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Word Power Made Easy > Difficult Words -S > Flashcards

Difficult Words -S Flashcards

1
Q

Saccharine

A

excessivelysweet or sentimental.

“saccharine music”

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2
Q

Sacrilege

A

violation ormisuseof what is regarded as sacred.

“putting ecclesiastical vestments to secular use was considered sacrilege”

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3
Q

Sacrosanct

A

regarded as too important or valuable to beinterferedwith.

“the individual’s right to work has been upheld as sacrosanct”

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4
Q

Sagacious

A

having or showing keen mentaldiscernmentand goodjudgement; wise orshrewd.

“they were sagacious enough to avoid any outright confrontation”

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5
Q

Salient

A

mostnoticeableor important

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6
Q

Salutary

A

(especially with reference to somethingunwelcomeorunpleasant) producing good effects; beneficial.

“it failed to draw salutary lessons from Britain’s loss of its colonies”

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7
Q

Sanctimonious

A

making a show of beingmorallysuperior to other people.

“what happened to all the sanctimonious talk about putting his family first?”

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8
Q

Sanguine

A

optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation.

“he is sanguine about prospects for the global economy”

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9
Q

Sardonic

A

grimlymocking or cynical.

“Starkey attempted a sardonic smile

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10
Q

Scintillate

A

emitflashesof light; sparkle.

“the sleek boat seemed to scintillate with a dark blue light”

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11
Q

Scrupulous

A

careful, thorough, and extremely attentive to details.

“the research has been carried out with scrupulous attention to detail”

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12
Q

Scrutinize

A

examine or inspect closely and thoroughly.

“customers were warned to scrutinize the small print”

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13
Q

Secular

A

not connected with religious or spiritual matters.

“secular buildings”

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14
Q

Sedition

A

conduct or speechincitingpeople to rebel against the authority of a state ormonarch.

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15
Q

Sensory

A

relating tosensationor the physicalsenses; transmitted or perceived by the senses.

“sensory input”

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16
Q

Sentient

A

able toperceiveor feel things.

“she had been instructed from birth in the equality of all sentient life forms”

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17
Q

Sequester

A

isolateor hide away.

“she is sequestered in deepest Dorset”

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18
Q

Serendipity

A

good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries.
Some of the best effects in my garden have been the result of serendipity.

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19
Q

Servile

A

having or showing an excessivewillingnessto serve or please others.

“he bowed his head in a servile manner”

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20
Q

Slander

A

make false anddamagingstatements about (someone).

“they were accused of slandering the head of state”

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21
Q

Sloth

A

Lazy

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22
Q

Sobriety

A

the state of beingsober.

“the price of beer compelled me to maintain a certain level of sobriety”

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23
Q

Solicitous

A

characterized by or showing interest or concern.

“she was always solicitous about the welfare of her students”

Eager and anxious to something

24
Q

Solvent

A

having assets in excess ofliabilities; able to pay one’sdebts.

“interest rate rises have very severe effects on normally solvent companies”

25
Q

Soporific

A

tendingto inducedrowsinessor sleep.

“the motion of the train had a somewhat soporific effect”

26
Q

Sordid

A

involvingimmoralordishonourableactions and motives;arousingmoraldistasteandcontempt.

“the story paints a sordid picture of bribes and scams”

27
Q

Spawn

A

release or deposit eggs.

“the fish spawn among fine-leaved plants”

28
Q

Specious

A

superficiallyplausible, but actually wrong.

“a specious argument”

Deceptive

29
Q

Sporadic

A

occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated.

“sporadic fighting broke out”

30
Q

Spurious

A

not being what itpurportsto be; false or fake.

“separating authentic and spurious claims”

31
Q

Squalor

A

the state of being extremely dirty andunpleasant, especially as a result of poverty or neglect.

“they lived in squalor and disease”

32
Q

Squander

A

allow (an opportunity) to pass or be lost.

“the team squandered several good scoring chances”

Or waste time and money in reckless manner

33
Q

Staunch

A

very loyal and committed in attitude.

“a staunch supporter of the anti-nuclear lobby
of strong or firm construction.

“these staunch walls could withstand attack by cannon”

34
Q

Steadfast

A

resolutelyordutifullyfirm andunwavering. Loyal commited

“steadfast loyalty”

35
Q

Stigmatize

A

describe or regard as worthy ofdisgraceor greatdisapproval.

“the institutionwas stigmatized asa last resort for the destitute”

कलंक लगाना

36
Q

Stipulate

A

demand or specify (a requirement), typically as part of an agreement.

“he stipulated certain conditions before their marriage”

37
Q

Stoic

A

a person who canendurepain orhardshipwithout showing their feelings orcomplaining.

38
Q

Stratum

A

a layer or a series of layers of rock in the ground.

“a stratum of flint”

39
Q

Stricture

A

a restriction on a person or activity.

“the strictures imposed by the British Board of Film Censors”

asternlycritical orcensoriousremarkor instruction.

40
Q

Strife

A

angry orbitterdisagreement over fundamental issues; conflict.

“strife within the community”

41
Q

Stringent

A

strict, precise, and exacting.

“stringent guidelines on air pollution”

42
Q

Stymie

A

prevent or hinder the progress of.

“the changes must not be allowed to stymie new medical treatments”

43
Q

Subjugate

A

bring under domination or control, especially byconquest.

“the invaders had soon subjugated most of the population”

44
Q

Sublime

A

of very great excellence or beauty.

“Mozart’s sublime piano concertos”

45
Q

Substantive

A

having a firm basis in reality and so important, meaningful, or considerable.

“there is no substantive evidence for the efficacy of these drugs”

46
Q

Subversive

A

Capable of being submerged

47
Q

Succinct

A

briefly and clearly expressed.

“use short, succinct sentences”

48
Q

Succumb

A

fail to resist pressure,temptation, or some other negative force.

“we cannot merely give up andsuccumb todespair”

die from the effect of a disease or injury.

“after a few blows there, the porcupine succumbs”

49
Q

Supercilious

A

behavingor looking as though one thinks one is superior to others.

“a supercilious lady’s maid”

50
Q

Superficial

A

existing or occurring at or on the surface.

“the building suffered only superficial damage”

51
Q

Superfluous

A

unnecessary, especially through being more than enough.

“the purchaser should avoid asking for superfluous information”

52
Q

Surfeit

A

an excessive amount of something.

“a surfeit offood and drink”

cause (someone) to desire no more of something as a result of havingconsumedor done it to excess.

“I am surfeited with shopping”

53
Q

Surreptitious

A

kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of.

“low wages were supplemented by surreptitious payments from tradesmen”

54
Q

Surrogate

A

a substitute, especially a persondeputizingfor another in a specific role or office.

55
Q

Sycophant

A

a person who acts obsequiously towards someone important in order to gain advantage.

“because he is high-ranking, he’s surrounded by sycophants”

56
Q

Synthesis

A

the combination of components or elements to form a connected whole.

“the synthesis of intellect and emotion in his work”

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