| Question |
Answer |
| sonic |
of sound or its speed in air; CF. subsonic, supersonic |
| sonnet |
14-line poetic verse form with a fixed rhyme pattern |
| sonorous |
resonant; producing a full deep sound; producing sound |
| soothsayer |
one who foretells the future |
| sophist |
teacher of philosophy; quibbler; employer of fallacious reasoning; N. sophism: plausible but fallacious argument |
| sophisticated |
worldly wise and urbane; refined; complex; N. sophistication; V. sophisticate |
| sophistry |
seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning; sophism |
| sophomoric |
immature; half-baked; like a sophomore |
| soporific |
sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness; drowsy |
| sordid |
filthy; foul; base; vile; Ex. sordid bed/story |
| sound |
in good condition; showing good judgment or good sense; thorough; complete; Ex. sound mind/investment/training |
| sour |
having a sharp or acid taste; acid; tart; bad-tempered; V. |
| sovereign |
ruler in a monarchy; ADJ: (of a country) independent and self-governing; having supreme power; supreme; excellent |
| sovereignty |
complete independence and self-government (of a country); supremacy of authority; power to govern |
| sow |
plant or scatter seed |
| spangle |
small shiny metallic piece sewn to clothing for ornamentation |
| spare |
give; use; refrain from harming; save from experiencing; exempt; Ex. spare me 5 minutes; Ex. Take this money and spare my life; Ex. The emperor was spared the onus; ADJ: kept in reserve; free for other use; unoccupied; Ex. spare time |
| sparse |
not thick; thinly scattered; scanty |
| Spartan |
without attention to comfort; lacking luxury and comfort; sternly disciplined; Ex. spartan living condition/life |
| spasmodic |
fitful; periodic; of or like a spasm; N. spasm: sudden involuntary muscular contraction; sudden burst of energy or emotion |
| spat |
squabble; minor dispute; minor quarrel |
| spate |
sudden flood or rush; Ex. spate of accidents |
| spatial |
relating to space |
| spatula |
broad-bladed instrument used for spreading or mixing |
| spawn |
lay eggs (in large numbers); produce offspring (in large numbers); N: eggs of aquatic animals |
| specious |
seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentionally) |
| speck |
small piece or mark; Ex. speck of dust in the eye |
| spectral |
ghostly; N. specter: spectre; ghost; phantom |
| spectrum |
colored band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism; broad and continuous range; Ex. whole spectrum of modern thoughts |
| speechless |
unable for the moment to speak (because of strong feeling); Ex. speechless with anger |
| spendthrift |
someone who wastes money; CF. thrift: accumulated wealth |
| sphinx-like |
enigmatic; mysterious |
| spin |
rotate swiftly; make (thread) by twisting (cotton, wool, etc.); N. |
| splice |
join together end to end to make one continuous length; fasten together; unite; Ex. splice two strips of tape; N. |
| spoilsport |
one who spoils the pleasure of others |
| spontaneity |
lack of premeditation; naturalness; freedom from constraint; ADJ. spontaneous: self-generated; unpremeditated; happening without being planned |
| spoof |
parody |
| spoonerism |
accidental transposition of sounds in successive words; Ex. ``Let me sew you to your sheet'' for ``Let me show you to your seat''; CF. William Spooner |
| sporadic |
occurring irregularly; intermittent |
| sportive |
playful; frolicsome; merry; CF. sport: play or frolic; CF. sportsmanlike |
| sprout |
begin to grow; give off shoots or buds; N: new growth on a plant; shoot |
| spruce |
neat and trim in appearance; smart; Ex. Be spruce for your job interview; V. |
| spry |
(esp. of older people) vigorously active; nimble |
| spurious |
false; counterfeit; forged; illogical; Ex. spurious arguments |
| spurn |
reject disdainfully; scorn; Ex. She spurned all offers of help. |
| squabble |
minor quarrel; bickering; V: engage in a minor quarrel; Ex. squabbling children |
| squalor |
condition of being squalid; filth; degradation; dirty neglected state; ADJ. squalid: dirty; sordid; morally repulsive; Ex. squalid story |
| squander |
waste; spend foolishly |
| squash |
crush; quash; suppress |
| squat |
short and thick; stocky; Ex. ugly squat tower; V. N. |
| squeamish |
easily shocked or sickened by unpleasant things; fastidious; Ex. A nurse should not be squeamish. |
| squelch |
produce a splashing sound (when stepping through mud); crush; squash; |
| staccato |
played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt sharp sound; Ex. staccato applause |
| stagnant |
(of water) not flowing (often bad-smelling); motionless; stale; not developing; inactive; dull; Ex. stagnant industrial output |
| staid |
serious and sedate; sober; Ex. staid during the funeral ceremony |
| stalemate |
deadlock; situation in which further action is blocked |
| stalwart |
physically strong; brawny; steadfast; strong in mind or determination; Ex. stalwart supporter; N: stalwart follower |
| stamina |
power of endurance; strength; staying power |
| stammer |
speak with involuntarily pauses or repetitions |
| stamp |
step on heavily (so as to crush or extinguish); put an end to; imprint or impress with a mark, design, or seal; shape with a die; characterize; Ex. machine stamping out car bodies; Ex. newspaper stamping him as a liar; N. stamping; implement us |
| stampede |
sudden frenzied rush (of panic-stricken animals or people); V: participate in or cause stampede; Ex. stampede before the price rises |
| stanch |
stop or check flow of blood; Ex. stanch the gushing wound |
| standstill |
condition of no movement or activity; stop |
| stanza |
division of a poem (composed of two or more lines) |
| start |
move suddenly or involuntarily; Ex. start at the sight of a snake |
| stately |
formal; ceremonious; grand in style or size; majestic |
| static |
having no motion; unchanging; lacking development; N. stasis: stable state |
| statute |
law enacted by the legislature |
| statutory |
created by statute or legislative action; regulated by statute; Ex. statutory age limit |
| steadfast |
steadily loyal; unswerving; steady |
| stealth |
action of moving secretly or unseen; slyness; sneakiness; secretiveness; ADJ. stealthy |
| steep |
soak; saturate; Ex. steep the fabric in the dye bath; ADJ: precipitous |
| stellar |
pertaining to the stars; of a star performer; outstanding; Ex. stellar attraction of the entire performance |
| stem |
stop or check (the flow of); Ex. stem the bleeding from the slashed artery; N: main axis of a plant; stalk |
| stem_from |
arise from; originate from |
| stench |
strong foul odor; reek; stink |
| stentorian |
(of the voice) extremely loud; CF. Stentor: a loud herald in the Iliad |
| stereotype |
one regarded as embodying a set image or type; fixed and unvarying representation; standardized mental picture often reflecting prejudice; Ex. stereotype of the happy slave; V: make a stereotype of; represent by a stereotype; Ex. It is wrong to ster |
| sterile |
incapable of producing young; free from microorganism; V. sterilize |
| stickler |
perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right |
| stifle |
suppress; extinguish; inhibit; smother or suffocate |
| stigma |
token of disgrace; brand; V. stigmatize: mark with a stigma; characterize as disgraceful |
| stilted |
bombastic; stiffly pompous; Ex. stilted rhetoric; CF. stiff: formal |
| stink |
stench; V: emit a strong foul odor |
| stint |
supply; allotted amount of work; assigned portion of work; limitation; Ex. two-year stint in the army; Ex. without stint |
| stipend |
pay for services |
| stipple |
paint or draw with dots or short strokes |
| stipulate |
state as a necessary condition (of an agreement); make express conditions; specify; Ex. He stipulated payment in advance |
| stock |
standard; kept regularly in stock or supply; typical; routine; common; Ex. stock sizes of paper; Ex. stock excuse/character; N: goods for sale in a shop; OP. unique |
| stockade |
wooden enclosure or pen; fixed line of posts used as defensive barrier |
| stodgy |
dull; stuffy; boringly conservative; Ex. stodgy book |
| stoic |
stoical; impassive; unmoved by joy or grief; N. CF. stoicism |
| stoke |
stir up a fire or furnace; feed plentifully |
| stolid |
dull; impassive; showing little emotion when strong feelings are expected |
| stoop |
bend forward and down; lower or debase oneself; fall to a lower standard of behavior by doing something; condescend; Ex. stoop to lying |
| stout |
rather fat; strong in body; sturdy; resolute; determined; strong in determination; Ex. stout stick/supporter |
| straggle |
stray or fall behind (a main group); spread out in a scattered group; Ex. straggling marathon racer; Ex. straggling branch |
| strangle |
kill by choking or suffocating; suppress |
| stratagem |
deceptive scheme; clever trick |
| stratified |
divided into classes; arranged into strata; V. stratify |
Poultry
