S (I) Flashcards
saboteur (n.)
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.
saccharine (adj.)
cloyingly sweet
She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a saccharine smile.
sacrilegious (adj.)
desecrating; profane
His stealing of the altar cloth was a very sacrilegious act.
sacrosanct (adj.)
most sacred; inviolable
The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy of the office of the president of the company.
sadistic (adj.)
inclined to cruelty
If we are to improve conditions in this prison, we must first get rid of the sadistic warden.
saga (n.)
Scandinavian myth; any legend
This is a saga of the sea and the men who risk their lives on it.
sagacious (adj.)
perceptive; shrewd; having insight
My father was a sagacious judge of character: he could spot a phony a mile away.
sage (n.)
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.
salacious (adj.)
lascivious; lustful
Chaucer’s monk is not pious but salacious, a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests.
salient (adj.)
protruding; strikingly conspicuous; jumping
Good readers quickly grasp the salient and significant points of a passage; indeed the ideas almost leap out at them, demanding their attention.
salubrious (adj.)
promoting good health; healthful
The health resort advertised the salubrious properties of the waters of its famous hot springs.
salutary (adj.)
tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome
The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student.
salvage (v.)
to rescue from loss
All attempts yo salvage the wrecked ship failed.
salvo (n.)
discharge of firearms; military salute
The boom of the enemy’s opening salvo made the petrified private jump.
sanctimonious (adj.)
falsely holy; feigning piety
Mark Twain mocked pious hypocrites, calling one a sanctimonious old iceberg who looked like he was waiting for a vacancy in the Trinity.
sanction (v.)
to approve; to ratify
Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man.
sanctuary (n.)
refuge; shelter; shrine; holy place
The tiny attic was Helen’s sanctuary to which she fled when she had to get away from the rest of the family.
sanguine (adj.)
cheerful; hopeful
Let’s not be too sanguine about the sanguine about the outcome of the election; we may still lose.
sap (v.)
to diminish; to undermine
The element kryptonite has an unhealthy effect on Superman: it saps his strength.
sarcasm (n.)
scornful remarks; stinging rebuke
Though Ralph pretended to ignore the mocking comments of his supposed friends, their sarcasm wounded him deeply.
sardonic (adj.)
cynically mocking; sarcastic
Dorothy Parker’s wry couplet, “Men seldom make passes at girls who wears glasses,” epitomizes her sardonic wit.
sartorial (adj.)
pertaining to tailors
GQ Magazine provides sartorial advice for the not-so-well -dressed man.
sate (v.)
to satisfy to the full; to cloy
Its hunger sated, the lion dozed.
satellite (n.)
small body revolving around a larger one
During the first dew years of the Space Age, hundreds of satellites were launched by Russia and the United States.
satiate (v.)
to satisfy fully
Having stuffed themselves until they were satiated, the guests were so full they were ready for a nap.
satire (n.)
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 man’s folly.
satirical (adj.)
mocking
The humor of cartoonist Gary Trudeau often is satirical; through the comments of the Doonesbury characters, Trudeau ridicules political corruption and folly.
saturate (v.)
to soak thoroughly
Saturate your sponge with water until it can;t hold any more.
saturnine (adj.)
gloomy
Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as as gloomy as he looks.
saunter (v.)
to stroll slowly
As we sauntered through the park, we stopped frequently to admire the spring flowers.
savant (n.)
learned scholar
Despite all her academic honors, Dr. Diamond disliked being classed as a savant: considering herself a simple researcher, she refused to describe herself in such grandiose terms.
savor (v.)
to enjoy; to have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality
Relishing his triumph, the actor especially savored the chagrin of the critics who has predicted his failure.
savory (adj.)
tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable
Julia Child’s recipes enable amateur chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests.
scad (n.)
a great quantity
Refusing Dave’s offer to lend him a shirt, Phil replied, “No, thanks, I’ve got scads of clothes.”
scale (v.)
to climb up; to ascend
In order to locate a book on the top shelf of the stacks, Lee had to scale an exceptionally rickety ladder.
scamp (n.)
rascal
Despite his mischievous behavior, Malcolm was such an engaging scamp that his mother almost lacked the heart to punish him.
scanty (adj.)
meager; insufficient
Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for more.
scapegoat (n.)
someone who bears the blame for others
After the Challenger disaster, NASA searched for scapegoats on whom they could cast the blame.
scavenge (v.)
to hunt through discarded materials for usable items; to 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.
scenario (n.)
plot outline; screenplay; opera libretto
Scaramouche startled the other actors in the commedia troupe when he suddenly departed from their customary scenario and began to improvise.
schematic (adj.)
relating to an outline or diagram; using a system a symbols
In working out the solution to his logic puzzle, you may find it helpful to construct a simple schematic diagram outlining the order of events.
schism (n.)
division; split
His reform led to a schism in the church and the establishment of a new set opposing the old order.
scintillate (v.)
to spark; to flash
I enjoy her dinner parties because f
