S Flashcards
Sacrosanct
must be kept sacred
Sadistic
cruel
Sagacious
having sound judgment; perceptive; wise like a sage
Salacious
having or conveying undue or inappropriate interest in sexual matters
Salubrious
health-giving; healthy.
Salutary
- remedial; wholesome;
- causing improvement
Salvage
the saving of property from loss
Sanctimony
self-righteousness hypocritical with false piety
Sanction
- approval (by authority)
- penalty
Sanguine
optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation.
Sanity
health of mind; soundness of judgment
Sardonic
Grimly mocking or cynical.
Sartorial
relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress.
Sash
long strip worn round the waist
Sate
fill to contentment
Satiate
satisfy fully
Saturnine
gloomy; dark; sullen; morose
Savant
person of great talent
Savor
taste; flavor something
Sawdust
tiny bits of wood
Scabbard
a sheath for the blade of a sword or dagger, typically made of leather or metal
Scalding
hot enough to boil
Scanty
small or insufficient in quantity or amount.
Scathe
harm; injure.
Scattered
lacking order/continuity
Scent
smell (especially pleasant)
Schism
a split or division between strongly opposed sections or parties, caused by differences in opinion or belief.
Scintillating
brilliantly and excitingly clever or skillful.
Scorch
- become discolored
- dry up
- go at high speed
Scornful
feeling or expressing contempt or derision.
Scribble
write hastily
Scrupulous
adhering strictly to standards of ethics or morality; punctilious.
Scrutinize
adhering strictly to standards of ethics or morality; punctilious.
Scrutinize
examine or inspect closely and thoroughly.
Scuffle
to take part in a brief, confused fight among a few people.
Scurvy
mean; contemptible
Secondhand
previously used or owned by another; derived from what is primary or original; not firsthand; adv. by indirect means
Secular
denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis
Seductive
tending to entice into a desired action or state
Sedulous
marked by care and persistent effort
Self-evident
evident without proof or argument
Self-indulgence
excess in action and immoderate indulgence of bodily appetites, especially in passion or indulgence; an inability to resist the gratification of whims and desires
Self-righteous
having or characterized by a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or morally superior.
Self-serving
interested only in yourself
Seminal
(of a work, event, moment, or figure) strongly influencing later developments
Senescence
condition or process of deterioration with age - ageing
Sensational
causing intense interest, curiosity, or emotion; relating to or concerned in sensation; commanding attention
Sententious
given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner
Sequence
succession; connected line of
Sere
make hard and without feeling
Serendipity
the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
Sermon
- a talk on a religious or moral subject, especially one given during a church service and based on a passage from the Bible
- a long or tedious piece of admonition or reproof; a lecture
Serration
having a toothed edge
Serve
- (sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play;
- verb: do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function;
- be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity
Servile
- like a slave;
- lacking independence
Sever
break off
Severance
the action of ending a connection or relationship
Severe
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality;
Shallow
little depth; not earnest
Shallow
little depth; not earnest
Shallowness
the quality of lacking physical depth; lack of depth of knowledge or thought or feeling
Sham
an imitation that is passed as genuine; counterfeit.
Shard
a piece of broken pottery
Shatter
break into many pieces
Sheath
cover for the blade of a weapon or a tool
Shirk
avoid or neglect (a duty or responsibility).
Shortsightedness
a lack of prudence and care by someone in the management of resources
Showcase
a setting in which something can be displayed to best effect; a glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home
Showy
displaying brilliance and virtuosity; marked by ostentation but often tasteless; (used especially of clothes) marked by conspicuous display
Shrewd
having or showing sharp powers of judgement; astute.
Shrill
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
Shuck
material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
Shun
keep away from; avoid
Shunt
a conductor diverting a fraction of current from a device
Sidereal
of our w/ respect to the stars
Sidestep
step to one side
Sift
- separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements; move as if through a sieve;
- distinguish and separate out; check and sort carefully
Simper
smile in an insincere, unnatural, or coy way
Simpleminded
having or showing very little intelligence or judgment.
Simpleton
a person lacking intelligence or common sense
Simultaneity
happening or existing or done at the same time
Singular
- being a single and separate person or thing;
- beyond or deviating from the usual or expected; unusual or striking;
- noun: the form of a word that is used to denote a singleton
Sinister
wicked, evil, or dishonorable
Sinuous
winding; undulating serpentine
Sip
drink (something) by taking small mouthfuls
Skeptic (adj. Skeptical)
a person inclined to question or doubt accepted opinions.
Sketchy
giving only major points; lacking completeness
Skiff
a small boat propelled by oars or by sails or by a motor
Skit
short piece of humorous writing
Skittish
nervous or excitable; easily scared
Slack
not tense or taut
Slake
to assuage; to satisfy; allay
Slate
- kind of blue-grey stone
- propose criticize
Slavishly
in a servile or submissive manner.
Slighted
insult (someone) by treating or speaking of them without proper respect or attention.
Sloppy
lacking neatness or order
Sloth
- apathy and inactivity in the practice of virtue (personified as one of the deadly sins);
- any of several slow moving arboreal mammals
- a disinclination to work or exert yourself
Sluggard
lazy slow-moving person
Slur
utter indistinctly
Slur
- noun: an insinuation or allegation about someone that is likely to insult them or damage their reputation
- join sounds/words (indistinct)
Smolder
burn slowly without flame
Smother
deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing
Snare
catch or trap (someone).
Snub
- rebuff, ignore, or spurn disdainfully
- check the movement of (a horse or boat), especially by a rope wound around a post
Soar
rise; fly high
Sober (v. Sober)
- not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol);
- lacking brightness or color; dull;
- dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises; completely lacking in playfulness;
Sobriety
- abstaining from excess; moderation in or abstinence from alcohol or other drugs;
- a manner that is serious and solemn
Sobriquet
nickname
Sodden
soaked; saturated
Soggy
heavy with water
Solicitous
showing hovering attentiveness; full of anxiety and concern
Solvent
- having assets in excess of liabilities; able to pay one’s debts.
- of the power of forming a solution
Somatic
of the body
Somber
serious and gloomy in character
Somersault
rolling backward or forward (not sideways) movement
Soot
black powder in smoke
Sophism
A fallacious argument, esp. one used deliberately to deceive.
Sophist
- someone whose reasoning is subtle and often specious
- any of a group of Greek philosophers and teachers in the 5th century BC who speculated on a wide range of subjects
Sophisticated
complex; subtle; refined
Sophistry
fallacious; reasoning faulty logic
Sophomoric
being immature
Soporific
producing sleep
Sordid
foul and run-down and repulsive
Soundness
- a state or condition free from damage or decay;
- the muscle tone of healthy tissue;
- the quality of being prudent and sensible
Sovereignty
the authority of a state to govern another state; government free from external control; royal authority; the dominion of a monarch
Sparing
moderate; economical.
Spate
A large number of similar things or events appearing or occurring in quick succession; a sudden flood in a river
Spear
- weapon with a metal point on a long shaft
- pierce or strike with a spear or other pointed object
Specious
plausible but false
Speculative
showing curiosity; not based on fact or investigation; not financially safe or secure
Spell
write or name the letters that comprise the accepted form of
Spell
be a sign or characteristic of
Spendthrift
someone who spends money freely or wastefully
Spine
the series of vertebrae forming the backbone
Splenetic
bad-tempered; irritable
Splice
join (two ends)
Sponge
- porous rubber for washing
- obtain or accept money or food from other people without doing or intending to do anything in return
Sporadic
occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated.
Spurious
not being what it purports to be; false or fake.
Spurn
have nothing to do reject or refuse
Spurned
rebuffed (by a lover) without warning
Squalid
foul and run-down and repulsive
Squander
spend wastefully
Squat
crouch/settle without permission
Squelch
suppress or crush completely
Staid
characterized by dignity and propriety
Stake
a strong wooden or metal post driven into the ground
Stanch
to stop the flow of a fluid
Stanched
stop or restrict (a flow of blood) from a wound.
Staple
main or important, especially in terms of consumption.
Stark
severely simple
Startling (v. Startle)
very surprising, astonishing, or remarkable.
Starvation
the act of depriving of food or subjecting to famine
Steadfast
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
Steeply (adj. Steep)
having a sharp inclination
Stentorian
extremely loud and powerful
Stickler
person who insists on importance of something
Stiff
incapable of or resistant to bending
Stifled
suppressed, kept back
Stigma
a symbol of disgrace or infamy
Stigmatize
describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval.
Stimulate
encourage or arouse interest or enthusiasm in.
Sting
something sharp
Stingy
ungenerous
Stingy
spending; using unwillingly
Stint
supply sparingly and with restricted quantities
Stipple
paint with dots
Stipulate
state or put forward as a necessary condition
Stockade
fortification consisting of a fence set firmly for defense
Stolid (n. Stolidity)
showing no emotion; impassive
Stoop
bend one’s back forward from the waist on down
Strain
exert much effort or energy
Strategic
highly important to or an integral part of a strategy or plan of action especially in war; relating to or concerned with strategy
Stray
wander from a direct course or at random
Streak
long, thin; move very fast
Striated
marked with long, thin parallel streaks
Stride
walk with long steps
Strident
loud, harsh, grating; Presenting a point of view, esp. a controversial one, in an excessively and unpleasantly forceful way.
Stringent
demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
Strive
to make great efforts, to struggle
Strut
- a supporting bar
- walk in a proud, confident way
Stun
astonish or shock (someone) so that they are temporarily unable to react.
Stygian
hence; dark; gloomy
Stymie
to hinder, obstruct or block
Subaltern
of lower status
Subdued (v. Subdue)
quieted and brought under control
Subjective
- taking place within the mind and modified by individual bias;
- of a mental act performed entirely within the mind
Sublime
extreme; astounding
Submerge
put under water liquid sink out of sight
Subordinate
- lower in rank or importance; subject or submissive to authority or the control of another;
- (of a clause) unable to stand alone syntactically as a complete sentence;
- noun: an assistant subject to the authority or control of another
Suborn
incite to commit a crime or an evil deed
Subpoena
written order requiring a person to appear in a low court
Subsequent
following in time or order
Subside
wear off or die down
Substantial
real; having a material or factual existence
Substantiate
provide evidence to support or prove the truth of.
Substantiation
giving facts to support (statement)
Substantive
- defining rights and duties as opposed to giving the rules by which rights and duties are established;
- having a firm basis in reality and being therefore important, meaningful
Subsume
consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle; contain or include
Subtle
especially of a change or distinction) so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyse or describe.
Subversion
the undermining of the power and authority of an established system or institution.
Succor
assistance relief in time of distress
Succumb
give in, as to overwhelming force, influence, or pressure
Suffice
be enough
Suffocate
cause or have difficulty in breathing
Sullen
a sulky or depressed mood.
Sullied
to be stained or discredited
Sumptuous
magnificent
Sundry
various miscellaneous; separate
Supercilious
disdainful; characterized by haughty scorn
Superficiality
lack of depth of knowledge or thought or feeling; shallowness in terms of affecting only surface layers of something
Superfluous
unnecessary, especially through being more than enough
Superfluous
unnecessary, especially through being more than enough.
Superimpose
put something on the top
Supersede
take the place of (a person or thing previously in authority or use); supplant.
Supine
lying on the back; slow to act, passive
Supplant
take the place or move into the position of
Supplement
a thing added to something else in order to complete or enhance it.
Suppliant
asking humbly; beseeching
Supplicate
make a humble petition to
Supplication
the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly.
Suppress
to put down by force or authority; put out of one’s consciousness; keep under control; keep in check; control and refrain from showing; of emotions; come down on or keep down by unjust use of one’s authority
Suppress
prevent from being known; put an end to
Surcharge
additional load/charge
Surfeit
- the state of being more than full; the quality of being so overabundant that prices fall;
- verb: indulge (one’s appetite) to satiety; supply or feed to surfeit
Surly
bad-tempered and unfriendly
Surpass
be or do something to a greater degree; pass by; go beyond; distinguish oneself
Surrogate
substitute, especially a person deputizing for another in a specific role or office.
Susceptibility
sensitiveness
Susceptible
likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.
Sustained
maintained at length without interruption or weakening; (of an electric arc) continuous
Sway
- controlling influence; pitching dangerously to one side;
- verb: move back and forth or sideways; cause to move back and forth; move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner;
- win approval or support for
Swerve
change direction suddenly
Swift
moving very fast
Swindle
(offensive) deprive of by deceit
Sycophant
a person who acts obsequiously towards someone important in order to gain advantage
Syllogism
a form of deductive reasoning: one conclusion is drawn from two or more premises
Syncopated
stressing a normally weak beat
Synoptic
of or forming a general summary or synopsis.
Syntactical
of or relating to or conforming to the rules of syntax
Synthesize
to bring together or combine (separate elements) to form a whole.
