBORN |
| straggle |
to wander from the direct course or way:ROVE, STRAY |
| strait |
a comparatively narrow passageway connecting two large
bodies of water b:a situation of perplexity or distress |
| stratify |
to divide or arrange into classes, castes, or social
strata |
| stray |
to wander accidentally from a fixed or chosen route |
| strength |
degree of potency of effect or of concentration |
| striate |
to mark with striations or striae |
| stricture |
an adverse criticism:CENSURE |
| stride |
to move with or as if with long steps |
| strident |
characterized by harsh, insistent, and discordant sound |
| strike |
To form by stamping, printing, or punching: |
| stringent |
marked by rigor, strictness, or severity especially
with regard to rule or standard |
| strip |
to remove clothing, covering, or surface matter from |
| strut |
1. to walk with a pompous and affected air 2. a structural
piece designed to resist pressure in the direction of
its length |
| stubborn |
unreasonably or perversely unyielding:MULISH |
| studio |
the working place of a painter, sculptor, or photographer |
| stultify |
to have a dulling or inhibiting effect on |
| stun |
to make senseless, groggy, or dizzy by or as if by a
blow:DAZE |
| stunt |
to hinder the normal growth, development, or progress
of |
| sturdy |
marked by or reflecting physical strength or vigor |
| stygian |
extremely dark, gloomy, or forbidding |
| stylus |
an instrument for writing, marking, or incising |
| stymie |
to present an obstacle to:stand in the way of |
| subdue |
to conquer and bring into subjection:VANQUISH |
| subject |
one that is placed under authority or control |
| subjugate |
to bring under control and governance as a subject:CONQUER |
| sublime |
lofty, grand, or exalted in thought, expression, or
manner |
| submerge |
to put under water |
| submissive |
submitting to others |
| subordinate |
placed in or occupying a lower class, rank, or position:INFERIOR |
| subpoena |
a writ commanding a person designated in it to appear
in court under a penalty for failure |
| subside |
to tend downward:DESCEND; especially :to flatten out
so as to form a depression |
| subsidiary |
furnishing aid or support:AUXILIARY |
| subsidy |
a grant by a government to a private person or company
to assist an enterprise deemed advantageous to the public |
| substantial |
IMPORTANT, ESSENTIAL |
| substantiate |
verify; support |
| subterfuge |
deception by artifice or stratagem in order to conceal,
escape, or evade |
| subtle |
difficult to understand or perceive:OBSCURE |
| subvert |
to overturn or overthrow from the foundation:RUIN |
| succinct |
marked by compact precise expression without wasted
words |
| succor |
to go to the aid of:RELIEVE |
| suffuse |
to spread over or through in the manner of fluid or
light:FLUSH, FILL |
| suite |
RETINUE; especially :the personal staff accompanying
a ruler, diplomat, or dignitary on official business |
| sulk |
To be sullenly aloof or withdrawn, as in silent resentment
or protest |
| sullen |
Gloomy or somber in tone, color, or portent |
| summary |
an abstract, abridgment, or compendium especially of
a preceding discourse |
| summit |
TOP, APEX; especially :the highest point:PEAK |
| summon |
to command by service of a summons to appear in court |
| sumptuous |
extremely costly, rich, luxurious, or magnificent |
| sunder |
to break apart or in two:separate by or as if by violence
or by intervening time or space |
| supercilious |
coolly and patronizingly haughty |
| superficial |
of or relating to a surface |
| superfluous |
exceeding what is sufficient or necessary:EXTRA |
| supine |
exhibiting indolent or apathetic inertia or passivity;
especially :mentally or morally slack |
| supple |
easy and fluent without stiffness or awkwardness |
| supplement |
something that completes or makes an addition |
| supplicate |
to make a humble entreaty; especially :to pray to God |
| suppress |
to put down by authority or force:SUBDUE |
| surfeit |
an overabundant supply:EXCESS |
| surgeon |
a medical specialist who practices surgery |
| surrender |
to yield to the power, control, or possession of another
upon compulsion or demand |
| surreptitious |
done, made, or acquired by stealth:CLANDESTINE |
| surrogate |
to put in the place of another:to appoint as successor,
deputy, or substitute for oneself |
| suspend |
to cause to stop temporarily |
| suspicion |
a state of mental uneasiness and uncertainty:DOUBT |
| suture |
to unite, close, or secure with sutures |
| svelte |
SLENDER, LITHE |
| swagger |
to conduct oneself in an arrogant or superciliously
pompous manner; especially :to walk with an air of overbearing |
| swamp |
a wetland often partially or intermittently covered
with water; especially :one dominated by woody vegetation |
| sway |
to fluctuate or veer between one point, position, or
opinion and another |
| swear |
to use profane or obscene language:CURSE |
| sweltering |
oppressively hot |
| swerve |
to turn aside abruptly from a straight line or course:DEVIATE |
| swill |
to drink great drafts of:GUZZLE |
| swindle |
to obtain money or property by fraud or deceit |
| swing |
something that swings freely from or on a support; especially
:a seat suspended by a rope or chains for swinging to
and fro on for pleasure |
| sybarite |
VOLUPTUARY, SENSUALIST |
| sycophant |
a servile self-seeking flatterer |
| syllabus |
Outline of a subject, course, lecture, or treatise. |
| syllogism |
a deductive scheme of a formal argument consisting of
a major and a minor premise and a conclusion |
| symbioses |
An organism in a symbiotic relationship |
| sympathetic |
given to, marked by, or arising from sympathy, compassion,
friendliness, and sensitivity to others' emotions |
| symphony |
a symphony orchestra concert |
| synergic |
working together:COOPERATING |
| synopsis |
a condensed statement or outline (as of a narrative
or treatise):ABSTRACT |
| synthesis |
the composition or combination of parts or elements
so as to form a whole |
