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barrons letter s
barrons letter s words
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| saboteur | one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property; N. sabotage: destruction of property (usually carried out secretly) |
| saccharine | cloying sweet; characteristic of sugar or saccharin |
| sacrilegious | desecrating; profane; N. sacrilege: desecration, misuse, or theft of something sacred |
| sacrosanct | invioably sacred; most sacred; inviolable |
| sadistic | inclined to cruelty; N. sadism: delight in cruelty |
| saga | Scandinavian myth; any legend; long heroic narrative |
| sagacious | wise; perceptive; shrewd; having insight; N. sagacity |
| sage | person celebrated for wisdom; wise person; ADJ: wise |
| salacious | lascivious; lustful; Ex. salacious monk |
| salient | prominent; projecting beyond a line; conspicuous; Ex. salient features |
| saline | salty |
| sallow | (of the skin) yellowish and unhealthy-looking; sickly in color; Ex. sallow complexion due to jaundice |
| salubrious | healthful; conducive to health or well-being; socially desirable; Ex. salubrious area; CF. health |
| salutary | tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome; Ex. The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy; CF. health |
| salvage | rescue (goods or property) from loss; N: saving; property saved |
| sanctimonious | displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness; N. sanctimony: hypocritical piety |
| sanction | approve; ratify; N: permission; penalty intended to enforce compliance |
| sanctuary | place of refuge; shelter; shrine; holy place; Ex. The outlaw was granted sanctuary in the church. |
| sanguinary | bloody; with much bloodshed |
| sanguine | optimistic; cheerful; hopeful; of the color of blood; red |
| sap | diminish; weaken; undermine the foundations of (a fortification); Ex. The element kryptonite sapped his strength. |
| sarcasm | cutting ironic remark; scornful remarks; stinging rebuke; ADJ. sarcastic |
| sardonic | scornfully mocking; disdainful; sarcastic; cynical; Ex. sardonic smile |
| sartorial | pertaining to tailors or tailoring; Ex. a man of great sartorial elegance; CF. sartor: tailor |
| sate | satisfy to the full; satisfy to excess; cloy |
| doze | sleep lightly; nap |
| satellite | small body revolving around a larger one |
| satiate | satisfy fully (physical needs such as hunger); sate; N. satiety: condition of being satiated |
| satire | form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack human vice and folly |
| satirical | using satire; mocking |
| saturate | soak thoroughly; imbue; impregnate; charge; fill to capacity |
| saturnine | morose; gloomy; Ex. Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance. |
| satyr | half-human, half-bestial being in the court of Dionysus (resembling a goat), portrayed as wanton(unrestrained) and cunning; lecher; CF. faun; CF. goat: lecherous man |
| saunter | stroll(go for a leisurely walk) slowly; N. |
| savant | scholar; learned person; CF. savoir: know |
| savor | enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality; N: taste or smell; distinctive quality |
| savory | pleasant in taste; tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable; Ex. savory reputation |
| scabbard | case for a sword blade; sheath |
| scad | a great quantity; Ex. scads of clothes |
| scaffold | temporary platform for workers (to work at heights above the ground); bracing framework; platform for execution |
| scale | climb up; ascend; remove or come off in scales; N: flake of epidermis; ascending or descending series of musical tones |
| scanty | meager; insufficient |
| scapegoat | someone who bears the blame for others; whipping boy; CF. escape+goat |
| scavenge | hunt through discarded materials for usable items or food; search, especially for food; N. scavenger: one who scavenges; animal that feeds on refuse and carrion |
| refuse | anything discarded or rejected as worthless; trash |
| scenario | plot outline; screenplay(script for a movie); opera libretto; outline of possible future events |
| schematic | of a schema or scheme; relating to an outline or diagram; using a system of symbols; N. schema: diagrammatic representation; outline |
| scheme | systematic plan; plot; clever dishonest plan; orderly arrangement of elements; Ex. health insurance scheme; Ex. a scheme to escape taxes; Ex. a color scheme; Ex. a story with no scheme; V: contrive a scheme |
| schism | division into factions (esp. within a religious body); split |
| scintilla | trace; minute amount; shred; least bit; Ex. There is not a scintilla of truth; CF. spark |
| scintillate | sparkle; flash; be animated; be full of life; Ex. scintillating conversation |
| scoff | laugh (at); mock; ridicule; Ex. scoff at their threats |
| scotch | stamp out(put an end to); thwart; hinder; Ex. scotch the rumor; CF. cut; CF. |
| score | number of points; written form of a musical composition; reason; group of 20; notch or incision; Ex. full/vocal score; Ex. Don't worry on that score; V: mark with lines or notches; Ex. score the paper to make it easy to fold |
| 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 used |
| scourge | lash; whip (formerly used for punishment); source of severe punishment; V: whip; afflict |
| scruple | hesitate for ethical reasons; fret about; Ex. She did not scruple to read his diary; N: uneasy feeling arising from conscience; conscience |
| scrupulous | conscientious; extremely thorough; Ex. scrupulous worker |
| scrutinize | examine closely and critically; N. scrutiny |
| scuffle | struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry; N. CF. scuffling twins ? |
| shuffle | mix together; jumble; move (something) from one place to another; slide (the feet) along the ground while walking; Ex. shuffle papers from one pile to another; N. |
| scurrilous | abusive; obscene; indecent; Ex. scurrilous remark |
| scurry | move hastily; hurry; move briskly |
| scurvy | contemptible; despicable; N: disease caused by deficiency of Vitamin C |
| scuttle | sink (a ship) by cutting holes in the hull; scrap; discard; N: small hatch in a ship's deck or hull |
| hull | husk; dry outer covering of a seed; frame or body of a ship |
| seamy | sordid; base; filthy; unwholesome; Ex. seamy side of city life |
| base | contemptible; morally bad; inferior in value or quality; Ex. base motives/conduct; Ex. base metal such as iron |
| sear | burn the surface of; char or burn; brand; parch; cause (a plant) to wither |
| char | make or become black by burning; reduce or be reduced to carbon or charcoal(black substance made by burning wood) by incomplete combustion |
| scorch | sear; N. |
| brand | trademark; mark burned on the hide of an animal; mark burned into the flesh of criminals; mark of disgrace; V: mark with a brand; give a lasting bad name; stigmatize; Ex. The press branded him a liar. |
| hide | skin of an animal |
| seasoned | experienced |
| season | enhance the flavor of by adding a spice, etc.; inure; harden; N. seasoning: something used in seasoning |
| seasonal | of a particular season; Ex. seasonal rise in employment |
| seasonable | occurring at the proper time or season; opportune; Ex. seasonable intervention in the dispute |
| secession | withdrawal; V. secede: withdraw formally from membership |
| seclusion | isolation; solitude; V. seclude: set apart from others; isolate |
| secrete | conceal; hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism; CF. secretive |
| sect | separate religious body; faction; group of people with common beliefs within a larger group |
| sectarian | of a sect; narrow-minded; parochial; N: member of a sect; narrow-minded person |
| denomination | religious group; unit in a system; name or designation; CF. denominator: common trait or characteristic |
| secular | worldly; not pertaining to church matters or religion; temporal |
| sedate | composed (with no excitement); grave; V: administer a sedative to; CF. sedative |
| sedentary | requiring sitting; done while sitting; not moving from one place to another; settled; Ex. sedentary job/population |
| sedition | conduct or language inciting rebellion; rebellion; resistance to authority; insubordination; ADJ. seditious |
| sedulous | diligent; assiduous; paying attention; N. sedulity |
| seedy | run-down; decrepit; disreputable; having many seeds; Ex. seedy downtown hotel |
| run-down | (of a place) dilapidated; in a bad condition; (of a person) weak or exhausted |
| seemly | (of behavior) proper; appropriate |
| seep | pass slowly through small openings; ooze; trickle; N. seepage |
| seethe | be violently disturbed; boil; (of a liquid) move about wildly as if boiling; Ex. The nation was seething with discontent. |
| seine | seine net; net for catching fish |
| seismic | pertaining to earthquakes |
| semblance | outward appearance; guise; Ex. We called in the troops to bring a/some semblance of order to the city. |
| seminal | related to seed or semen; germinal; creative; providing a basis for further development; influencing future developments; Ex. seminal research in a new field |
| seminary | school for training future ministers; secondary school, especially for young women |
| senility | old age; feeblemindedness of old age; ADJ. senile: resulting from old age; showing the weakness of body or mind from old age; Ex. senile dementia |
| feebleminded | deficient in intelligence; very stupid |
| sensitization | process of being made sensitive or acutely responsive to an external agent or substance; V. sensitize: make or become sensitive |
| sensual | devoted to the pleasures of the sense; carnal; voluptuous; Ex. sensual woman/curves/lips |
| voluptuous | sensual; of or giving sensual pleasure; indulging in sensual pleasures; Ex. voluptuous lines; Ex. voluptuous life of the Romans; N. voluptuary: voluptuous person |
| sensuous | giving pleasure to the senses; pertaining to the physical senses; operating through the senses; sensuous feeling of soft velvet on the skin |
| sententious | pithy; terse; concise; aphoristic |
| sentient | capable of sensation and conscious; aware; sensitive; Ex. sentient creature; N. sentience |
| sentinel | sentry; lookout |
| lookout | act of keeping watch; high place commanding a wide view; person who keeps watch |
| septic | of or causing sepsis; putrid; producing putrefaction; N. sepsis: poisoning of part of the body (producing pus) |
| sepulcher | tomb; V: place in a sepulcher; ADJ. sepulchral |
| sequester | isolate; segregate; seclude; retire from public life |
| sere | sear; parched; dry |
| serendipity | gift for finding valuable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck; CF. The Three Princes of Serendip |
| serenity | calmness; placidity; ADJ. serene |
| serpentine | winding; twisting; of or like a serpent; Ex. serpentine course of the river; N. serpent: snake |
| serrated | having a sawtoothed edge; Ex. serrated leaf |
| servile | slavish; cringing; N. servility |
| servitude | slavery; compulsory labor imposed as a punishment |
| sever | separate; cut off (a part) from a whole; break up (a relationship); N. severance; CF. severance pay: extra pay given an employee upon leaving a position |
| severity | harshness; intensity; sternness; austerity; ADJ. severe: harsh; strict; extremely violent or intense |
| sextant | navigation tool used to determine a ship's latitude and longitude (by measuring the altitudes of stars) |
| shackle | chain; fetter; confine with shackles; N. |
| sham | pretend; feign; ADJ: not genuine; fake; Ex. sham jewelry; N: something that is not what it appears; impostor; pretense; Ex. The agreement was a sham. |
| shambles | (place or scene of) complete disorder or ruin; wreck; mess; Ex. After the hurricane, the coast was a shambles. |
| shard | fragment generally of broken pottery (glass, clay bowl, or cup) |
| shaving | very thin piece, usually of wood (cut from a surface with a sharp blade) |
| plane | carpenter's tool for smoothing and leveling wood; V. CF. flat |
| sheaf | bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together |
| sheathe | place into a case; insert into or provide with a sheath; Ex. He sheathed his dagger; N. sheath: case for a blade |
| sherbet | flavored dessert ice |
| shimmer | shine with a flickering light; glimmer intermittently; Ex. The moonlight shimmered on the water; N. |
| shirk | avoid (responsibility, work, etc.); malinger |
| shoddy | made of inferior material; sham; not genuine; inferior; dishonest; Ex. shoddy goods/trick |
| shrew | scolding woman; very small mouselike animal |
| shrewd | clever; astute |
| shun | keep away from; avoid deliberately; Ex. She has been shunned by her neighbors. |
| shunt | move (a railway train) from one track to another; turn aside; divert; sidetrack; Ex. shunt traffic around an accident; N. |
| sidetrack | switch (a railroad car) to a siding; divert from a main issue; N. CF. siding: short section of railroad track connected by switches with a main track |
| shyster | lawyer using questionable methods; unscrupulous practioner |
| sibling | brother or sister |
| sibylline | prophetic; oracular; N. sibyl: woman prophet (in the ancient world) |
| sidereal | relating to stars; Ex. sidereal day |
| silt | sediment deposited by running water (at the entrance to a harbor or by a bend in a river) |
| simian | monkeylike; N: ape or monkey |
| simile | comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as |
| simper | smirk; smile in a silly way; smile affectedly |
| simplistic | oversimplified |
| simulate | feign; imitate |
| sinecure | well-paid position with little responsibility; CF. sine cure: without care; CF. San Serif |
| sinewy | (of meat) tough; strong and firm; muscular; N. sinew: tendon; strong cord connecting a muscle to a bone |
| singular | being only one; individual; unique; extraordinary; odd; Ex. singular beauty/behavior |
| sinister | evil; ominous |
| sinuous | twisting; winding; bending in and out; not morally honest |
| skeptic | sceptic; doubter; person who suspends judgment until he has examined the evidence supporting a point of view; ADJ. skeptical; N. skepticism; scepticism |
| skiff | small light sailboat or rowboat |
| skimp | provide or use scantily; live very economically; Ex. skimp on necessities; ADJ. skimpy: inadequate in amount; scanty; stingy; niggardly |
| skinflint | miser; stingy person |
| skirmish | minor fight; minor battle in war; V. |
| skittish | inconstant; capricious; frivolous; not serious; Ex. charming but skittish young woman; CF. skit |
| frisk | move about playfully; froric; ADJ. frisky: playful |
| skulduggery(skullduggery) | dishonest behavior or action; Ex. skulduggery in the election |
| skulk | move furtively and secretly; Ex. He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city. |
| slacken | slow up; loosen; make or become slack |
| slack | moving slowly; sluggish; inactive; (of a rope) loose; negligent; lax; Ex. slack season; Ex. slack in one's work; N. V. |
| slag | glassy residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter |
| slake | satisfy (thirst); quench; sate |
| slander | defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements; V. ADJ. slanderous |
| slapdash | hasty and careless; haphazard; sloppy(carelessly done) |
| sleazy | shabby and dirty; flimsy; insubstantial; Ex. sleazy back-street hotel/fabric |
| sleeper | one that achieves unexpected success; something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable |
| sleight | dexterity; CF. sleight of hand: legerdemain; quickness of the hands in doing tricks |
| slew | large quantity or number; Ex. slew of errands left |
| slight | insult to one's dignity; snub; V: treat as if of small importance; insult; snub; ADJ. small in size; of small importance |
| slipshod | slovenly; careless; sloppy; untidy; shabby; Ex. slipshod work |
| slither | slip or slide |
| sloth | slow moving tree-dwelling mammal; laziness; ADJ. slothful: lazy; indolent |
| slough | (of a snake) shed or cast off (dead outer skin); N: outer layer that is shed |
| slovenly | untidy; careless in work habits; slipshod; N. sloven: one who is habitually untidy or careless |
| sledge | large sled drawn by work animals |
| sleigh | large vehicle drawn by a horse over snow or ice |
| sluggard | lazy person |
| sluggish | lazy; slow; inactive; lethargic; CF. slug: nail with no shell |
| sluice | artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water (with a gate to regulate the flow) |
| slur | slander; insult to one's character or reputation; V. |
| slur | pronounce indistinctly; speak indistinctly; mumble |
| smattering | slight knowledge; small scattered number or amount; Ex. smattering of German |
| smelt | melt (ore) for separating and removing the metal; melt or blend ores changing their chemical composition |
| smirk | conceited smile; offensively self-satisfied smile (often at someone else's misfortune); V. |
| smolder | smoulder; burn slowly without flame; be liable to break out at any moment; exist in a suppressed state; Ex. smoldering anger |
| snicker | half-stifled(suppressed) laugh; V. |
| snivel | complain or whine tearfully; run at the nose; snuffle; Ex. Don't come back sniveling to me. |
| snuffle | sniffle; sniff repeatedly (in order to keep liquid from running out of the nose) |
| sobriety | moderation (especially regarding indulgence in alcohol); seriousness |
| sober | serious; solemn; not drunken; abstemious or temperate; V: make or become sober |
| sodden | thoroughly soaked; dull or stupid as if from drink |
| sojourn | temporary stay; V: stay for a time |
| solace | comfort in sorrow or trouble; consolation; V: comfort or console in time of sorrow or trouble |
| solder | repair or make whole by using a metal alloy; N: metal alloy (usually tin and lead) used in the molten state to join metallic parts |
| solecism | nonstandard grammatical construction; construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically; violation of social etiquette |
| solemnity | seriousness; gravity |
| solicit | entreat; request earnestly; seek to obtain; Ex. solicit votes; CF. solicitor: one who solicits; chief law officer |
| solicitous | anxious; worried; concerned; eager; Ex. solicitous to do something; N. solicitude |
| soliloquy | talking to oneself (esp. in a play); CF. monologue: soliloquy; long speech by one person (often monopolizing a conversation) |
| solitude | state of being alone; seclusion; ADJ. solitary: existing or living alone (esp. by choice); remote or secluded; single; sole; Ex. solitary life/inn; Ex. no solitary piece of proof |
| solstice | point or time at which the sun is farthest from the equator |
| soluble | able to be dissolved in a liquid; able to be worked out or solved |
| solvent | able to pay all depths; N. solvency |
| solvent | substance that dissolves another; ADJ: capable of dissolving another substance |
| somatic | pertaining to the body; bodily; physical |
| somber | dark; gloomy; melancholy; depressing; CF. shadow |
| somnambulist | sleepwalker; V. somnambulate; N. somnambulism |
| somnolent | half asleep; drowsy; N. somnolence |
| sonorous | resonant; producing a full deep sound; producing sound |
| sonic | of sound or its speed in air; CF. subsonic, supersonic |
| sonnet | 14-line poetic verse form with a fixed rhyme pattern |
| 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 |
| spangle | small shiny metallic piece sewn to clothing for ornamentation |
| 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) |
| 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 |
| spendthrift | someone who wastes money; CF. thrift: accumulated wealth |
| sphinx-like | enigmatic; mysterious |
| splice | join together end to end to make one continuous length; fasten together; unite; Ex. splice two strips of tape; N. |
| spontaneity | lack of premeditation; naturalness; freedom from constraint; ADJ. spontaneous: self-generated; unpremeditated; happening without being planned |
| 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 |
| transpose | reverse the order or position of |
| sporadic | occurring irregularly; intermittent |
| sportive | playful; frolicsome; merry; CF. sport: play or frolic; CF. sportsmanlike |
| spruce | neat and trim in appearance; smart; Ex. Be spruce for your job interview; V. |
| spry | (esp. of older people) vigorously active; nimble |
| nimble | quick in movement; agile; quick in understanding; Ex. nimble climber/mind |
| 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 |
| squat | short and thick; stocky; Ex. ugly squat tower; V. N. |
| staccato | played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt sharp sound; Ex. staccato applause |
| legato | (of music) played smoothly |
| 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 |
| stanch | stop or check flow of blood; Ex. stanch the gushing wound |
| stanza | division of a poem (composed of two or more lines) |
| 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 |
| 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 wron |
| stickler | perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right |
| stifle | suppress; extinguish; inhibit; smother or suffocate |
| smother | kill from lack of air; suppress; cover thickly; Ex. smothered in little stickers |
| suffocate | die or kill from lack of air; suppress |
| stigma | token of disgrace; brand; V. stigmatize: mark with a stigma; characterize as disgraceful |
| stilted | bombastic; stiffly pompous; Ex. stilted rhetoric; CF. stiff: formal |
| stint | set limits in amount or number; be thrifty; ADJ. stinting, unstinting; CF. stint:savings |
| 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 |
| pen | fenced enclosure for animals; confining space; Ex. sheep pen; V: confine in a pen; enclose |
| 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 |
| stratagem | deceptive scheme; clever trick |
| stratified | divided into classes; arranged into strata; V. stratify |
| 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 | pompous walk; V: walk in a self-important manner |
| strut | supporting bar; CF. airplane wing, building support |
| studied | carefully contrived; calculated; unspontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful; Ex. studied remark |
| 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 |
| stupefy | stun; make numb (as with a drug); amaze |
| stupor | state of being stupefied; state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness |
| stun | make unconscious or numb as by a blow; amaze; astound |
| daze | stun as with a blow or shock; bemuse; benumb; N. |
| stygian | unpleasantly dark; gloomy; hellish; deathly; CF. Styx: the chief river in the subterranean land of the dead |
| stymie | thwart; present an obstacle; stump |
| stump | base of a tree trunk left after the rest has been cut down; V: walk in a heavy manner; baffle; puzzle |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. |
| sully | defile; soil; tarnish; Ex. sully one's hands in menial labor |
| tarnish | make or become dull or discolored; N. |
| 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. |
| supplicate | petition humbly; pray to grant a favor |
| supplicant | one who supplicates; ADJ. |
| 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 |
| surly | bad-tempered; rude; cross |
| cross | bad-tempered; showing ill-humor; angry |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| swarthy | (of a skin or complexion) dark; dusky; Ex. swarthy Italian ? |
| swathe | swath; wrap around; bandage; Ex. one's head swathed in bandages |
| swelter | (of a person) suffer from oppressive heat; be oppressed by heat |
| swerve | deviate; turn aside sharply from a straight course; Ex. swerve from the principle; Ex. The car swerved to the right. |
| swill | drink greedily |
| swindler | cheater |
| sybarite | lover of luxury; person devoted to pleasure and luxury; CF. Sybaris: an ancient Greek city in Italy |
| sycophant | servile flatterer; bootlicker; yes man; ADJ. sycophantic |
| syllogism | logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive or specious argument |
| sylvan | pertaining to the woods or the country |
| symbiosis | interdependent relationship (between groups, species) often mutually beneficial; ADJ. symbiotic; CF. together + life |
| symmetry | arrangement of parts so that balance is obtained; congruity; ADJ. symmetrical |
| lopsided | heavier or larger on one side than the other; Ex. lopsided way of walking |
| synchronous | similarly timed; simultaneous with; occurring at the same time; V. synchronize |
| synoptic | providing a general overview; summary; N. synopsis |
| synthesis | combining parts or separate things into a whole; the whole so formed; PL. syntheses; V. synthesize |
| synthetic | not natural; artificial; resulting from synthesis; Ex. synthetic fiber; N. |
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imrajat
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