| Question |
Answer |
| stratum |
layer of earth's surface; layer of society; PL. strata |
| strew |
spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter; Ex. flower girl strewing rose petals |
| striated |
marked with parallel bands; striped; grooved; Ex. striated rocks; V. striate; N. stria: thin groove or line |
| stricture |
severe and adverse criticism; critical comments; limit or restriction |
| strident |
loud and harsh; insistent; N. stridency |
| stringent |
(of rules) binding; rigid; marked by scarcity of money; Ex. stringent economic conditions |
| strut |
supporting bar; CF. airplane wing building support |
| studied |
carefully contrived; calculated; unspontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful; Ex. studied remark |
| studious |
given to diligent study |
| stultify |
make stupid in mind; cause to appear or become stupid or inconsistent; suppress; frustrate or hinder; Ex. stultifying effect of uninteresting work; Ex. stultify free expression |
| stumble |
trip and almost fall; proceed unsteadily; act falteringly; N. |
| stump |
base of a tree trunk left after the rest has been cut down; V: walk in a heavy manner; baffle; puzzle |
| stun |
make unconscious or numb as by a blow; amaze; astound |
| stupefy |
stun; make numb (as with a drug); amaze |
| stupor |
state of being stupefied; state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness |
| sturdy |
strong and firm (in the body) |
| stygian |
unpleasantly dark; gloomy; hellish; deathly; CF. Styx: the chief river in the subterranean land of the dead |
| stymie |
thwart; present an obstacle; stump |
| suavity |
urbanity; polish; ADJ. suave: smooth and courteous |
| subaltern |
subordinate |
| subdue |
less intense; quieter; Ex. subdued lighting; Ex. subdue: conquer; make less intense; quiet; Ex. subdue one's anger |
| subjective |
influenced by personal feelings; occurring or taking place within the mind; unreal; Ex. subjective sensation of the ghostly presence |
| subjugate |
conquer; bring under control |
| sublimate |
refine; purify; replace (natural urges) with socially acceptable activities; change between a solid state and a gaseous state |
| sublime |
causing deep feelings of wonder, joy, respect, etc.; exalted; noble and uplifting; utter |
| subliminal |
below the threshold of conscious perception; Ex. subliminal advertisement |
| submerge |
place under water; dip; go under water; cover completely (as with water); Ex. submerged in work |
| submissive |
willing to obey orders; yielding; timid |
| subordinate |
occupying a lower rank; inferior; submissive; N. V: put in a lower rank or class |
| suborn |
persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury); N. subornation |
| subpoena |
writ(written command issued by a court) summoning a witness to appear in court; V: summon with a subpoena |
| subsequent |
following in time or order; later |
| subservient |
behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious; subordinate; N. subservience |
| subside |
sink to a lower level; settle down; sink to the bottom (as a sediment); descend; grow quiet; become less; moderate; abate |
| subsidiary |
serving to assist; subordinate; secondary; of a subsidy; N. |
| subsidy |
direct financial aid by government, etc.; V. subsidize: assist with a subsidy |
| subsistence |
existence; means of subsisting; means of support; livelihood; V. subsist: exist; maintain life (at a meager level) |
| substantial |
of substance; material; solid; essential or fundamental; ample; considerable; well-to-do; wealthy |
| substantiate |
support (a claim) with evidence; establish with evidence; verify |
| substantive |
substantial; essential; pertaining to the substance; substantial; considerable; Ex. substantive issues |
| subsume |
include (as a member of a group); encompass |
| subterfuge |
stratagem(deceptive scheme); pretense; evasion; Ex. resort to a harmless subterfuge |
| subtlety |
perceptiveness; ingenuity; delicacy; ADJ. subtle: delicate; so slight as to be difficult to detect; able to make fine distinctions; clever; Ex. subtle mind/differences in meaning |
| subversive |
tending to overthrow or ruin; V. subvert: overthrow completely (an established system); destroy completely; CF. undermine ? |
| succor |
assist (someone in difficulty); aid; comfort; N. |
| succulent |
juicy; full of juice or sap; full of richness; N: succulent plant such as a cactus |
| succumb |
yield (to something overwhelming); give in; die; Ex. succumb to the illness |
| suckle |
give or take milk at the breast or udder |
| suffocate |
die or kill from lack of air; suppress |
| suffragist |
advocate of the extension of voting rights (for women); CF. suffrage |
| suffuse |
spread through or over (with a color or liquid); charge; Ex. A blush suffused her cheeks. |
| suitor |
man who is courting a woman |
| sullen |
silently showing ill humor or resentment; dark; gloomy |
| sully |
defile; soil; tarnish; Ex. sully one's hands in menial labor |
| sultry |
(of weather) hot; sweltering; sensual; voluptuous |
| summation |
act of finding the total; summing-up; summary (esp. one given by the judge at the end of a trial) |
| sumptuous |
grand suggesting great expense; lavish; rich; Ex. sumptuous feast |
| sunder |
separate; part; CF. asunder |
| sundry |
miscellaneous; various; several; N. sundries: small miscellaneous items |
| superannuated |
retired or disqualified because of age; outmoded; obsolete |
| supercilious |
haughty; arrogant; condescending; patronizing; CF. eyebrow, cilium |
| supererogatory |
superfluous; more than needed or demanded |
| superficial |
of the surface; not deep; shallow; not thorough; trivial; Ex. superficial analysis/knowledge |
| superfluous |
excessive; overabundant; unnecessary; N. superfluity |
| superimpose |
place over something else |
| supernumerary |
person or thing excess of what is necessary; extra; ADJ: additional to the usual or necessary number |
| supersede |
replace; cause to be set aside; make obsolete; N. supersession |
| supine |
lying on back; passive; inactive; Ex. The defeated pugilist lay supine; Ex. supine acceptance of the decision |
| supplant |
take the place of unfairly; usurp; replace |
| supple |
flexible; limber; pliant |
| suppliant |
entreating; beseeching; N. |
| supplicant |
one who supplicates; ADJ. |
| supplicate |
petition humbly; pray to grant a favor |
| supposition |
assumption; hypothesis; surmise; V. suppose |
| supposititious |
assumed; counterfeit; hypothetical |
| suppress |
put an end to forcibly; subdue; stifle; overwhelm; inhibit the expression of; check; prevent from being published or made public; Ex. suppress a smile; Ex. suppress the magazine/truth |
| surfeit |
satiate; feed or supply to excess; stuff; indulge to excess in anything; N: surfeiting; excessive amount; Ex. surfeit of food |
| surge |
powerful movement of or like a wave; V. |
| surly |
bad-tempered; rude; cross |
| surmise |
guess; N. |
| surmount |
overcome |
| surpass |
exceed |
| surreptitious |
done secretly; secret; furtive; sneaky; hidden |
| surrogate |
substitute; person or thing used in place of another; Ex. surrogate mother; ADJ. |
| surveillance |
close observation of a person (esp. one under suspicion); watching; guarding |
| susceptible |
impressionable; easily influenced; sensitive; having little resistance as to a disease; likely to suffer; receptive to; capable of accepting; Ex. susceptible to persuasion/colds; Ex. The agreement is not susceptible of alteration; N. susceptibility |
| suspend |
cause to stop for a period; interrupt; hold in abeyance; defer; hang from above; exclude for a period from a position; Ex. suspended state; Ex. suspend judgment; Ex. suspended from the team; N. suspension |
| suspense |
state of being undecided; anxiety or apprehension resulting from uncertainty |
| sustain |
suffer (harm or loss); experience; support; prop; maintain; keep in existence; nourish (to maintain life); Ex. sustain the family/the trapped miners |
| sustenance |
sustaining; means of livelihood, support, food, nourishment; something that maintains life; food |
| suture |
stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision; material used in sewing; V: sew together a wound |
| swagger |
walk or behave with an over-confident manner |
| swamp |
wetland; marsh; V: flood; overwhelm; drench in with liquid |
| swarm |
large group of insects moving in a mass; crowd of people or animals; V: move in a crowd or mass |
| swarthy |
(of a skin or complexion) dark; dusky; Ex. swarthy Italian ? |
| swathe |
swath; wrap around; bandage; Ex. one's head swathed in bandages |
| sway |
swing from side to side; influence (someone) to change one's opinion; N. |
| swear |
vow; promise; use profane oaths; use offensive words |
| swear-word |
word considered offensive; Ex. ``bloody'' |
| swell |
long wave of water that moves continuously without breaking; V. |
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