M-S Flashcards
Saccharin
falsely sweet
Sacrosanct
very holy; inviolable
Sagacious
wise
Sage
a wise person
Salacious
erotic; lascivious; lustful
Sallow
yellowish
Salubrious
healthful
Salutary
tending to improve; beneficial
Sanctimonious
hypocritically holy
Sanction
give approval to
Sanguinary
bloodthirsty; bloody
Sanguine
optimistic; cheerful
Sap
- liquid inside plants (n); 2. to drain; to undermine (v); 3. a fool (n)
Sardonic
mocking
Sate
satisfy
Satiate
satisfy; fill completely [satiable (a); satiation (n)]
Savant
person with knowledge
Savor
enjoy
Saw
- tool for cutting; 2. wise saying
Scabbard
cover for a sword
Scale
to climb up; ascend
Scapegoat
person on whom blame is placed for faults of others
Score
written form of music (n)
Scotch (v)
to prevent; stop; disable
Scrupulous
careful; diligent; painstaking
Scrutinize
examine carefully
Scurvy
- disease due to lack of vitamin C; 2. contemptible; rascally
Scuttle
sink
Secure
- to fix firmly; 2. to obtain
Sedulity
thoroughness; perseverance [sedulous (a)]
Sedulous
Marked by care and persistent effort; assiduous
Seemly
appropriate (of behavior); decorous
Seine
type of fishing net
Seminal
Containing seeds of later development; formative
Seminary
an institution in which priests are trained
Sensuous
appealing to the senses
Sentinel
guard; sentry
Sequester
isolate; retire from public life; segregate; seclude
Sere
withered; old
Serendipity
fortunate coincidence; unsought discovery; gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck
Serene
calm; peaceful
Serrated
jagged; saw-like
Serration
jagged edge
Servile
overly submissive; groveling; obsequious; sycophantic
Shard
fragment of pottery
Shirk
avoid (esp. work)
Sibyl
prophetess; fortuneteller
Sidereal
relating to the stars
Sinecure
An office that involves minimal duties
Sinewy
brawny
Sinistral
left-handed (or counterclockwise) [dextral - right handed]
Skeptical
doubting; not gullible
Skiff
small boat
Skirmish
minor battle; A minor short-term fight
Slew
glut; excess
Slight
A deliberate discourteous act; disrespect
Sluggard
slow-moving; lethargic person
Smelt
refine an ore
Smorgasbord
a Swedish buffet of cold dishes
Solace
comfort for grief
Solicit
to ask for; seek
Solicitous
kindly; expressing care and concern; worried
Soliloquy
solo speech
Somatic
concerned with the body
Somnambulist
sleepwalker
Soothsayer
fortuneteller
Sophomoric
juvenile; immature
Soporific
inducing sleep
Sparse
thinly diffused; Not dense
Specious
false (note — don’t mix up with spacious)
Speckled
spotted; freckled; dotted
Sporadic
not continuous; intermittent
Spurious
false
Squalid
dirty and demeaning
Stagnant
still; not moving
Staid
dull; sober; serious
Stanch
Stop the flow of a liquid
Stanza
section of a poem
Statute
law [statutory (a)]
Staunch
loyal; faithful; dependable
Steep
(v) to soak in water
Stereotype
A conventional or formulaic conception or image; fixed image
Stevedore
dockworker
Stickler
one who is strict about rules or details
Stifle
suppress
Stinting
holding back; limiting the supply (of supplies/money etc.) [stint (v)]
Stipple
cover with dots of paint etc.
Stipulate
specify [stipulation (n)]
Stoic
person who is indifferent to pleasure or pain
Stoke
add fuel to; strengthen
Stolid
impassive; dull; indifferent
Stomach
to tolerate
Stratagem
plot; plan; trick
Strident
loud and harsh
Stringent
strict or severe
Strut
- supporting rod (n); 2. to walk in an arrogant manner; show off (v)
Strut
swagger; show off; pompous walk
Stupefying
astonishing; shocking; stunning into silence
Stygian
very dark; hellish
Subliminal
below the threshold of consciousness
Suborn
bribe
Subpoena
summons to court
Substantiate
give supporting evidence
Subterfuge
a trick; Something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity
Subtle
not obvious
Subversive
rebellious; revolutionary
Succinct
concise
Suffragist
someone who campaigns for voting rights
Sullied
made dirty or impure [opposite unsullied; sully (v)]
Supercilious
proud and haughty
Superlative
extremely good; the best
Supine
Lying face upward
Supplicant
person who requests or begs for something [supplicate (v)]
Surly
grumpy; rude
Surreptitious
secret; sneaky; stealthy
Surreptitiously
secretly; furtively; stealthily
Susceptible
vulnerable
Suspect
doubtful
Sybarite
lover of luxury
Sycophant
bootlicker; flatterer
Syllogism
type of logical reasoning; Deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises
Symphony
type of musical composition
Synapse
junction between two nerve cells
Syncopation
type of musical rhythm with missed beats