Day 26 Flashcards
scant
Not enough or barely enough
Food was in scant supply.
scathing
Severe, injurious; bitterly harsh or critical (as
a remark)
devastating, withering, blistering
“she launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister”
scintilla
A tiny bit or trace
“a scintilla of doubt”
scurvy
Contemptible, mean
after winning the lottery, she was beset by a whole scurvy swarm of con artists, ne’er-do-wells, and hangers-on
searchingly
In a searching or penetrating manner; while
examining closely or probing for answers
secrete
Produce and release a substance from a cell
or gland of the body for a functional purpose
secular
Not religious or holy; pertaining to worldly
things
sedition
Inciting rebellion against a government, esp.
speech or writing that does this
The leaders of the group have been arrested and charged with sedition.
semantic
Relating to the different meanings of words
or other symbols
the process of semantic development
sentient
Conscious; experiencing sensation or
perceiving with the senses
That and sentient apes weren’t the end of the researchers’ bizarre conversational topics, Delehanty said.
seraphic
Like an angel; serene, spiritually carried off
or transported
There are angels, seraphim, cherubim, holy chariots.
shard
Fragment of some brittle substance, esp. a
sharp fragment of pottery, glass, etc.
skeptic
Person inclined to doubting or questioning
generally accepted beliefs
skirt
Border, lie along the edge of, go around;
evade
He tried to skirt around the question.
The road skirts around the lake.
skittish
Shy, fickle, uncertain, or prone to act
suddenly due to nervousness; lively in a
restless or excessive way
We’ve been skittish about taking on such a large mortgage.
slack
Loose, negligent, lazy, weak (adj); neglect to
do one’s duties; loosen up, relax (verb);
period of little work (noun)
slake
Satisfy (esp. thirst), cool, or refresh; make
less active
trying to slake his curiosity
slew
A large number or quantity
He has written a slew of books.
slight
Small, not very important, slender or delicate
(adj); treat as though not very important;
snub, ignore (verb); an act of treating in this
way, a discourtesy (noun)
There is a slight chance of rain.
I’m sure he didn’t mean to slight you.
sobriquet
A nickname
Baseball player Ty Cobb was also known by the sobriquet “The Georgia Peach.”
solecism
Nonstandard use of grammar or words;
mistake, esp. in etiquette
the solecism of asking one’s hosts how much something in their house cost them
solicitous
Concerned or anxious (about another
person), expressing care; eager or desirous;
very careful
He had always been solicitous for the welfare of his family.
solidarity
Fellowship in interests, feelings,
responsibilities, etc., such as among a group
of people or among classes, nations, etc
The vote was a show of solidarity.
somatic
Of the body
a somatic disorder that was once thought to be “all in the patient’s head”
sound
Measure the depth of (usually of water) as with a
sounding line; penetrate and discover the
meaning of, understand (usually as sound the
depths)
She has a sound understanding of the system’s structure.
spartan
Very disciplined and stern; frugal, living simply,
austere; suggestive of the ancient Spartans
spate
Sudden outpouring or rush; flood
There was a spate of corporate mergers in the 1980s.
spearhead
Be the leader of
She spearheaded the campaign for better schools.
specious
Seemingly true but actually false; deceptively
attractive
By and large, they made these changes with specious explanations or no explanation at all. Today, when curricula list rhetoric as a subject, it usually means simply the study of how to write effectively.
