Stigma

Noun

A mark of shame or discredit

In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne was required to wear the letter A on her clothes as a public stigma for her adultery

Synonyms: blemish; blot; opprobrium; stain; taint

Satiate

Verb

To satisfy fully or overindulge

His desire for power was so great that nothing less than complete control of the country could satiate it

Synonyms: cloy; glut; gorge; surfeit

Salubrious

Adj

Healthful

Rundown and sickly, Rita hoped that the fresh mountain air would have a salubrious effect on her health

Synonyms: bracing; curative; medicinal; therapeutic; tonic

Sentient

Adj

Aware; conscious; able to perceive

The anesthetic didn't work, and I was still sentient when the dentist started drilling!

 Synonyms: feeling; intelligent; thinking

Sobriquet

Noun

Nickname

One of Ronald Reagan's sobriquets was "The Gipper."

Synonyms: alias; pseudonym

Solecism

Noun

Grammatical mistakes; blunder in speech

"I ain't going with you," she said, obviously unaware of her solecism

Synonyms: blooper; faux pas; bulgarism

Spartan

Adj

Highly self-disciplined; frugal; austere

When he was in training, the athlete preferred to live in a spartan room, so he could shut out all distractions

Synonyms: restrained; simple

Soporific

Adj

Causing sleep or lethargy

The movie proved to be so soporific that seen loud snores were heard throughout the cinema

Synonyms: Hypnotic; narcotic; slumberous; somnolent

Sully

Verb

To tarnish; taint

With the help of a public relations firm, he was able to restore his sullied reputation

Synonyms: besmirch; defil

Supplant

Verb

To replace (another) by force; to take the place of

The overthrow of the government meant a new leader to supplant the tyrannical former one

Synonyms: displace; supersede

Surfeit

Noun

Excessive amount

Because of the surfeit of pigs, porks prices have never been lower

Synonyms: glut; plethora; repletion; superfluity; surplus

Stolid

Adj

Unemotional; lacking sensitivity

The prisoner appeared stolid and unaffected by the judge's harsh sentence

Synonyms: apathetic; impassive; indifferent; phlegmatic; stoic; unconcerned

Sanguine

Adj

Ruddy; cheerfully optimistic

A sanguine person thinks the glass is half full, whereas a depressed person thinks it's half empty

Synonyms: confident; hopeful; positive; rosy; rubicund

Salient

Adj

Prominent; of notable significance

His most salient characteristic is his tendency to dominate every conversation

Synonyms: marked; noticeable; outstanding

Sedition

Noun

Behavior that promotes rebellion or civil disorder against the state

Li was arrested for sedition after he gave a fiery speech in the main square

Synonyms: conspiracy; insurrection

Scintilla

Noun

Trace amount

This poison is so powerful that no more than a scintilla of it is needed to kill a horse

Synonyms: atom; iota; mote; spark; speck

Sardonic

Adj

Cynical; scornfully mocking

Isabella was offended by the sardonic way in which her date made fun of her ideas and opinions

Synonyms: acerbic; caustic; sarcastic; satirical; snide

Seraphic

Adj

Angelic; sweet

Selena's seraphic appearance belied her nasty, bitter personality

Synonyms: cherubic; heavenly

Sinecure

Noun

A well-paying job or office that requires little or no work

The corrupt mayor made sure to set up all his relatives in sinecures within the administration

Specious

Adj

Deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious

The student's specious excuse for being late sounded legitimate, but was proved otherwise when his teacher called his home

Synonyms: illusory; ostensible; plausible; sophistic; spurious

Sportive

Adj

Frolicsome; playful

The lakeside vacation meant more sportive opportunities for the kids than the wine tour through France

Synonyms: frisky; merry

Stasis

Noun

A state of static balance or equilibrium; stagnation

The rusty, ivy-covered World War II tank had obviously been in stasis for years

Synonyms: inertia; standstill

Stentorian

Adj

Extremely loud

Cullen couldn't hear her speaking over the stentorian din of the game on TV

Synonyms: clamorous; noisy

Syncopation

Noun

Temporary irregularity in musical rhythm

A jazz enthusiast will appreciate the use of syncopation in this musical genre

Surly

Adj

Rude and bad-tempered

When asked to clean the windshield, the surly gas station attendant tossed a dirty rag at the customer and walked away

Synonyms: gruff; grumpy; testy

Sybarite

Noun

A person devoted to pleasure and luxury

A confirmed sybarite, the nobleman fainted at the thought of having to leave his placeand live in a small cottage

Synonyms: hedonist; sensualist

Sycophant

Noun

A self-serving flatterer; yes-man

Dreading criticism, the actor surrounded himself with admirers and sycophants

Synonyms: bootlicker; fawner; lickspittle; toady

Symbiosis

Noun

Cooperation; mutual helpfulness

The rhino and the tick-eating bird live in symbiosis; the rhino gives the bird foor in the form of ticks, and the bird rids the rhino of parasited

Synonyms: association; interdependence

Sagacious

Adj

Shrewd; wise

Owls have a reputation for being sagacious, perhaps because of their big eyes, which resemble glasses

Synonyms: astute; judicious; perspicacious; sage; wise

Sacrosanct

Adj

Extremely sacred; beyond criticism

Many people considered Mother Teresa to be sacrosanct and would not tolerate any criticism of her

Synonyms: holy; inviolable; off-limits

Slake

Verb

To calm down or moderate

In order to slake his curiosity, Bryan finally took a tour backstage at the theater

Synonyms: moderate; quench; satisfy

Stratagem

Noun

Trick designed to deceive an enemy

The Trojan Horse must be one of the most successful military stratagems used throughout history

Synonyms: artifice; feint; maneuver; ruse; wile

Sublime

Adj

Lofty or grand

The music was so sublime that it transformed the rude surroundings into a special place

Synonyms: August; exalted; glorious; grand; magnificent; majestic; noble; resplendent; superb