S Flashcards
1
Q
saboteur
A
one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property
Members of the Resistance acted as saboteurs, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the Nazi army.
2
Q
sacrilegious
A
desecrating; profane
His stealing of the altar cloth was a very sacrilegious act.
3
Q
sacrosanct
A
most sacred; inviolable
The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy of the office of the president of the
company.
4
Q
sadistic
A
inclined to cruelty
If we are to improve conditions in this prison, we must first get rid of the sadistic warden.
5
Q
saga
A
Scandinavian myth; any legend
This is a saga of the sea and the men who risk their lives on it.
6
Q
sagacious
A
keen; shrewd; having insight
He is much too sagacious to be fooled by a trick like that.
7
Q
sage
A
person celebrated for wisdom
Hearing tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge who lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed with a burning desire to consult the legendary sage.
8
Q
salient
A
prominent
One of the salient features of that newspaper is its excellent editorial page.
9
Q
sallow
A
yellowish; sickly in color
We were disturbed by his sallow complexion, which was due to jaundice.
10
Q
salubrious
A
healthful
Many people with hay fever move to more salubrious sections of the country during the months of August and September.
11
Q
salutary
A
tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome
The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student.
12
Q
sactimonious
A
displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness
You do not have to be so sanctimonious to prove that you are devout.
13
Q
sanguine
A
cheerful; hopeful
Let us not be too sanguine about the outcome; something could go wrong.
14
Q
sap
A
diminish; undermine
The element kryptonite had an unhealthy effect on Superman: it sapped his strength.
15
Q
sarcasm
A
scornful remarks, stinging rebuke
His feelings were hurt by the sarcasm of his supposed friends.
16
Q
sardonic
A
disdainful; sarcastic; cynical
The sardonic humor of nightclub comedians who satirize or ridicule patrons in the audience strikes some people as amusing and others as rude.
17
Q
sartorial
A
pertaining to tailors
He was as famous for the sartorial splendor of his attire as he was for his acting.
18
Q
sate
A
satisfy to the full; cloy
Its hunger sated, the lion dozed.
19
Q
satire
A
form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack vice and folly
Gulliver’s Travels, which is regarded by many as a tale for children, is actually a bitter satire attacking human folly.
20
Q
satirical
A
mocking
The humor of cartoonists Gary Trudeau often is satirical; though the comments of the Doonesbury characters, Trudeau ridicules political corruption and folly.
21
Q
saturate
A
soak
Their clothes were saturated by the rain.
22
Q
saturnine
A
gloomy
Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as gloomy as he looks.
23
Q
satyr
A
half-human, half-bestial being in the court of Dionysus, portrayed as wanton and cunning
He was like a satyr in his lustful conduct.
24
Q
saunter
A
stroll slowly
As we sauntered through the park, we stopped frequently to admire the spring flowers.
25
savant
scholar
Our faculty includes many worldfamous savants.
26
savory
tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable
Julia Child's recipes enable amateur chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests.
27
scabbard
case for a sword blade; sheath
The drill master told the recruit to wipe the blood from his sword before slipping it back into the scabbard.
28
scad
a great quantity
Refusing Dave's offer to lend him a shirt, Phil replied, "No, thanks: I've got scads of clothes."
29
scaffold
temporary platform for workers; bracing framework; platform for execution
Before painting the house, the workers put up a scaffold to allow them to work on the second story.
30
scanty
meager; insufficient
Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for more.
31
scavenge
hunt through discarded materials for usable items; search, especially for food
If you need car parts that the dealers no longer stock, try scavenging for odd bits and pieces at the auto wreckers' yards.
32
schism
division; split
Let us not widen the schism by further bickering.
33
scintilla
shred; least bit
You have not produced a scintilla of evidence to support your argument.
34
scintillate
sparkle; flash
I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is excellent and the conversation scintillates.
35
scoff
mock; ridicule
He scoffed at dentists until he had his first toothache.
36
scotch
stamp out; thwart; hinder
Heather tried to scotch the rumor that she had stolen her best friend's fiance.
37
scourge
lash; whip; severe punishment
They feared the plague and regarded it as a deadly scourge.
38
scruple
fret about; hesitate, for ethical reasons
Fearing that her husband had become involved in an affair, she did not scruple to read his diary.
39
scrupulous
conscientious; extremely thorough
I can recommend him for a position of responsibility for I have found him a very scrupulous young man.
40
scuffle
struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry.
The twins briefly scuffled, wrestling to see which of them would get the toy. When their big brother yelled, "Let go of my Gameboy!" they scuffled off down the hall.
41
scurrilous
obscene; indecent
Your scurrilous remarks are especially offensive because they are untrue.
42
scurry
move briskly
The White Rabbit had to scurry to get to his appointment on time.
43
scurvy
despicable; contemptible
Peter Pan sneered at Captain Hook and his scurvy crew.
44
scuttle
sink
The sailors decided to scuttle their vessel rather than surrender it to the enemy.
45
seamy
sordid; unwholesome
In the Godfather, Michael Corleone is unwilling to expose his wife and children to the seamy side of his life as the son of a Mafia don.
46
sear
char or burn; brand
Accidentally brushing against the hot grill, she seared her hand badly.
47
secession
withdrawal
The secession of the Southern states provided Lincoln with his first major problem after his inauguration.
48
seclusion
isolation; solitude
One moment she loved crowds; the next, she sought seclusion.
49
secrete
hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism.
The pack rat secretes odds and ends in its nest; the pancreas secretes insulin in the islets of Langerhans.
50
sectarian
narrow-minded; limited in scope
As university chaplain, she sought to address universal religious issues and not limit herself to mere sectarian concerns
51
secular
worldly; not pertaining to church matters; temporal
The church leaders decided not interfere in secular matters.
52
sedentary
requiring sitting
Because he had a sedentary occupation, he decided to visit a gymnasium weekly.
53
sedition
resistance to authority; insubordination
His words, though not treasonous in themselves, were calculated to arouse thoughts of sedition.
54
sedulous
diligent
The young woman was so sedulous that she received a commendation for her hard work.
55
seedy
run-down; decrepit; disreputable
I would rather stay in dormitory lodgings in a decent youth hostel than have a room of my own in a seedy downtown hotel.
56
seemly
proper; appropriate
Lady Bracknell did not think it was seemly for Ernest to lack a proper family; no baby abandoned on a doorstep could grow up to marry her daughter.
57
seep
ooze; trickle
During the rainstorm, water seeped through the crack in the basement wall and damaged the floor boards.
58
seethe
be disturbed; boil
The nation was seething with discontent as the nobleman continued their arrogant ways.
59
seine
net for catching fish
When the shad run during the spring, you may see fishermen with seines along the banks of our coastal rivers.
60
seminary
school for training future ministers; secondary school, especially for young women
Sure of his priestly vocation, Terrence planned to pursue his theological training at the local Roman Catholic seminary.
61
senility
old age; feeble mindedness of old age
Most of the decisions are being made by the junior members of the company because of the senility of the president.
62
sensuous
pertaining to the physical senses; operating through the senses
He was stimulated by the sights, sounds and smells about him; he was enjoying his sensuous experience.
63
sententious
terse; concise; aphoristic
After reading so many redundant speeches, I find his sententious style particulary pleasing.
64
sentinel
sentry; lookout
Though camped in enemy territory, Bledsoe ignored the elementary precaution of posting sentinels around the encampment.
65
septic
putrid; producing putrefaction
The hospital was in such a filthy state that we were afraid that many of the patients would suffer from septic poisoning.
66
sepulcher
tomb
Annabel Lee was buried in a sepulcher by the sea.
67
sequester
retire from public life; segregate; seclude
Although he had hoped for a long time to sequester himself in a small community, he never was able to drop his busy round of activities in the city.
68
sere
parched; dry
After the unseasonably dry winter the Berkeley hills looked dusty and sere.
69
serendipity
gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck
Many scientific discoveries are a matter of serendipity: Newton was not sitting there thinking about gravity when the apple dropped on his head.
70
serpentine
winding; twisting
The car swerved at every curve in the serpentine road.
71
servile
slavish; cringing
Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heap was a servile creature.
72
severance
division; partition; separation
The severance of church and state is a basic principle of our government.
73
sextant
navigation tool used to determine a ship's latitude and longitude
Given a clear night, with the aid of his sextant and compass, he could keep the ship safely on course.
74
shackle
chain; fetter
The criminal's ankles were shackled to prevent his escape.
75
sham
pretend
He shammed sickness to get out of going to school.
76
shambles
slaughterhouse; scene of carnage
By the time the police arrived, the room was a shambles.
77
shard
fragment, generally of pottery
The archaeologist assigned several students the task of reassembling earthenware vessels from the shards he had brought back from the expedition.
78
sheaf
bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together
The lawyer picked up a sheaf of papers as he rose to question the witness.
79
sheathe
place into a case
As soon as he recognized the approaching men, he sheathed his dagger and hailed them as friends.
80
sherbet
flavored dessert ice
I prefer raspberry sherbet to ice cream since it is less fattening.
81
shimmer
glimmer intermittently
The moonlight shimmered on the water as the moon broke through the clouds for a moment.
82
shirk
avoid (responsibility, work, etc.); malinger
Brian has a strong sense of duty; he would never shirk any responsibility.
83
shoddy
sham; not genuine; inferior
You will never get the public to buy such shoddy material.
84
shrew
scolding woman
No one wanted to marry Shakespeare's Kate because she was a shrew.
85
shun
keep away from
Cherishing his solitude, the recluse shunned the company of other human beings.
86
shunt
turn aside; divert; sidetrack
If the switchman failed to shunt the Silver Streak onto a side track, the train would plow right into Union Station.
87
shyster
lawyer using questionable methods.
On L.A. Law, respectable attorney Brackman was horrified to learn that his newly discovered half brother was a cheap shyster.
88
sibylline
prophetic; oracular
Until their destruction by fire in 83 B.C., the sibylline books were often consulted by the Romans.
89
sidereal
relating to the stars
Although hampered by optical and mechanical flaws, the orbiting Hubble space telescope has relayed extraordinary images of distant sidereal bodies.
90
silt
sediment deposited by running water
The harbor channel must be dredged annually to remove the silt.
91
simile
comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as
"My love is like a red, red rose" is a simile.
92
simper
smirk; smile affectedly
Complimented on her appearance, Stella self-consciously simpered.
93
simulate
feign
He simulated insanity in order to avoid punishment for his crime.
94
sinecure
well-paid position with little responsibility
My job is no sinecure; I work long hours and have much responsibility.
95
sinewy
tough; strong and firm
The steak was too sinewy to chew
96
sinuous
winding; bending in and out; not morally honest
The snake moved in a sinuous manner.
97
skiff
small, light sailboat or rowboat
Tom dreamed of owning an ocean-going yacht but had to settle for a skiff he could sail in the bay.
98
skimp
provide scantily; live very economically
They were forced to skimp on necessities in order to make their limited supplies last the winter.
99
skinflint
miser
The old skinflint refused to give her a raise.
100
skirmirsh
minor fight
Custer's troops expected they might run into a skirmish or two on maneuvers; they did not expect to face a major battle.
101
skittish
lively; frisky
She is as skittish as a kitten playing with a piece of string.
102
skulduggery
dishonest behavior
The investigation into municipal corruption turned up new instances of skulduggery daily.
103
skulk
move furtively and secretly
He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city in order to avoid meeting any of his former friends.
104
slacken
slow up; loosen
As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace.
105
slag
residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter
The blast furnace had a special opening at the bottom to allow the workers to remove the worthless slag.
106
slake
quench; sate
When we reached the oasis, we were able to slake our thirst.
107
slander
defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements
Unless you can prove your allegations, your remarks constitute slander.
108
slapdash
haphazard; careless; sloppy
From the number of typos and misspellings I've found on it, it's clear that Mario proofread the report in a remarkably slapdash fashion.
109
sleazy
flimsy; unsubstantial
This is a sleazy fabric; it will not wear well.
110
sleeper
something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable
Unnoticed by the critics at its publication, the eventual Pulitzer Prize winner was a classic sleeper.
111
sleight
dexterity
The magician amazed the audience with his sleight of hand.
112
slight
insult to one's dignity; snub
Hypersensitive and ready to take offense at any discourtesy, Bertha was always on the lookout for real or imaginary slights.
113
slither
slip or slide
During the recent ice storm, many people slithered down this hill as they walked to the station.
114
slough
cast off
Each spring, the snake sloughs off its skin.
115
slovenly
untidy; slipshod
Such slovenly work habits will never produce good products.
116
sluggard
lazy person
"You are a sluggard, a drone, a parasite," the angry father shouted at his lazy son.
117
sluice
artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water
In times of drought, this sluice enables farmers to obtain water for irrigation.
118
slur
insult to one's character or reputation; slander
Polls revealed that the front-runner's standing had been damaged by the slurs and innuendoes circulated by his opponent's staff.
119
smattering
slight knowledge
I don't know whether it is better to be ignorant of a subject or to have a mere smattering of information about it.
120
smirk
conceited smile
Wipe that smirk off your face!
121
smolder
burn without flame; be liable to break out at any moment
The rags smoldered for hours before they burst into flame.
122
snicker
half-stifled laugh
The boy could not suppress a snicker when the teacher sat on the tack.
123
snivel
run at the nose; snuffle; whine
Don't you come sniveling to me complaining about your big brother.
124
sodden
soaked; dull, as if from drink
He set his sodden overcoat near the radiator to dry.
125
sojourn
temporary stay
After his sojourn in Florida, he began to long for the colder climate of his native New England home.
126
solace
comfort in trouble
I hope you will find solace in the thought that all of us share your loss.
127
solder
repair or make whole by using a metal alloy
The plumber fixed the leak in the pipes by soldering a couple of joints from which water had been oozing.
128
solecism
construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically
I must give this paper a failing mark because it contains many solecisms.
129
solemnity
seriousness; gravity
The minister was concerned that nothing should disturb the solemnity of the marriage service.
130
solicit
request earnestly; seek
Knowing she needed to have a solid majority for the budget to pass, the mayor telephoned all the members of the city council to solicit their votes.
131
solicitous
worried, concerned
The employer was very solicitous about the health of her employees as replacements were difficult to get.
132
soliloquy
talking to oneself
The soliloquy is a device used by the dramatist to reveal a character's innermost thoughts and emotions.
133
solstice
point at which the sun is farthest from the equator
The winter solstice usually occurs on December 21.
134
somatic
pertaining to the body; physical
Why do you ignore the spiritual aspects and emphasize only the corporeal and the somatic ones?
135
somnambulist
sleepwalker
The most famous somnambulist in literature is Lady Macbeth; her monologue in the sleepwalking scene is one of the highlights of Shakespeare's play.
136
somnolent
half asleep
The heavy meal and the overheated room made us all somnolent and indifferent to the speaker.
137
sonorous
resonant
His sonorous voice resounded through the hall.
138
sophist
teacher of philosophy; quibbler; employer of fallacious reasoning
You are using all the devices of a sophist in trying to prove your case; your argument is specious.
139
sophistry
seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning
Instead of advancing valid arguments, he tried to overwhelm his audience with a flood of sophistries.
140
sophomoric
immature; shallow
Your sophomoric remarks are a sign of your youth and indicate that you have not given much thought to the problem.
141
sordid
filthy; base; vile
The social worker was angered by the sordid housing provided for the homeless.
142
spangle
small metallic piece sewn to clothing for ornamentation
The thousands of spangles on her dress sparkled in the glare of the stage lights.
143
spartan
lacking luxury and comfort; sternly disciplined
Looking over the bare, unheated room with its hard cot, he wondered what he was doing in such spartan quarters. Only his spartan sense of duty kept him at his post.
144
spasmodic
fitful; periodic
The spasmodic coughing in the auditorium annoyed the performers.
145
spat
squabble; minor dispute
What had started out as a mere spat escalated into a full-blown argument.
146
spate
sudden flood
I am worried about the possibility of a spate if the rains do not diminish soon.
147
spawn
lay eggs
Fish ladders had to be built in the dams to assist the salmon returning to spawn in their native streams.
148
specious
seemingly reasonable but incorrect
Let us not be misled by such specious arguments.
149
spectrum
colored band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism
The visible portion of the spectrum includes red at one end and violet at the other.
150
spendthrift
someone who wastes money
Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into spendthrifts who shop till they drop.
151
sphinx-like
enigmatic; mysterious
The Mona Lisa's sphinx-like expression has puzzled art lovers for centuries.
152
splice
fasten together; unite
Before you splice two strips of tape together, be sure to line them up evenly.
153
spoonerism
accidental transposition of sounds in sucessive words
When the radio announcer introduced the President as Hoobert Herver, he was guilty of spoonerism.
154
sporadic
occurring irregularly
Although there are still sporadic outbursts of shooting in the streets, the rebellion is essentially over.
155
spruce
neat and trim
Every button buttoned, tie firmly in place, young Alex Keaton looked spruce and tidy for his job interview at the bank.
156
spry
vigorously active; nimble
She was eighty years old, yet still spry and alert.
157
spurious
false; counterfeit; forged; illogical
The hero of Jonathan Gash's mystery novels is an antique dealer who gives the reader advice on how to tell spurious antiques from the real things.
158
spurn
reject; scorn
The heroine spurned the villain's advances.
159
squabble
minor quarrel; bickering
Children invariably get involved in petty squabbles; wise parents know when to interfere and when to let the children work things out on their own.
160
squalid
dirty; neglected; poor
It is easy to see how crime can breed in such a squalid neighborhood.
161
squander
waste
The prodigal son squandered the family estate.
162
squat
stocky; short and thick
Tolkien's hobbits are somewhat squat, sturdy little creatures, fond of good ale, good music, and good food.
163
staccato
played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt, sharp sound
His staccato speech reminded one of the sound of a machine gun.
164
stagnant
motionless; stale; dull
The stagnant water was a breeding ground for disease
165
staid
sober; sedate
Her conduct during the funeral ceremony was staid and solemn.
166
stalemate
deadlock
Negotiations between the union and the employers have reached a stalemate; neither side is willing to budge from previously stated positions.
167
stalwart
strong, brawny; steadfast
His consistent support of the party has proved that he is a stalwart and loyal member.
168
stamina
strength; staying power
I doubt that she has the stamina to run the full distance of the marathon race.
169
stanch
check flow of blood
It is imperative that we stanch the gushing wound before we attend to the other injuries.
170
statute
law
We have many statutes in our law books which should be repealed.
171
statutory
created by statute or legislative action
The judicial courts review and try statutory crimes.
172
steadfast
loyal; unswerving
Penelope was steadfast in her affections, faithfully waiting for Ulysses to return from his wanderings.
173
stealth
slyness; sneakiness; secretiveness
Fearing detection by the sentries on duty, the scout inched his way toward the enemy camp with great stealth.
174
steep
soak; saturate
Be sure to steep the fabric in the dye bath for the full time prescribed.
175
stem
check the flow
The paramedic used a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from the slashed artery.
176
stemfrom
arise from
Milton's problems in school stemmed from his poor study habits.
177
stentorian
extremely loud
The town crier had stentorian voice.
178
stickler
perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right
The Internal Revenue Service agent was a stickler for accuracy; no approximations or rough estimates would satisfy him.
179
stifle
suppress; extinguish; inhibit
Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying to stifle her yawns.
180
stigma
token of disgrace; brand
I do not attach any stigma to the fact that you were accused of this crime; the fact that you were acquitted clears you completely.
181
stilted
bombastic; stiffly pompous
His stilted rhetoric did not impress the college audience; they were immune to bombastic utterances.
182
stint
\*
be thrifty; set limits
"Spare no expense," the bride's father said, refusing to stint on the wedding arrangements.
\*\*
supply; allotted amount; assigned portion of work
He performed his daily stint cheerfully and willingly.
183
stipend
pay for services
There is a nominal stipend for this position.
184
stipple
paint or draw with dots
Seurat carefully stippled dabs of pure color on the canvas, juxtaposing dots of blue and yellow that the viewer's eye would interpret as green.
185
stipulate
make express conditions, specify
Before agreeing to reduce American military forces in Europe, the president stipulated that NATO teams be allowed to inspect Soviet bases.
186
stodgy
stuffy; boringly conservative
For a young person, Winston seems remarkably stodgy: you'd expect someone of his age to have a little more life.
187
stoic
person who is indifferent to pleasure or pain
The doctor called her patient a stoic because he had borne the pain of the examination without whimpering.
188
stoke
stir up a fire; feed plentifully
As a Scout, Marisa learned how to light a fire, how to stoke it if it started to die down, and how to extinguish it completely.
189
stolidity
dullness; impassivenss
The earthquake shattered his usual stolidity; trembling, he crouched on the no longer stable ground.
190
strew
spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter
Preceding the bride to the altar, the flower girl will strew rose petals along the aisle.
191
striated
marked with parallel bands; grooved
The glacier left many striated rocks.
192
stricture
critical comments; severe and adverse criticism
His strictures on the author's style are prejudiced and unwarranted.
193
strident
loud and harsh
She scolded him in a strident voice
194
strngent
binding; rigid
I think these regulations are too stringent.
195
strut
\*
pompous walk
His strut as he marched about the parade ground revealed him for what he was: a pompous buffoon.
\*\*
supporting bar
The engineer calculated that the strut supporting the rafter needed to be reinforced.
196
stultify
cause to appear or become stupid or inconsistent; frustrate or hinder
His long hours in the blacking factory left young Dickens numb and incurious, as if the menial labor had stultified his mind.
197
stupefy
make numb; stun; amaze
Disapproving of drugs in general, Laura refused to take sleeping pills or any other medicine that might stupefy her.
198
stupor
state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness
In his stupor, the addict was unaware of the events taking place around him.
199
stymie
present an obstacle; stump
The detective was stymied by the contradictory evidence in the robbery investigation.
200
suavity
urbanity; polish
He is particulary good in roles that require suavity and sophistication.
201
subaltern
subordinate
The captain treated his subalterns as though they were children rather than commissioned officers.
202
subjugate
conquer; bring under control
It is not our aim to subjugate our foe; we are interested only in establishing peaceful relations.
203
sublimate
refine; purify
We must strive to sublimate these desires and emotions into worthwhile activities.
204
subliminal
below the threshold
We may not be aware of the subliminal influences that affect our thinking.
205
suborn
persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury)
In the Godfather, the mobsters used bribery and threats to suborn the witnesses against Don Michael Corleone.
206
subpoena
writ summoning a witness to appear
The prosecutor's office was ready to serve a subpoena on the reluctant witness.
207
subservient
behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious
He was proud and dignified; he refused to be subservient to anyone.
208
subside
settle down; descend; grow quiet
The doctor assured us that the fever would eventually subside.
209
subsidiary
subordinate; secondary
This information may be used as subsidiary evidence but is not sufficient by itself to prove your argument.
210
subsidy
direct financial aid by government, etc.
Without this subsidy, American ship operators would not be able to compete in world markets.
211
substantive
essential; pertaining to the substance
Although the delegates were aware of the importance of the problem, they could not agree on the substantive issues.
212
subsume
include; encompass
Does the general theory of relativity contradict Newtonian physics, or is Newton's law of gravity subsumed into Einstein's larger scheme?
213
subterfuge
pretense; evasion
As soon as we realized that you had won our support by a subterfuge we withdrew our endorsement of your candidacy.
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subtlety
nicety; cunning; guile; delicacy
The subtlety of his remarks was unnoticed by most of his audience.
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subversive
tending to overthrow; destructive
At first glance, the notion that Styrofoam cups may actually be more ecologically sound than paper cups strikes most environmentalists as subversive.
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succint
brief; terse; compact
His remarks are always succinct and pointed.
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succulent
juicy; full of richness
To some people, Florida citrus fruits are more succulent than those from California.
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succumb
yield; give in; die
I succumb to temptation whenever it comes my way.
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suffragist
advocate of voting rights (for women)
In recognition of her efforts to win the vote for women, Congress authorized coining a silver dollar honoring the suffragist Susan B. Anthony.
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suffuse
spread over
A blush suffused her cheeks when we teased her about her love affair.
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sully
tarnish; soil
He felt that it was beneath his dignity to sully his hands in such menial labor.
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sultry
sweltering
He could not adjust himself to the sultry climate of the tropics.
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summation
act of finding the total, summary
In his summation, the lawyer emphasized the testimony given by the two witnesses.
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sumptuous
lavish; rich
I cannot recall when I have had such a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast.
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sunder
separate; part
Northern and southern Ireland are politically and religiously sundered.
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sundry
various; several
My suspicions were aroused when I read sundry items in the newspapers about your behavior.
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superannuated
retired or disqualified because of age
The superannuated man was indignant because he felt that he could still perform a good day's work.
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supercilious
contemptuous; haughty
I prefer Jill's modesty to Jack's supercilious and arrogant attitude.
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supererogatory
superfluous; more than needed or demanded
We have more than enough witnesses to corroborate your statement; to present any more would be supererogatory.
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superfluous
excessive; overabundant, unnecessary
Please try not to include so many superfluous details in your report; just give me the bare facts.
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supernumerary
person or thing in excess of what is necessary; extra
His first appearance on the stage was as a supernumerary in a Shakespearean tragedy.
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supersede
cause to be set aside; replace
This regulation will supersede all previous rules.
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supple
flexible; pliant
The angler found a supple limb and used it as a fishing rod.
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suppliant
entreating; beseeching
He could not resist the dog's suppliant whimpering, and he gave it some food.
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supposition
hypothesis; surmise
I based my decision to confide in him on the supposition that he would be discreet.
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supposititious
assumed; counterfeit; hypothetical
I find no similarity between your supposititious illustration and the problem we are facing.
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surfeit
satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything
Every Thanksgiving we are surfeited with an overabundance of holiday treats.
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surly
rude; cross
Because of his surly attitude, many people avoided his company.
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surmise
guess
I surmise that he will be late for this meeting.
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surpass
exceed
Her SAT scores surpassed out expectations.
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surreptitious
secret
News of their surreptitious meeting gradually leaked out.
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surrogate
substitute
For a fatherless child, a male teacher may become a father surrogate.
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susceptible
impressionable; easily influenced; having little resistance, as to a disease
He was a very susceptible young man, and so his parents worried that he might fall into bad company.
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sustain
experience; support; nourish
He sustained such a severe injury that the doctors feared he would be unable to work to sustain his growing family.
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sustenance
means of support, food, nourishment
In the tropics, the natives find sustenance easy to obtain because of all the fruit trees.
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swarthy
dark; dusky
Despite the stereotype, not all Italians are swarthy; many are fair and blond.
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swathe
wrap around; bandage
When I visited him in the hospital, I found him swathed in bandages.
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swelter
be oppressed by heat
I am going to buy an air conditioning unit for my apartment as I do not intend to swelter through another hot and humid summer.
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swerve
deviate; turn aside sharply
The car swerved wildly as the driver struggled to regain control of the wheel.
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swill
drink greedily
Singing, "Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum," Long John Silver and his fellow pirates swilled their grog.
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swindler
cheat
She was gullible and trusting, an easy victim for the first swindler who came along.
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sybarite
lover of luxury
Rich people are not always sybarites; some of them have little taste for a life of luxury.
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sycophant
servile flatterer
The king enjoyed the servile compliments and attentions of the sycophants in his retinue.
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syllogism
logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive or specious argument
There must be a fallacy in this syllogism; I cannot accept its conclusion.
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sylvan
pertaining to the woods; rustic
His paintings of nymphs in sylvan backgrounds were criticized as oversentimental.
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synoptic
providing a general overview; summary
The professor turned to the latest issue of Dissertation Abstracts for a synoptic account of what was new in the field.
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stygian
literary dark
The stygian room reminded him of an empty space.
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