73 words starting with S

• salient adjective

  most noticeable or important

  The teacher listed the salient points of the chapter on the board.

  Like main, prominent, key

• satire noun

  the use of humor or exaggeration to show and criticize foolishness

  The play was a satire that poked fun at people glued to their phones.

  Like parody, spoof, mockery

• satirical adjective

  using humor or exaggeration to criticize foolishness

  The magazine is famous for its satirical cartoons about daily life.

  Like mocking, ironic, sardonic

• saturate verb

  to soak something completely; to fill something so that no more can be added

  The heavy rain saturated the soil, and puddles formed everywhere.

  Like soak, drench, flood

• savor verb

  to enjoy something slowly and fully

  We sat on the hill and savored the view of the sunrise over the mountains.

  Like relish, enjoy, appreciate

• savvy adjective

  having practical knowledge and good sense

  My savvy sister always finds the cheapest bus tickets online.

  Like shrewd, smart, knowledgeable

• scant adjective

  barely enough or very little

  The plants got scant water during the dry season and wilted.

  Like little, meager, insufficient

• scanty adjective

  too small in amount or size to be enough

  The scanty meal left us hungry before the long walk.

  Like meager, sparse, skimpy

• scathing adjective

  harshly and bitterly critical

  The critic wrote a scathing review of the boring film.

  Like harsh, severe, withering

• scorn noun

  strong feeling that someone or something is worthless and deserves no respect

  The proud chef looked at the instant noodles with scorn.

  Like contempt, disdain, derision

• scrupulous adjective

  very careful to do things correctly and honestly

  The treasurer kept scrupulous records of every rupee the club spent.

  Like meticulous, careful, conscientious

• scrutinize verb

  to examine something very closely and carefully

  The scientist scrutinized the leaf under a microscope.

  Like examine, inspect, study

• scrutiny noun

  close, careful examination

  The final answers came under the scrutiny of three judges.

  Like examination, inspection, review

• secluded adjective

  quiet, private, and hidden away from other people

  We found a secluded spot by the lake for our picnic.

  Like isolated, remote, private

• sect noun

  a small group with its own beliefs that has split from a larger religious group

  The small sect broke away from the main church over how prayers should be said.

  Like denomination, faction

• secular adjective

  not connected with religion

  The school holds secular celebrations that all students can join.

  Like nonreligious, worldly, lay

• sedentary adjective

  involving a lot of sitting and little exercise

  A sedentary life in front of screens is bad for your health.

  Like inactive, seated

• sensational adjective

  causing great excitement or interest, often by exaggerating; very impressive

  The newspaper printed a sensational story about a yeti in the snow.

  Like dramatic, shocking, spectacular

• sentiment noun

  a feeling or opinion about something

  The class shared the sentiment that the trip had been a great success.

  Like feeling, opinion, view

• sentimental adjective

  driven by tender feelings like nostalgia rather than reason

  She kept her old school bag for sentimental reasons.

  Like nostalgic, emotional, mawkish

• serendipity noun

  the luck of finding something good without looking for it

  By serendipity, we found a beautiful waterfall while searching for the bus stop.

  Like happy accident, luck, chance

• serene adjective

  calm, peaceful, and untroubled

  The lake was serene in the early morning, with mist above the water.

  Like calm, peaceful, tranquil

• sever verb

  to cut through completely or to end a connection

  The storm severed the power line to the village.

  Like cut, cut off, break off

• severity noun

  how serious, harsh, or extreme something is

  Doctors checked the severity of the injury before deciding on treatment.

  Like seriousness, harshness, intensity

• shrewd adjective

  clever at judging situations and using them to one’s advantage

  The shrewd shopkeeper stocked umbrellas just before the monsoon began.

  Like astute, sharp, canny

• shun verb

  to avoid someone or something on purpose

  Many owls shun daylight and hunt only at night.

  Like avoid, reject, steer clear of

• skeptic noun

  a person who doubts claims until shown good evidence

  My uncle is a skeptic who wants proof before believing any health advice.

  Like doubter, questioner

• skeptical adjective

  doubting whether something is true or useful

  The class was skeptical when Ram said he had seen a snow leopard.

  Like doubtful, dubious, unconvinced

• skepticism noun

  an attitude of doubt toward claims until they are proved

  Scientists treat surprising results with healthy skepticism.

  Like doubt, distrust

• sluggish adjective

  moving or working more slowly than usual

  The old laptop is so sluggish that it takes minutes to start.

  Like slow, lethargic, listless

• solace noun

  comfort in a time of sadness or worry

  After losing the final, the team found solace in their strong season.

  Like comfort, consolation, relief

• solemn adjective

  serious and formal, without humor

  The flag was raised in a solemn ceremony at the start of the school year.

  Like serious, grave, formal

• solicit verb

  to ask for something, such as money, help, or opinions

  The club solicited donations to build a new library for the village school.

  Like request, seek, appeal for

• solidarity noun

  unity and support among people with a shared goal or interest

  Students wore green ribbons to show solidarity with the tree-planting campaign.

  Like unity, support, togetherness

• solitary adjective

  done or existing alone

  The snow leopard is a solitary animal that hunts on its own.

  Like lone, isolated

• solitude noun

  the state of being alone, especially when it is peaceful

  The writer went to a hill village to work in solitude.

  Like isolation, privacy, seclusion

• somber adjective

  dark or dull in color; serious and gloomy in mood

  The sky turned somber gray before the evening storm.

  Like gloomy, dark, grave

• sophisticated adjective

  highly developed and complex; having worldly knowledge and good taste

  The space telescope uses sophisticated cameras to photograph distant galaxies.

  Like advanced, complex, refined

• sovereign adjective

  having complete power to govern itself

  Nepal is a sovereign country that makes its own laws.

  Like independent, autonomous, self-governing

• sovereignty noun

  a country’s complete power to govern itself

  Every nation guards its sovereignty over its land and borders.

  Like independence, autonomy, self-rule

• sporadic adjective

  happening now and then, at irregular times

  There was only sporadic rain in the dry month of April.

  Like occasional, intermittent, irregular

• squander verb

  to waste money, time, or chances foolishly

  Don’t squander your pocket money on things you will never use.

  Like waste, fritter away, misspend

• stagnant adjective

  not flowing or moving, and often stale; showing no growth

  Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water left in old tires.

  Like still, motionless, stale

• stagnate verb

  to stop developing, growing, or moving

  Sales at the shop stagnated after the new market opened nearby.

  Like stall, stand still, languish

• stamina noun

  the physical or mental strength to keep going for a long time

  Porters in the Himalaya need great stamina to carry heavy loads for days.

  Like endurance, staying power, energy

• staunch adjective

  very loyal and firm in support

  My grandfather is a staunch supporter of the local football club.

  Like loyal, faithful, steadfast

• steadfast adjective

  firm and unchanging in purpose or loyalty

  Her steadfast friend helped her study every day before the exams.

  Like loyal, resolute, unwavering

• stifle verb

  to stop something from happening or being expressed; to make breathing hard

  I tried to stifle a yawn during the long speech.

  Like suppress, smother, hold back

• stigma noun

  a feeling of shame or disgrace attached to something

  Doctors are working to remove the stigma around asking for help with mental health.

  Like shame, disgrace, dishonor

• stoic adjective

  calmly enduring pain or difficulty without complaining

  The stoic porter kept walking through the snow without a word of complaint.

  Like uncomplaining, impassive, patient

• strenuous adjective

  needing great effort or energy

  The climb to the viewpoint was strenuous but worth it.

  Like arduous, demanding, exhausting

• stringent adjective

  very strict and precise, especially about rules

  The laboratory has stringent safety rules about wearing goggles.

  Like strict, rigorous, tough

• subdue verb

  to bring under control, often by force; to make quieter or softer

  The firefighters subdued the blaze before it reached the forest.

  Like overcome, control, quell

• sublime adjective

  so beautiful or excellent that it inspires awe

  The view of the mountains at sunrise was simply sublime.

  Like magnificent, glorious, awe-inspiring

• subordinate adjective

  lower in rank or importance

  In the army, a captain is subordinate to a major.

  Like junior, lower, secondary

• subside verb

  to become less strong, loud, or high

  The river level subsided a few days after the heavy rains stopped.

  Like abate, recede, die down

• subsidize verb

  to pay part of the cost of something to make it cheaper

  The government subsidizes fertilizer so farmers can afford it.

  Like fund, support, finance

• substantiate verb

  to provide evidence that proves something is true

  The student substantiated her claim with data from her experiment.

  Like prove, support, confirm

• subtlety noun

  a quality so delicate or small that it is hard to notice; skill in noticing fine differences

  The subtlety of the painting’s colors only shows in bright light.

  Like nuance, delicacy, finesse

• subvert verb

  to weaken or overturn an established system, authority, or idea

  The story’s ending subverts what readers expect from a fairy tale.

  Like undermine, weaken, overturn

• succinct adjective

  clearly expressed in few words

  Her succinct answer covered everything in just two sentences.

  Like concise, brief, pithy

• succumb verb

  to give in to a pressure, temptation, or illness

  After a long day, I finally succumbed to sleep on the bus.

  Like yield, give in, surrender

• sullen adjective

  bad-tempered and silent, showing anger without speaking

  He sat in sullen silence after being told to finish his homework first.

  Like sulky, moody, glum

• sumptuous adjective

  rich and splendid, looking expensive

  The family prepared a sumptuous feast for Dashain.

  Like lavish, luxurious, magnificent

• superficial adjective

  only on the surface and not deep; not thorough or serious

  Luckily, the cut on his knee was only superficial.

  Like shallow, surface, cursory

• superfluous adjective

  more than is needed and so not useful

  Remove any superfluous words to make your essay clearer.

  Like unnecessary, excess, redundant

• supersede verb

  to take the place of something older or less useful

  Smartphones have largely superseded paper maps for many travelers.

  Like replace, supplant, displace

• supple adjective

  bending easily without breaking

  Yoga keeps the body supple and strong.

  Like flexible, pliable, limber

• suppress verb

  to stop something by force or authority; to hold back a feeling or reaction

  She suppressed a sneeze during the quiet test.

  Like repress, stifle, quell

• surmount verb

  to overcome a difficulty or obstacle

  The team surmounted many problems to finish the robot before the competition.

  Like overcome, conquer, get past

• surpass verb

  to do better than or go beyond

  This year’s harvest surpassed all expectations.

  Like exceed, outdo, outshine

• surrogate noun

  a person or thing that takes the place of another

  The hen acted as a surrogate mother to the abandoned ducklings.

  Like substitute, stand-in, replacement

• symbiotic adjective

  describing a close relationship in which two different living things help each other

  Clownfish and sea anemones have a symbiotic relationship.

  Like mutually beneficial, interdependent