- saga Dictionary lookup
(n.) a legend; any long story of adventure or heroic deed
The saga of King Arthur and his court has been told for generations. - sagacious Dictionary lookup
(adj.) wise
Many of her friends came to her with their problems because she gave sagacious advice.
The old man gave sagacious advice. - salubrious Dictionary lookup
(adj.) promoting good health
Salubrious food helps maintain an ideal weight.
Exercising frequently and eating healthy foods are salubrious habits. - salutatory Dictionary lookup
(adj.) of or containing greetings
Two messengers were sent to the new neighbors with a salutatory letter. - salvage Dictionary lookup
(v.) rescue from loss
The family tried to salvage their belongings after their home was destroyed by a tornado. - sanction Dictionary lookup
(v.; n.) an act of giving authoritative permission; to give encouragement; a blockade
The government has sanctioned the meetings as a worthy cause.
He did more than tolerate her actions, he sanctioned them.
Before committing troops to war, the president wanted to give the sanctions a chance to work. - sanguine Dictionary lookup
(adj.) optimistic; cheerful; red
Even when victory seemed impossible, the general remained sanguine.
The dress was sanguine with a bright green border stripe.
With a sanguine nod the interviewee entered the office. - sapid Dictionary lookup
(adj.) having a pleasant taste
Yellow and blue icing covered the sapid pastry.
- sardonic Dictionary lookup
(adj.) having a sarcastic quality
H.L. Mencken was known for his sardonic writings on political figures. - saturate Dictionary lookup
(v.) soak thoroughly; drench
She saturated the sponge with soapy water before she began washing the car. - saturnine Dictionary lookup
(adj.) gloomy, sluggish
The never-ending rain put everyone in a saturnine mood. - saunter Dictionary lookup
(v.) to walk at a leisurely pace; stroll
The loving couple sauntered down the wooded path. - savant Dictionary lookup
(n.) one who is intelligent
The savant accepted his award of excellence. - savor Dictionary lookup
(v.) to receive pleasure from; to enjoy with appreciation; dwell on with delight
After several months without a day off, she savored every minute of her week-long vacation. - scanty Dictionary lookup
(adj.) inadequate; sparse
The malnutrition was caused by the scanty amount of healthy food eaten each day. - schism Dictionary lookup
(n.) a division in an organized group
When the group could not decide on a plan of action, a schism occurred. - scourge Dictionary lookup
(v.) to whip severely
The trainer will scourge the animal if it attacks someone. - scrupulous Dictionary lookup
(adj.) honorable; exact
After finding a purse with valuable items inside, the scrupulous Mr. Prendergast returned everything to its owner.
A scrupulous cleaning was conducted before the family moved. - scrutinize Dictionary lookup
(v.) examine closely; study
After allowing his son to borrow the family car, the father scrutinized every section for dents. - scurrilous Dictionary lookup
(adj.) vulgarity
The scurrilous language made the mother twinge. - sectarian Dictionary lookup
(adj.) to be narrow minded or limited
A sectarian precluded him from listening to the other side. - sedentary Dictionary lookup
(adj.) characterized by sitting; remaining in one locality
The sedentary child had not moved after two hours.
The old woman who never left her home town has led a sedentary life. - sedition Dictionary lookup
(n.) a revolt
The sedition by the guards ended with their being executed for treason. - sedulous Dictionary lookup
(adj.) working diligently; persistent
The sedulous habits of the team will surely conclude in victory.
Only the most sedulous salespeople will succeed. - seethe Dictionary lookup
(v.) to be violently disturbed
By the time I arrived, she was seething with anger.
He seethed at the prospect of losing the business to his conniving uncle. - sequester Dictionary lookup
(v.) to separate or segregate
The jury was sequestered at the local inn. - serendipity Dictionary lookup
(n.) an apparent aptitude for making fortunate discoveries accidentally
Serendipity seemed to follow the lucky winner where ever he went. - serrated Dictionary lookup
(adj.) having a saw-toothed edge
While camping, the family used a serrated band saw to cut firewood. - servile Dictionary lookup
(adj.) slavish; groveling
He knew they both possessed equal abilities, and yet he was always treated as a servile underling.
His servile leadership forced her to take over.
The servile nurse did everything the doctor told her to do. - shady Dictionary lookup
(adj.) a character of questionable honesty
A shady person would not be trusted with a sensitive secret. - shoal Dictionary lookup
(n.) a large group or crowd
Shoals of grain were stored in the barn. - skulk Dictionary lookup
(v.) to move secretly, implies sinister
The thief skulked around the neighborhood hoping to find his next target.
They found the boy skulking in the bushes.
The woman attempted to skulk away from cleaning the house by hiring a cleaning service. - sloth Dictionary lookup
(n.) disinclination to action or labor
Employers want to guard against hiring sloths as new employees. - slothful Dictionary lookup
(adj.) lazy
The slothful actions of the player led to his benching. - slovenly Dictionary lookup
(adv.) sloppy
His mother-in-law did not approve of his slovenly manner. - sodden Dictionary lookup
(adj.) soggy; dull in action as if from alcohol
The flowers were sodden after the rain.
The sodden reaction of the man caused the accident. - sojourn Dictionary lookup
(v.) to stay temporarily
The family will sojourn at their summer home.
The guest remained only for a sojourn; she was going to leave in the afternoon. - solace Dictionary lookup
(n.) hope; comfort during a time of grief
When her father passed away, she found solace amongst her friends and family. - solemnity Dictionary lookup
(n.) a deep, reverent feeling often associated with religious occasions
The church service was full of solemnity.
The solemnity of the funeral procession stood in stark contrast to the young children splashing with delight in a nearby pool. - solicit Dictionary lookup
(v.) ask; seek
The jobless man solicited employment from many factories before he was able to find work. - solubility Dictionary lookup
(n.) that can be solved; that can be dissolved
The solubility of sugar causes it to disappear when put in water. - somber Dictionary lookup
(adj.) dark and depressing; gloomy
The sad story had put everyone in a somber mood. - soporific Dictionary lookup
(adj.) causing sleep
The soporific medication should not be taken when you need to drive. - sordid Dictionary lookup
(adj.) filthy; base; vile
The sordid gutters needed to be cleaned after the long, rainy autumn.
The criminals thought patterns were so sordid that he was not granted parole. - sovereign Dictionary lookup
(adj.) superior
The power was given to the sovereign warrior. - spelunker Dictionary lookup
(n.) one who studies caves
The spelunker made a startling discovery in the old mine. - spendthrift Dictionary lookup
(n.) a person who spends money extravagantly
The spendthrift bought two new necklaces and three pairs of shoes. - splenetic Dictionary lookup
(adj.) marked by hostility
The splenetic warriors advanced with no thought of what they were destroying. - sporadic Dictionary lookup
(adj.) rarely occurring or appearing; intermittent
In the desert there is usually only sporadic rainfall. - squalid Dictionary lookup
(adj.) filthy; wretched (from squalor)
The lack of sanitation piping caused squalid conditions.
He makes good money, but I would never want to work in those squalid crawl spaces. - stagnant Dictionary lookup
(adj.) motionless, uncirculating
The stagnant water in the puddle became infested with mosquitoes. - staid Dictionary lookup
(adj.) marked by self-control
The horse was staid as it entered the stable.
- stamina Dictionary lookup
(n.) endurance
Anybody who can finish the New York Marathon has lots of stamina. - stanch Dictionary lookup
(v.) to stop or check the flow of; staunch
It is necessary to stanch the bleeding from the wound as soon as possible. - stanza Dictionary lookup
(n.) group of lines in a poem having a definite pattern
The poet uses an odd simile in the second stanza of the poem. - static Dictionary lookup
(adj.) inactive; changeless
The view while riding in the train across the endless, flat landscape remained static for days.
The static water of the lake reflected the image of the trees. - steadfast Dictionary lookup
(adj.) loyal
The secret service agents are steadfast to their oath to protect the president. - stigma Dictionary lookup
(n.) a mark of disgrace
The "F" on his transcript is a stigma on his record. - stigmatize Dictionary lookup
(v.) to characterize or make as disgraceful
The gross error will stigmatize the worker as careless. - stipend Dictionary lookup
(n.) payment for work done
She receives a monthly stipend for her help with the project.
The bank will pay the woman a stipend of a hundred dollars a week. - stoic Dictionary lookup
(adj.) detached; unruffled; calm; austere indifference to joy, grief, pleasure, or pain
The soldier had been in week after week of fierce battle; nonetheless, he remained stoic.
With stoic obedience the child sat quietly on the chair. - stoke Dictionary lookup
(v.) to feed fuel to; especially a fire
With the last embers dying, he stoked the fire one more time. - stolid Dictionary lookup
(adj.) showing little emotion
With a stolid expression, the man walked away from the confrontation. - striated Dictionary lookup
(adj.) having lines or grooves
The striated road was ready for traffic. - strident Dictionary lookup
(adj.) creaking; harsh, grating
Her strident voice hampered her chances of getting the announcer position. - stupor Dictionary lookup
(n.) a stunned or bewildered condition
He was in a stupor after being hit on the head. - stymie Dictionary lookup
(v.) to hinder or obstruct
Large amounts of snowfall will stymie the rescue effort. - subjugate Dictionary lookup
(v.) to dominate or enslave
The bully will attempt to subjugate the remainder of the class.
The royal family subjugated the peasants, making them perform hard labor. - substantive Dictionary lookup
(adj.) existing independently of others; a large quantity
The only company not acquired in the merger retained its substantive existence.
A substantive amount of money will be needed to fund the project. - subsume Dictionary lookup
(v.) to include within a larger group
The AFL was subsumed by the NFL in the 1960s. - subtlety Dictionary lookup
(n.) propensity of understatement; so slight as to be barely noticeable
There was no subtlety in the protest; each person carried a sign and yelled for civil rights.
With great subtlety we slipped away from the boring party. - succinct Dictionary lookup
(adj.) clearly stated; characterized by conciseness
The speech was succinct yet emotional.
Usually, the most succinct definition is the right one.
Articles in USA Today are so succinct that some observers nicknamed the newspaper "McPaper." - succor Dictionary lookup
(n.) aid; assistance
Succor was given to the fire victim in the form of clothes and temporary shelter. - succumb Dictionary lookup
(v.) give in; yield; collapse
When dieting, it is difficult not to succumb to temptation. - suffuse Dictionary lookup
(v.) to overspread
The rain will suffuse the spilled sand around the patio.
- sumptuous Dictionary lookup
(adj.) involving great expense
A sumptuous spread of meats, vegetables, soups and breads was prepared for the guests. - sundry Dictionary lookup
(adj.) various; miscellaneous; separate; distinct
This store sells many sundry novelty items.
Sundry items may be purchased as a single item. - superficial Dictionary lookup
(adj.) on the surface, narrow minded; lacking depth
The victim had two stab wounds, but luckily were only superficial. - superfluous Dictionary lookup
(adj.) unnecessary; extra
Although the designer considered the piece superfluous, the woman wanted the extra chair in her bedroom.
Only the first sentence is necessary; all of these details are superfluous.
After they finished their seven-course meal, a large dessert seemed superfluous. - superlative Dictionary lookup
(adj.) of the highest kind or degree
The Golden Gate Bridge is a superlative example of civil engineering. - supplant Dictionary lookup
(v.) to take the place of
Can you supplant my position if I cannot play? - suppliant Dictionary lookup
(adj.) asking earnestly and submissively
Her suppliant request of wanting to know the name of the man was met with a laugh. - suppress Dictionary lookup
(v.) to bring to an end; hold back
The illegal aliens were suppressed by the border patrol. - surfeit Dictionary lookup
(v.; n.) excessively indulging; overindulgence
The teenagers were warned not to surfeit at the party.
The result of her surfeit was a week of regret. - surmise Dictionary lookup
(n; v) a guess; to guess
Was my surmise correct?
I surmise that we will not
He surmised how the play would end before the second act began. - surreptitious Dictionary lookup
(adj.) done secretly
The surreptitious maneuvers gave the advancing army an advantage. - susceptible Dictionary lookup
(adj.) easily imposed; inclined
She gets an annual flu shot since she is susceptible to becoming ill. - swathe Dictionary lookup
(v.) to wrap around something; envelop
Soft blankets swathe the new born baby. - syllogism Dictionary lookup
(n.) reasoning in order from general to particular
The syllogism went from fish to guppies. - symmetry Dictionary lookup
(n.) correspondence of parts; harmony
The roman columns give the building a symmetry. - synthetic Dictionary lookup
(adj.) not real, rather artificial
The synthetic skin was made of a thin rubber.