19.0 S

19.1 sabotage...

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sabotage n. 1 destruction, damage, wrecking, impairment: Enemy
infiltrators were responsible for the sabotage of our radar. 2
subversion, treachery, treason: When the radar was found
damaged, sabotage was suspected.

--v. 3 undermine, subvert, disrupt, spoil, ruin, cripple;
damage, incapacitate, disable, destroy, wreck, Colloq Brit throw
a spanner in(to) the works, US throw a monkey wrench into the
machinery, Slang Brit queer (someone's pitch): Only someone who
had something to lose would have sabotaged our plan for
reorganization. The engine had been sabotaged by pouring sand
into the fuel tank.

sack n. 1 pouch, bag, Scots and US dialect poke; Technical sac: She
bought a 10-pound sack of potatoes. 2 hit the sack. retire,
turn in, go to bed or to sleep, Slang hit the hay, Brit kip
(down), US sack out: I need my beauty sleep so I'm going to hit
the sack. 3 the sack. dismissal, discharge, firing, Colloq
heave-ho, the axe, marching orders, US pink slip, bounce,
Chiefly US and Canadian walking papers, Slang Brit the boot, the
chop, the push: Ten of us got the sack when the new management
took over.

--v. 4 dismiss, discharge, fire, let go, lay off, Brit make or
declare redundant, Colloq give (someone) the axe or the (old)
heave-ho, give (someone) his or her marching orders, Brit give
(someone) the sack, US bounce, Slang Brit give (someone) the
boot or the chop or the push: Now that he's been sacked, Norman
will be able to spend more time with the children.

sacred adj. 1 consecrated, dedicated, hallowed, holy, blessed, blest,
sanctified, revered, divine, awe-inspiring, venerable,
venerated, sainted, heaven-sent: This is a most sacred Islamic
site. 2 inviolable, inviolate, untouchable, protected,
sacrosanct: They held nothing sacred as they ransacked the
temple. 3 religious, spiritual, ceremonial, church(ly),
ecclesiastical, priestly, hieratic, ritual, solemn, sacramental,
liturgical: He continued to carry out his sacred duties despite
the war.

sacrifice n. 1 immolation, surrender, forfeiture, forgoing, giving up,
yielding up, offering (up), offer, Christian religion oblation:
The Aztec religion demanded the sacrifice of human beings. 2
forfeiture, forgoing, giving up, relinquishment, loss: Mrs
Clinton continues her charitable work at the sacrifice of much
of her time.

--v. 3 immolate, offer (up), yield (up), give up: In their
religion, they were required to sacrifice small animals to
propitiate the gods. 4 give up, forgo, forfeit, relinquish,
surrender, let go, lose, yield, renounce, forswear; forbear,
desist, cease, stop, refrain from: She was quite ready to
sacrifice her inheritance to see justice done. If you sacrificed
smoking you could give the money you save to charity.


sacrificial
adj. 1 sacrificed, immolated, surrendered, given up, yielded:
They led the sacrificial lamb to the slaughter. 2 atoning,
expiatory, propitiatory, conciliatory: The solemn sacrificial
ceremonies were carried out by the high priestess.

sacrilege n. 1 desecration, profanation, debasement, violation,
prostitution, dishonouring, vitiation, defilement, befouling,
fouling, contamination, befoulment, misuse, abuse, perversion,
maltreatment: The horrendous Buckinghamshire county office
building is an example of architectural sacrilege. 2 impiety,
heresy, profanation, outrage, violation, profanity, blasphemy,
impiousness, irreverence, disrespect, secularization: It was an
unscrupulous sacrilege to appropriate to his own use the
offerings to the gods.

sacrilegious
adj. profane, impious, heretical, blasphemous, irreverent,
disrespectful: The inscription contains a curse on any who
perpetrate any sacrilegious act against the remains of the
pharaoh.

sad adj. 1 unhappy, melancholy, downcast, dejected, depressed, low,
sorrowful, gloomy, morose, glum, lugubrious, mournful,
heartsick, crestfallen, chap-fallen, disheartened, downhearted,
blue, despondent, broken-hearted, heartbroken, woebegone,
miserable, wretched: Danny was so sad when his dog died that he
wept for a week. 2 depressing, gloomy, disheartening, dreary,

dismal, funereal, sombre, lugubrious, saddening, heartbreaking,
bleak, distressing, dispiriting, calamitous: It was a sad day
for all of us here when the England team lost the semifinal. 3
unfortunate, unsatisfactory, awful, bad, shabby, dirty,
lamentable, miserable, sorry, wretched, pathetic, pitiful,
pitiable, deplorable, terrible, Colloq lousy, rotten: After two
weeks under water, the sofa was in pretty sad shape.

sadden v. depress, deject, sorrow, dishearten, distress, dispirit,
discourage, grieve, aggrieve: It saddens me to think of all the
starving people.

sadistic adj. cruel, monstrous, brutal, brutish, beastly, ruthless,
perverse, Technical algolagnic: She derives sadistic pleasure
from reminding me of all my failures. The scars and bruises
confirmed the sadistic treatment he had undergone.

sadly adv. 1 unfortunately, alas, unhappily, unluckily, lamentably,
regrettably, deplorably, sad to relate: Sadly, all our oldest
oaks were uprooted in the hurricane. 2 unhappily, gloomily,
morosely, mournfully, despondently, miserably, wretchedly,
dejectedly, dismally, sombrely, lugubriously: He told me sadly
that he did not expect to return to England again.


sadness n. unhappiness, dolour, misery, sorrow, dispiritedness, grief,
depression, dejection, dejectedness, sorrowfulness, despondency,
melancholy, gloom, gloominess: It is hard to describe the
sadness we all felt when she left.


safe adj. 1 unharmed, whole, uninjured, unhurt, (safe and) sound,
secure, protected, shielded, sheltered, out of harm's way, all
right, Colloq OK or okay: You'll be safe here with me. 2
harmless, non-toxic, non-poisonous, innocuous; unpolluted: This
medication is safe if you do not exceed the recommended dosage.
Is the water safe to drink? 3 sure, secure, sound, protected,
risk-free, riskless, safe as the Bank of England, reliable,
dependable, solid, bona fide, conservative, tried and true, Brit
safe as houses: It was previously thought that an investment in
Alfordyce Ltd was safe. 4 all right, allowable, permissible,
acceptable, satisfactory, appropriate, suitable, timely, right,
correct, proper, justifiable, justified, Colloq OK or okay: Is
it safe to come out now? 5 secured, protected: The children
are safe in bed. Your secret is safe with me.


--adv. 6 safely, securely: I won't breathe easy till he's safe
behind bars.


--n. 7 vault, crypt, strongbox, safe-deposit or safety-deposit
box, coffer, chest, repository: The necklace is kept in the
safe and I never get a chance to wear it.

safeguard n. 1 protection, defence, security: Such a flimsy fence to is
hardly a sufficient safeguard.

--v. 2 protect, defend, shield, shelter, keep safe, guard;
conserve, save, keep, care for, look after: What is being done
to safeguard the passengers from attacks by bandits?


safe keeping
n. charge, protection, keeping, custody, care, guardianship:
The deed to the house is in the safe keeping of Mr Williams, my
solicitor.


safety n. safeness, protection, aegis, cover, shelter, security,
refuge; sanctuary, safe keeping: There's safety in numbers, so
the more the merrier. We retreated to the safety of the castle
dungeon.


sag v. 1 droop, sink, slump, bend, dip; swag, bag: The board
sagged precariously under his weight. Without a breath stirring,
the banners sagged in the humid air. 2 drop, decrease, decline,
go or come down, fall, slide, slip, weaken, slump, descend,
diminish, lessen, droop, subside, flag, falter, wilt: The value
of the dollar sagged in world markets today.

--n. 3 sagging, drop, droop, sinking, sinkage, subsidence, dip;
reduction, decrease, decline, fall, slide, weakening, slump,
lessening, flagging, faltering: If you stand over here you can
see a definite sag in the roof. The sag in profits was
attributed to a poor response to the new model.

saga n. (heroic) legend, narrative, epic, Edda, chronicle, romance,
roman-fleuve, story, tale, adventure: Are you really interested
in the continuing saga of the inhabitants of Coronation Street?

sage adj. 1 wise, sagacious, prudent, sensible, perspicacious,

profound, intelligent, discerning, reasonable, logical,
judicious, common-sense, commonsensical: The old woman gave her
some sage advice about men, which she promptly forgot.


--n. 2 wise man, savant, expert, elder, doyen or doyenne, guru,
Nestor, pundit, Solomon, philosopher, oracle, authority: The
sage whose counsel you seek lives deep in the forest.

sail v. 1 navigate, pilot, steer: Sail as close to the shore as
possible to avoid the whirlpool. 2 go sailing or boating or
yachting, cruise, set sail, put (out) to sea: Would you like to
sail to the Isle of Wight for the weekend? 3 drift, move
lightly, breeze, flow, waft, sweep, coast, float, scud, glide,
slide, slip, plane, skim, fly, flit: It was delightful to watch
the tiny boats sailing, tacking, beating, and running in the
brisk wind.

--n. 4 canvas: The schooner was carrying all the sail she
could.


sailor n. seaman, seafarer, seafaring man or woman, seagoing man or
woman, mariner, (old) salt, sea dog, bluejacket, shellback,
yachtsman, yachtswoman, boatman, boatwoman, deck-hand, captain,
skipper, Literary Jack Tar, Colloq tar, Naval US swab, swabbie,
gob: When she said she had married a sailor I didn't know she
meant that he had a 100-foot yacht.

saintly adj. holy, blessed, blest, beatific, godly, sainted, angelic,
seraphic, pure, righteous, virtuous, blameless: Donald was such
a saintly man, it was impossible to think ill of him.

sake n. 1 benefit, welfare, well-being, good, advantage, behalf,
profit, gain, account: Joe and I stayed together for the sake
of the children. She felt pleased, for his sake, that he had
managed to get away. 2 purpose(s), reason(s), objective(s):
Just for the sake of comparison, let us now look at the
situation in Taiwan.

salary n. income, pay, earnings, compensation, remuneration,
emolument; wage(s): I can't afford a new car on my present
salary.

sale n. 1 selling, traffic, vending, marketing, trafficking,

trading; trade, exchange, transaction: The sale of alcoholic
beverages on Sundays is prohibited. Provide a receipt for each
sale. 2 trade, purchase; trading, buying, purchasing: We must
do something to boost sales. The house is very reasonably priced
for a quick sale. 3 sales event, mark-down, white sale, jumble
sale, Brit car-boot sale, US rummage sale, garage sale, tag
sale, yard sale, Colloq sellathon, sales marathon: We are
having a sale to clear out things we no longer want or need. 4
transaction: She hasn't made a sale in a week. 5 on sale. US
marked down, cut-price, bargain-priced; reduced (in price):
Bacon is on sale this week at half price. 6 (up) for sale. on
the market, available, in stock, Chiefly Brit on sale, on offer,
US on the block: Their house is for sale to the highest bidder.


salesperson
n. salesman, saleswoman, saleslady, salesgirl, sales-clerk,
clerk, Chiefly Brit shop-girl, Brit shop assistant,
Old-fashioned counter-jumper: The shop is noted for its wide
range of merchandise and the efficiency and courtesy of its
salespeople.

salient adj. conspicuous, outstanding, pronounced, noticeable,
prominent, significant, important, marked, impressive, striking,
remarkable, distinguishing, distinctive, unique, eminent,
noteworthy, notable, principal, chief, primary: A salient
feature of this policy is that it can be converted at any time
from a straight life to an endowment policy.

salt n. 1 common or table salt, sodium chloride, sea salt,
rock-salt: A little salt will bring out the flavour. 2 spice,
spiciness, zest, zestiness, pungency, vigour, vitality,
liveliness, pep, pepper, poignancy, piquancy, relish, bite,
savour, seasoning, taste, Colloq zip, zing, punch: Yes, do
invite Randolph, for he can be relied on to add a little salt to
the dinner conversation. 3 (Attic) wit, Attic salt, dry humour,
sarcasm: Her conversation is sprinkled with the salt of clever
aphorisms. 4 See sailor, above. 5 with a grain or pinch of
salt. cum grano salis, warily, cautiously, qualifiedly,
qualifyingly, doubtfully, sceptically, suspiciously, reservedly,
with reservation(s) or qualification(s): You have to take what
he says with a grain of salt.

--v. 6 season, spice, flavour, pepper: The pirate's speech was

salted with expressions like 'Shiver me timbers!', 'Avast
there!', and 'Blow me down!' 7 pickle, cure, preserve, corn,
marinate, souse: The book gives several recipes for curing ham
and salting beef. 8 salt away. save (up), hoard, put or lay or
set by or aside, squirrel away, store up, stockpile, amass,
accumulate, pile up, Colloq stash away, US and Canadian sock
away: They were always terribly stingy, claiming they were
salting something away for their old age.


--adj. 9 salty, saline, brackish, briny: The water had a salt
taste. 10 pickled, kippered, marinated, soused; corned; cured:
Do you like salt herring?

salute v. 1 greet, hail, address, accost: The moment I stepped in at
the door I was saluted with the peremptory question, 'Where have
you been?' 2 pay respects or homage or tribute to, honour,
recognize, acknowledge: Wherever she went she was saluted as a
heroine.


--n. 3 greeting, address, salutation: He returned my salute
with a nod.

salvage v. 1 save, recover, rescue, redeem, deliver, retrieve, reclaim:
Were you able to salvage anything of value after the fire?


--n. 2 recovery, rescue, retrieval, redemption, deliverance,
reclamation, salvation: The salvage of a vessel or cargo at sea
invests the salvager with legal rights under certain conditions.


salve n. 1 balm, ointment, unguent, dressing, cream, lotion,
demulcent, embrocation, liniment: The doctor applied a salve to
the wound and bandaged it. 2 emollient, balm, palliative,
tranquillizer, opiate, anodyne, narcotic, relief, assuagement:
The money was more a salve to his conscience than a token of his
charity.

--v. 3 mitigate, relieve, ease, alleviate, assuage, palliate,
soothe, mollify, comfort, appease: There must be something you
can do to allow them to save face and to salve their wounded
pride.

same adj. 1 identical, exact (same), selfsame; very: When I said
they were wearing the same dress I meant that they were wearing

identical dresses. That's the same tie you wore when we first
met. 2 unchanged, unchanging, changeless, unmodified, unaltered,
constant, uniform, unvaried, unvarying; word-for-word, verbatim:
As you can see, it's the same old Charley you used to know and
love. Professor Spicer is still giving the same lecture that he
has given all these years. 3 all the same. at the same time,
nevertheless, nonetheless, even so, yet, but, anyway, anyhow, in
any case, in any event, at any rate, regardless, still (and
all), in spite of or despite the fact, notwithstanding, for all
that, that (having been) said, having said that, after all is
said and done, just the same: Of course you have a right to go;
all the same, I wish you had let me know.

sample n. 1 specimen, example, representative, representation,
illustration, sampling, sampler, cross-section; swatch; bite,
nibble, taste: I should like to see a sample before deciding
whether to place an order with you.

--v. 2 test, try, taste, experience: Anyone is welcome to
sample the merchandise on request.

--adj. 3 representative, specimen, illustrative,
representational, trial, test: A sample copy of the book is
available for examination.


sanatorium
n. rest-home, convalescent home, nursing home, clinic, health
farm, US also sanitarium: After spending a month recuperating
in a Swiss sanatorium, Gladys was as good as new.


sanctify v. 1 consecrate, hallow, make sacred or holy, glorify, exalt,
canonize, enshrine; Rom Cath Ch beatify: The site was
sanctified and is visited by pilgrims throughout the year. 2
purify, cleanse: According to Scripture, some are sanctified
before birth. 3 confirm, sanction, ratify, justify, legitimate,
legitimatize or legitimize, legalize, license: Her family
insisted that the marriage be sanctified at the church in
Suffolk, where they live.


sanctimonious
adj. hypocritical, self-righteous, canting, mealy-mouthed,
holier-than-thou, Pharisaical, pietistic, unctuous, Tartuffian,
Colloq goody-goody, Chiefly Brit smarmy Slang Brit pi: I

wondered what happened to all that sanctimonious talk about
putting his family first?

sanction n. 1 confirmation, ratification, secondment, authorization,
legalization, legitimatization or legitimization, validation,
licence, certification, approval, permission, imprimatur, seal
or stamp (of approval), signet: If you get the sanction of the
rest of the members, then I shall agree. 2 help, aid,
encouragement, support, advocacy, backing, sponsorship, favour,
countenance: You will need the sanction of the entire committee
in order to win a vote of confidence. 3 agreement, concurrence,
acceptance, affirmation, assent, acquiescence, compliance,
approval, OK or okay: He would never have proceeded with the
invasion without the sanction of his generals. 4 ban, penalty,
punishment, retribution, discipline, retaliation, redress: The
government decided to introduce sanctions against the regime on
account of their atrocious record on human rights.

--v. 5 confirm, ratify, second, authorize, legalize,
legitimatize or legitimize, validate, license, certify, approve,
permit, allow, notarize, vouchsafe, subscribe to, commission,
consent to: If the board sanctions the purchase of the company,
it is then up to the shareholders to vote. 6 support, encourage,
advocate, back, sponsor, favour, countenance, help: You know I
cannot be seen to sanction your plan in preference to others.

sanctity n. piety, holiness, saintliness, divinity, grace, sacredness,
godliness, devotion, dedication: The arguments of the
anti-abortionists were based on a belief in the sanctity of all
human life.

sanctuary n. 1 sanctum, shrine, chapel, temple, church, house of worship,
house of God; synagogue, mosque, pagoda: All of us retire at
this time to the sanctuary for evening prayer. 2 asylum,
refuge, retreat, protection, shelter, safety: Formerly,
criminals could seek sanctuary in churches. 3 (nature or
wildlife) reserve or preserve, reservation, conservation area,
national park: If housing is built here, it will destroy the
bird sanctuary.


sanctum n. 1 sanctuary, holy of holies, shrine: No one is allowed into
the sanctum except the high priestess. 2 sanctum sanctorum,
den, study, retreat; hiding-place, hide-out, hideaway,

cubby-hole: After dinner Roger goes to his sanctum to write.

sane adj. normal, of sound mind, rational, compos mentis,
well-balanced, right-minded, level-headed, rational, reasonable,
sensible, judicious, Colloq right in the head, all there: They
decided that the killer was sane and fit to stand trial.

sang-froid
n. cold-bloodedness, coolness, cool-headedness, indifference,
composure, phlegm, self-possession, self-control, poise,
imperturbability, equanimity, Colloq unflappability, cool,
coolth: What amazed us was the remarkable sang-froid displayed
by even the smallest children in the face of bullying.


sanguinary
adj. 1 bloodthirsty, cruel, brutal, brutish, gory, merciless,
remorseless, ruthless, pitiless, heartless, savage, barbarous,
slaughterous, grim, fell, murderous, homicidal: The axe murder
was the most sanguinary crime that the division had ever been
required to investigate. 2 bloody, sanguineous, sanguinolent: I
am unsure how I survived such a sanguinary battle.

sanguine adj. optimistic, rosy, confident, hopeful, forward-looking,
anticipatory, expectant, enthusiastic, fervid, zealous: Some
experts took a more sanguine view, saying that they expected to
see the start of an economic upturn in the next few months.

sanitary adj. clean, sterile, hygienic, antiseptic, disinfected,
aseptic, germ-free, bacteria-free; healthy, unpolluted,
salubrious, healthful, salutary, wholesome: With such shortages
of personnel and equipment, it was impossible to maintain a
sanitary hospital environment.

sanity n. saneness, reason, mental health or soundness, normality,
rationality, reason, reasonableness, stability, balance: Have
you any reason for suspecting her sanity?

sapฐ n. 1 (vital) juice or fluid, bodily or US also body fluid,
lifeblood, essence, Literary ichor: He apostrophized about how
the sap of youth had shrunk from his veins. 2 fool, idiot,
nincompoop, ninny, ninny-hammer, simpleton, ignoramus, nitwit,
dim-wit, dunce, ass; dupe, gull, US thimble-wit; Colloq chump,
drip, Brit (right) charlie, noddy, noodle, wet, Chiefly Brit

twit, Slang patsy, sucker, (easy) mark, pushover, sap-head, Brit
muggins, US schnook, schlemiel or schlemihl or shlemiel, fall
guy: You certainly were a sap to fall for that old line!


--v. 3 bleed, drain, draw, tap, rob, milk: I could feel the
strength being sapped from my body.

sap v. undermine, sabotage, weaken, cripple, wreck, devitalize,
deplete, drain, erode, enervate, debilitate: They did
everything they could to sap my self-confidence.

sarcasm n. scorn, contumely, derision, ridicule, bitterness, acrimony,
acrimoniousness, acerbity, harshness, acridity, acridness,
asperity, venom, poison, venomousness, poisonousness, virulence,
spite, spitefulness, malice, maliciousness, malevolence, satire,
irony, cynicism, disdain: Kathy was too thick-skinned to
appreciate the sarcasm of Tom's cutting commentary on her
acting.


sarcastic adj. scornful, contumelious, derisive, derisory, ridiculing,
bitter, biting, cutting, trenchant, incisive, acrimonious,
acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulous, harsh, acrid, aspersive,
venomous, poisonous, virulent, spiteful, malicious, malefic,
malevolent, satiric(al), ironic(al), cynical, disdainful,
mocking, contemptuous, critical, censorious, captious, carping,
cavilling, sardonic, scathing, caustic, nasty: I don't think he
knows how hurtful his sarcastic remarks can be.

sardonic adj. ironic(al), derisive, derisory, mocking, cynical,
sarcastic: She said that she was leaving him, but his only
response was a sardonic smile.

satanic adj. 1 diabolic(al), fiendish, devilish, Mephistophelian,
demonic, demoniac(al), infernal, cacodemonic, ghoulish, hellish,
infernal, evil, wicked, iniquitous, corrupt, depraved,
perverted, perverse, godless, ungodly, impious, unholy,
sinister, dark, black, immoral, amoral: They practise
witchcraft and other satanic inventions. 2 dire, monstrous,
heinous, atrocious, hideous, horrible, horrendous, horrid,
horrifying, loathsome, vile, abhorrent, unspeakable,
unutterable, damnable, despicable, abominable: The miners
worked under positively satanic conditions.

satellite n. 1 moon, spacecraft, Old-fashioned sputnik: The sky is
crowded with artificial satellites orbiting the earth. 2
follower, attendant, retainer, disciple, acolyte, aide,
aide-de-camp, minion, lieutenant, assistant, helper, hanger-on,
dependant, shadow, right-hand man, vassal, parasite, sycophant,
Colloq sidekick: Boswell became the obsequious satellite of
Samuel Johnson.

satiate v. 1 stuff, glut, gorge, cloy, surfeit, overfill, overstuff,
glut, pall, overindulge, saturate, choke, deluge, flood, choke,
suffocate, weary, exhaust, bore, tire, jade: The travellers
were so satiated with food and drink that nothing could wake
them. 2 slake, satisfy, quench, content, gratify, sate: I felt
the it would take at least a gallon of water to satiate my
thirst.

satiety n. surfeit, glut, superabundance, overindulgence, saturation,
nimiety, excess, superfluity: The painting exudes a mood of
sexual languor and satiety.


satire n. 1 ridicule, irony, sarcasm, mockery, spoofing, exaggeration,
caricature: Often, the best way to comment on a distasteful
political situation is through satire. 2 burlesque, lampoon,
parody, travesty, pasquinade, spoof, cartoon, caricature, Colloq
take-off, Chiefly Brit send-up: For several years he wrote
mainly satires of life among the wealthy.

satirical adj. satiric, ironic, sarcastic, mocking, spoofing, irreverent,
exaggerating, Hudibrastic, derisive, disparaging, abusive,
scornful, flippant, ridiculing, chaffing: After a number of
satirical plays, he returned to writing novels, which, he felt,
reached a wider audience.

satirize v. lampoon, burlesque, parody, caricature, travesty, poke fun
at, (hold up to) ridicule, make fun or sport of, pillory,
deride, mock; mimic, imitate; Colloq take off, put down, Brit
send up: Since ancient times writers have satirized the follies
of their age.


satisfaction
n. 1 gratification, comfort, fulfilment, contentment, delight,
joy, enjoyment, pleasure, happiness: They get a great deal of
satisfaction out of seeing their children happily married. 2

payment, requital, repayment, compensation, recompense,
remuneration, reparation, indemnity, indemnification,
restitution, vindication, damages, amends, redress, atonement,
expiation: The purpose of the lawsuit is to demand satisfaction
for the wrongs done to our family.

satisfactory
adj. adequate, sufficient, acceptable, passable, all right, not
bad, good enough, fair, Colloq OK or okay: I'd say that the
food at Michelle's is satisfactory but not outstanding.

satisfy v. 1 gratify, fulfil, comfort, please, content, placate,
appease, pacify: It takes a lot to satisfy him: he is one of
the fussiest men I have ever worked with. 2 fill, meet, fulfil,
provide for, look after or to, serve, answer, comply with,
resolve, solve, gratify, indulge; slake, quench, sate, satiate:
Your desire for better working conditions can probably only be
satisfied by a change of job. What will it take to satisfy your
thirst for adventure? 3 convince, persuade, reassure, assure,
put (someone's) mind at rest, content: He was satisfied that
emigration to Australia was the only option open to him. 4 pay,
repay, redress, make good, indemnify, write off, liquidate: I
shall see to it that the debt is satisfied at once.


satisfying
adj. gratifying, satisfactory, fulfilling, filling, satiating;
comforting, pleasing, pacifying, pleasurable: That was a very
satisfying meal. It is a satisfying feeling to know that you are
happy.


saturate v. soak, wet, drench, steep, fill, imbue, souse, suffuse,
impregnate, permeate; waterlog; Technical ret: I got caught in
the rain and came home saturated. Make sure that you saturate
the earth round the tree once you have finished planting.


sauce n. 1 gravy, condiment: That sauce on the meat was truly
delicious. 2 impertinence, sauciness, impudence, audacity,
insolence, brazenness, pertness, disrespect, disrespectfulness,
Colloq cheek, cheekiness, lip, back talk, backchat, brass,
nerve, gall, Slang crust, US and Canadian sass, sassiness: She
had the sauce to tell me to pay at once or get out.

saunter v. walk, stroll, amble, meander, ramble, wander, Colloq mosey,

traipse: An oddly dressed man sauntered over and asked if I had
ever bet on a horse before.

savage adj. 1 wild, untamed, undomesticated, feral, unbroken: These
savage beasts had never seen a man before. 2 vicious,
ferocious, fierce, beastly, bestial, brutish, bloodthirsty,
brutal, cruel, ruthless, pitiless, merciless, harsh, bloody,
unmerciful, fell, barbarous, barbaric, murderous, demonic,
demoniac, sadistic: The boy was subjected to a savage attack by
the defendant's dog. The king's guards were selected for their
savage nature. 3 wild, uncivilized, uncultivated, primitive,
inhuman, bestial, barbaric, barbarous, untamed, rude: The
savage behaviour of some New Guinea tribes included cannibalism.


--n. 4 wild man or woman, brute, barbarian; Caliban: When the
explorers landed on the island, they were welcomed by the
savages who lived there.

save v. 1 (come to someone's) rescue, deliver; (set) free, liberate,
release, redeem, bail (someone) out; recover, salvage, retrieve:
What can be done to save me from the drudgery of doing the
laundry? She saved only one thing of value from the fire. 2
keep, preserve, guard, safeguard, protect, conserve, secure,
shelter, shield: One way to save dried flowers is to press them
between the leaves of a book. 3 lay or put aside, lay or put by,
lay or put away, keep, retain, set apart, hold, reserve,
preserve, conserve; economize, scrimp, scrape: Soon he had
saved enough money to buy a new car. If you keep on saving, you
may soon have enough for a new suit. 4 obviate, preclude, spare,
prevent: A little extra care taken now will save a lot of
trouble later on.

saving adj. 1 redeeming, redemptory or redemptive or redemptional,
compensating, compensatory, qualifying, extenuating,
extenuatory: His one saving grace is that he has a lot of
money. 2 parsimonious, economical, thrifty, provident, frugal,
sparing, prudent: It was only because of Alison's saving nature
that we had enough to live on during the strike.


--n. 3 economizing, economization, economy, thrift, providence,
frugality, prudence, scrimping, scraping, sparingness: It was
only by her saving that we survived. 4 savings. resources,
reserve, cache, hoard, nest egg: Our savings are to pay for

your education, not for having a good time.

saviour n. 1 rescuer, salvation, friend in need, Good Samaritan,
liberator, redeemer, deliverer, emancipator, champion, knight
errant, knight in shining armour: Because he gave her a job
when she most needed it, she regarded him as her saviour. 2 the
or our Saviour. Christian religion Christ (the Redeemer),
Jesus, the Messiah, Lamb of God, Our Lord, Son of God, King of
Kings, Prince of Peace, Islam Mahdi.


savoir faire
n. tact, tactfulness, sophistication, finesse, urbanity,
discretion, knowledgeability, diplomacy, urbanity, smoothness,
polish, suavity or suaveness, poise, grace, style, skill,
adroitness, knowledge, comprehension, Slang savvy: She felt a
vague sense of social inferiority, an uneasy lack of savoir
faire.

savoir vivre
n. breeding, upbringing, comity, knowledge, sophistication,
polish: He has at least enough savoir vivre to know that one
doesn't drink red wine with oysters.

savour n. 1 taste, flavour, zest, tang, smack, piquancy: These
poached peaches have a savour of brandy about them. 2 hint,
suggestion, odour, scent, fragrance, smell, perfume, redolence,
bouquet, breath, trace, quality, soup‡on, dash: He preferred
talking about the savour rather than the odour of sanctity, for
alliteration's sake.


--v. 3 taste, sample, perceive, detect, sense, discern, mark,
descry, observe, notice, note, identify; enjoy, luxuriate in,
relish, indulge in, bask in, appreciate, revel in, delight in,
value, cherish, Colloq lick or smack one's lips or chops over:
One could savour a trace of honey in the wine. For a week we
savoured the delights of the Costa Brava.

savoury adj. 1 palatable, delicious, delectable, tasty, toothsome,
appetizing, flavourful, flavorous, flavoursome, ambrosial,
luscious: Pettigrew bit greedily into the savoury flesh of the
ripe melon. 2 tasteful, honest, proper, decent, reputable,
respectable, honourable, creditable, upright, decorous, seemly,
wholesome, innocent: I am not sure that Victoria is travelling

in particularly savoury society.

--n. 3 appetizer, hors-d'oeuvre; dessert, sweet; morsel,
dainty, titbit or US tidbit, Chiefly Brit starter, Archaic
warner: I think I'd like the Welsh rabbit as a savoury.

saw n. proverb, maxim, (old) saying, aphorism, apophthegm or
apothegm, axiom, adage, epigram, gnome; slogan, motto,
catchword, catch-phrase, byword; dictum, platitude, truism,
clich‚, commonplace: She always quoted to him the old saw, 'A
fool and his mother are soon parted'.

say v. 1 state, affirm, declare, maintain, hold, aver, remark,
assert, claim, asseverate, announce: She said that I had to go
at once, and I said, 'I shall never leave you!' 2 assert,
allege, report, mention, rumour, reveal, bruit about, disclose,
divulge, bring to light, put about, noise abroad, suggest, hint,
whisper: It was said that spies had already infiltrated the
party. 3 pronounce, articulate, utter; phrase, rephrase,
translate: How do you say gem•tlich? How do you say it in
English? 4 tell, put, express, verbalize, communicate, explain,
reveal, bring up, break, impart: I don't quite know how to say
this, Harry, but you have bad breath. 5 reply, respond, answer:
What have you to say to her allegation that it is all your
fault? 6 guess, estimate, conjecture, venture, judge, imagine,
believe, think: I'd say you look about 60 years old. 7 mean or
intend or try to say, think, contemplate, imply, suggest: Are
you saying that you would steal if you had the opportunity? 8
predict, prognosticate, foretell: The newspaper says that
shares will go down. 9 signify, denote, symbolize, communicate,
indicate, convey, suggest, imply, mean: What does a red light
say to you? 10 order, require, demand, bid, stipulate, command,
give the word: If I say that you are to go, then you go - and
quickly. 11 deliver, utter, speak: Say your lines and exit
stage left without waiting for a reply.

--n. 12 voice, authority, influence, power, weight, sway,
clout: Does she have that much say about how the money should
be spent? 13 turn, chance, opportunity, vote: You've had your
say, now let's hear from Ackroyd.

--adv. 14 approximately, about, roughly, circa, nearly: The
snake was, say, twenty feet long. 15 for example, for instance,

as or for an illustration, eg or US e.g.: Take any novel, say,
Wuthering Heights, and analyse the characters.

say-so n. authority, word, say, order, dictum; authorization: I
shouldn't do it just on his say-so if I were you.

19.2 scale...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



scaleฐ n. Often, scales. balance: We need new bathroom scales: the
old one gives too high a reading.

scale n. 1 flake, imbrication; scurf, dandruff; Technical squama,
plate, scute or scutum, lamina, lamella: Scrape the scales off
the fish with a sharp knife before gutting it. 2 coating,
encrustation or incrustation, crust, overlay, layer, cake,
caking, tartar, plaque: The hardness of the water causes the
scale inside the kettle.


scaleฐ n. 1 range, compass, rank, ranking, gradation, graduation,
register, spectrum, calibration, progression, hierarchy, scope,
gamut: As we ascend in the scale of life we rise in the scale
of longevity. 2 proportion, ratio: The scale of these drawings
is One Foot = One Centimetre.

--v. 3 climb, ascend, mount, clamber up, surmount, go up,
escalade: Using grappling hooks and ropes, we scaled the wall
in minutes. 4 regulate, adjust, proportion, Chiefly US and
Canadian prorate: The size of the cable is scaled to the weight
it must carry. 5 scale up or down. increase, enlarge, raise;
decrease, reduce, diminish, lower: Depending on the expanse of
the fa‡ade, the windows ought to be scaled up or down
accordingly.


scaly adj. 1 rough, imbricated, shingly, Technical lamellar, laminar,
lamellate, scutate: The scaly covering of reptiles and fishes
is related to the feathers of birds. 2 scabby, scabrous,
squamous, squamulose, squamosal, squamose, scurfy, furfuraceous,
scruffy: The medication causes the skin to dry and become
temporarily scaly.

scan v. 1 glance at or through, look over, skim, read over, flip or

thumb or leaf through: I didn't have time to read it
thoroughly, but I did scan it. 2 study, pore over, examine,
investigate, scrutinize, inspect, delve into, research, explore
(in depth), sweep, Archaic con: Scan the horizon for hostile
planes.

--n. 3 look, survey, inspection, examination, overview: A
microscopic scan revealed no trace of blood.


scandal n. 1 shame, disgrace, embarrassment, sin, outrage: It is a
scandal how much of the money raised for charity goes into the
pockets of the fund-raisers. 2 discredit, damage, calumny,
ignominy, obloquy, dishonour, degradation, disrepute, infamy:
The scandal resulting from their being found together could
never be lived down. The breath of scandal never touched her. 3
slander, libel, aspersion, innuendo, insinuation, abuse, dirt,
defilement, defamation, slur, smear, taint, blemish, spot,
stigma, smirch, black mark or spot, blot (on the escutcheon),
(badge of) infamy, skeleton in the cupboard, Brit blot on one's
copybook: His cowardice brought scandal to the name that could
never be lived down.

scandalize
v. appal, shock, outrage, affront, offend, horrify, upset,
disturb; rankle, stick in (someone's) craw or throat, gall:
They were scandalized to learn the truth about Cooksley's
father.

scandalous
adj. 1 shocking, disgraceful, ignominious, improper,
indecorous, unseemly, infamous, outrageous, shameful, immodest,
dishonourable, disreputable, sordid, despicable, flagitious,
wicked, sinful, evil, iniquitous, profligate, immoral, indecent,
lewd, lascivious, lustful, licentious, lecherous, atrocious,
heinous, disgusting, fulsome, taboo, unmentionable, unspeakable:
The scandalous goings-on at the Hellfire Club are well
documented. 2 defamatory, libellous, slanderous, calumnious,
calumniatory, aspersive, abusive, scurrilous, injurious,
defamatory: The newspaper published a scandalous article about
him which they refused to retract.

scanty adj. 1 scant, sparse, scarce, little, meagre, minimal; barely
adequate or sufficient, limited, restricted, Colloq measly: The

news from the front was scanty. We received only scanty support
from the Arts Council. 2 skimpy, short, small, sparse, minimal,
meagre, in short supply, Colloq chiefly Brit thin on the ground:
Investor interest in the new share offering seemed to be scanty.


scapegoat n. victim, front, dupe, gull, cat's-paw, whipping-boy, Brit man
of straw, Aunt Sally, US straw man, Colloq fall guy, Slang
sucker: We have to find a scapegoat to take the punishment for
us.


scar n. 1 blemish, mark, damage, disfigurement, wound, injury,
scratch, mar, cut, burn, brand, cicatrix: Fortunately, the cut
is shallow and shouldn't leave a scar.


--v. 2 blemish, mark, damage, disfigure, wound, injure,
scratch, mar, cut, burn, brand; dent: The blow scarred him for
life.

scarce adj. scanty, scant, insufficient, inadequate, deficient,
wanting, lacking, rare, unusual, at a premium, in short supply,
meagre, few and far between, seldom met with, hard to come by,
Chiefly Brit thin on the ground: Good editors are very scarce.

scarcely adv. 1 hardly, barely, (only) just, not quite: He had scarcely
uttered the magic words when the rock split open. 2 (probably
or certainly or surely or definitely) not, in no way, not at
all, not in the least, by no means, on no account, under no
circumstances, nowise, Colloq US noway: I scarcely need remind
you that you are getting married tomorrow.


scarcity n. lack, want, need, paucity, dearth, insufficiency, shortage,
inadequacy, inadequateness: The teaching of foreign languages
is not improved by the scarcity of qualified teachers.


scare v. 1 frighten, alarm, startle, shock, dismay, daunt, appal,
give (someone) a shock or a fright, terrify, terrorize,
threaten, menace, cow, intimidate, horrify, US and Canadian
spook, Colloq scare the pants off, scare the life or the living
daylights or the hell out of, scare out of one's wits, make
one's hair stand on end, make one's flesh creep or crawl, give
one goose bumps or goose-pimples, US scare the bejesus out of,
Taboo slang scare or frighten the shit out of, scare shitless,
US scare shitty: A sudden noise scared me, and I ran out of the

cave as fast as I could. 2 scare up. scrape together or up,
find, gather, collect, raise, dig up, get, come by, scrounge
(up): I can't scare up that much money in one day!


--n. 3 fright, shock, surprise, start: I had a terrible scare
when I saw what I thought was blood.

scared adj. frightened, alarmed, afraid, appalled, shocked, terrified,
horrified, startled: Don't be scared, I won't hurt you.


scary adj. frightening, eerie, terrifying, frightful, hair-raising,
unnerving, blood-curdling, horrifying, spine-chilling,
intimidating, daunting; horrendous, horrid, horrible, creepy,
crawly, Colloq spooky: Aren't you afraid to watch scary movies
on TV when you're home alone?

scathing adj. searing, withering, damaging, harmful, severe, harsh,
stern, nasty, biting, acrid, acrimonious, mordant, incisive,
cutting, sharp, keen, virulent, vitriolic, acid, scorching,
burning, fierce, savage, ferocious: She was totally unprepared
for the critics' scathing attack on her book.

scatter v. 1 spread, diffuse, shower, litter, sprinkle, strew,
circulate, distribute, disseminate, sow, broadcast: As the
seeds of dissent were scattered far and wide, we became aware of
a ground swell of hatred for the regime. 2 disperse, separate,
dissipate, dispel, disband, break up, go off: My notes were
scattered all over the floor. Immediately after dividing up the
loot, the gang scattered to the four winds.


scatterbrained
n. hare-brained, rattle-headed, rattle-brained, frivolous,
flibbertigibbet, giddy, dazed, flighty, wool-gathering, Colloq
dippy, dizzy, dopey or dopy, slap-happy: It irritates me to
think that our lives might depend on such a scatterbrained fool.

scattering
n. smattering, sprinkling, trifle, bit, suggestion, soup‡on,
hint: It is true, there was a scattering of rebellious
sentiment in the town.

scenario n. 1 (master or ground or floor) plan, (grand) scheme, plot,
schema, design, outline, layout, framework, structure; sequence

of events, routine: According to this scenario, the bank will
provide the financing and we shall organize the take-over. 2
(plot) summary, pr‚cis, r‚sum‚, synopsis; (working or shooting)
script, screenplay: The scenario for the film was a joint
venture between the director and the author of the book on which
it was based.

scene n. 1 location, site, place, area, locale, spot, locality,
whereabouts, sphere, milieu, backdrop, background: The scenes
of my youth are always in my mind. 2 action, episode, part,
chapter, section, segment; (stage) setting, mise en scŠne;
scenery: The next scene takes place in Venice. Is the Venice
scene ready? 3 commotion, upset, exhibition, display, row,
brouhaha, disturbance, furore or US furor, tantrum, argument,
altercation, uncomfortable or disagreeable situation, episode,
incident: She made an unpleasant scene in the restaurant when
he refused to sit next to her. 4 view, scenery, sight,
landscape, seascape, panorama, vista, picture, view, prospect:
The scene from the terrace was completely tranquil. 5 behind
the scenes. secretly, privately, clandestinely, confidentially,
surreptitiously, on the q.t. or Q.T.: Sigrid operated behind
the scenes and her identity was never revealed to MI5. 6 make or
do the scene. socialize, appear, get around or about, go out,
participate: We used to make the scene in the Village back in
the forties, but no more.

scenic adj. picturesque, panoramic, pretty, beautiful, grand, awesome,
awe-inspiring, impressive, striking, spectacular, breathtaking:
The train passes through some incredibly scenic routes in
Switzerland.

scent n. 1 fragrance, aroma, perfume, redolence, smell, odour,
bouquet, whiff, trace: The room was filled with the scent of
wild flowers. 2 trail, spoor, track: In drag hunting, the
scent is laid down by a sack dragged along the ground.

--v. 3 perceive, detect, find out, determine, discern,
distinguish, recognize, sense, smell, sniff (out), get wind of,
learn or hear about: Scenting possible trouble, he decided he
had better take along my revolver. 4 perfume: She had left
behind her handkerchief, scented with Chanel No. 19.

sceptic n. doubter, questioner, doubting Thomas, disbeliever,

nullifidian, agnostic, scoffer, cynic: You'll always find some
sceptics who don't believe that a woman could be a good prime
minister.


sceptical adj. doubting, dubious, doubtful, questioning, disbelieving,
incredulous, agnostic, scoffing, cynical, mistrustful,
distrustful: We were sceptical at first whether anything would
come of it, but then things began to happen.


scepticism
n. doubt, dubiety, dubiousness, doubtfulness, disbelief,
incredulity, incredulousness, agnosticism, cynicism, mistrust,
distrust, mistrustfulness, distrustfulness: At first, the
entire matter was greeted with some scepticism; but then the
Berlin Wall came tumbling down.

schedule n. 1 programme, timetable, plan, calendar, agenda, outline,
list, listing, record, register: I'd like a complete schedule
of your work for the next month on my desk tomorrow.


--v. 2 programme, organize, plan, outline, list, record,
register, arrange, book, time, slate, appoint, assign, allot,
dedicate, earmark: Schedule the next meeting for the 15th of
the month. Alistair is scheduled to speak tomorrow.


schematic adj. 1 diagrammatic(al), representational, graphic, charted:
We have the schematic drawings showing the placement of the
equipment.


--n. 2 diagram, blueprint, layout, (floor or game) plan,
scheme, design, representation, graph, (flow or PERT) chart:
Give copies of the schematics to the electricians so that they
can plan where to put the wiring.


scheme n. 1 plan, plot, design, programme, system, course (of action),
schema, outline, exposition, projection, draft, method,
technique, approach, game plan, scenario: In my scheme,
compensation would be dependent on productivity, merit, and
length of service. 2 pattern, arrangement, layout, design,
diagram, blueprint, chart, map, drawing, schematic, disposition,
order, organization, schema: This alternative scheme shows the
executive offices on the second floor. 3 plot, plan, ploy,
manoeuvre, strategy, stratagem, tactic, machination, subterfuge,

trick, device, dodge, wile, ruse, intrigue, Colloq racket, game,
move: Ashton's scheme was to lure the security guards into the
outer room, then lock them in.


--v. 4 plan, plot, devise, contrive, intrigue, organize,
formulate, hatch, conspire, machinate, manoeuvre, connive,
concoct, Colloq cook up: Clifton had been scheming to get his
revenge on them ever since the Manchester episode.


scheming adj. conniving, plotting, nefarious, treacherous, crafty,
cunning, artful, sly, wily, devious, Machiavellian, intriguing,
slick, calculating, tricky, foxy, slippery, underhanded,
duplicitous, deceitful: Wait till I lay my hands on the
scheming little thief!


schism n. split, rift, break, breach, division, rupture, separation,
disunion: The schism was caused by a group of left-wing
idealists.


schismatic
adj. schismatical, separatist, breakaway, divisive, dissident,
heretical: The schismatic movement in art was marked by one
faction's abandonment of realism.


scholar n. 1 academic, professor, teacher, pedagogue, authority,
expert, pundit, savant, bookman, book-woman, man or woman of
letters, intellectual, highbrow, bookworm, Colloq egghead,
brain, US longhair: Professor Read is one of the most respected
linguistics scholars in the world. 2 student, pupil, schoolboy,
schoolgirl, undergraduate: Cosgrove was a failure as a scholar,
preferring football to physics.

scholarly adj. learned, erudite, lettered, scholastic, profound, deep,
intellectual, academic, highbrow(ed), ivory-tower(ed), Colloq
egghead, brainy, US longhair, long-haired: Her scholarly
achievements are not limited to scholarly articles for learned
journals.

scholarship
n. 1 learning, erudition, knowledge, lore, education,
schooling, training, preparation, Colloq know-how: Elsa Cairn
brings to her appointment as headmistress considerable
scholarship and experience. 2 grant, endowment, award,

fellowship, Brit exhibition, Chiefly Scots and New Zealand
bursarship, bursary: Without the scholarship, I should never
have been able to continue my education.


school n. 1 (educational) institution, kindergarten, nursery school,
primary or grammar or secondary or high school, institute,
college, university, seminary; Alma Mater; boarding-school,
day-school; public school, private school, Brit State school;
lyc‚e; Lyceum, Brit first or middle school, US junior high
school: His mother was very upset when he hinted that he might
quit school. 2 set, coterie, circle, clique, group,
denomination, faction, sect, followers, devotees, adherents,
votaries, disciples; style, kind, form, manner, fashion:
Burne-Jones belonged to the Pre-Raphaelite School of painters.
3 philosophy, principles, creed, set of beliefs, way of life,
persuasion, credo, dogma, teaching, view, opinion, faction,
approach: Regarding the creation of the universe, do you
support the big-bang school or the steady-state school?


--v. 4 teach, educate, drill, inculcate, instil, indoctrinate,
instruct, tutor, train, discipline, coach, prepare, prime,
equip, ready; mould, shape, form; school in, imbue with, infuse
with: Young ladies were schooled in all the social graces.


school-book
n. text(book), primer, grammar (-book), reader, manual,
handbook, exercise book, notebook, copybook, Rare enchiridion,
Old-fashioned hornbook, abecedarium: All I did was ask if I
could carry her school-books!


schooling n. education, teaching, instruction, tutelage, tuition,
guidance, training, preparation, indoctrination, edification,
enlightenment; learning, study, research: How many years of
schooling are needed to become a doctor?


schoolteacher
n. teacher, professor, instructor, tutor, pedagogue,
schoolmaster, schoolmistress, Scots dominie, Colloq school-ma'm:
It is not often realized what a profound influence
schoolteachers have on one's entire life.

science n. 1 (body of) knowledge or information, (body of) laws or
principles, discipline, study, branch, field, area, subject,

realm, sphere: Many new sciences have sprung up even in the
past fifty years. DNA research falls properly into the science
of microbiologic genetics. 2 skill, art, technique, expertise,
proficiency, method, system: He made a science of brewing tea.


scientific
adj. (well-)organized, (well-)regulated, (well-)controlled,
(well-)ordered, orderly, systematic, methodical, precise,
meticulous, thorough, painstaking, detailed: A scientific
approach to the problem would start with a complete analysis of
present conditions.

scintillating
adj. 1 sparkling, coruscating, flashing, dazzling, gleaming,
glittering, twinkling, shimmering, glistening, shining,
lustrous, radiant, effulgent, brilliant, Literary nitid: Madame
Irena appeared wearing a scintillating silver lam‚ gown. 2
exciting, engaging, lively, effervescent, fascinating,
entrancing, stimulating, invigorating, dynamic, vivacious: I
cannot remember when I last found myself in such scintillating
company.

scoffฐ v. Often, scoff at. deride, belittle, dismiss, disparage, mock,
make light of, sneer (at), poke fun (at), ridicule, spoof,
lampoon, jeer (at), chaff, tease, twit, rib, kid, Brit rag:
It's easy for you to scoff at Clare's tantrums - you don't have
to live with her. Don't scoff: your turn might come next.

scoff v. 1 devour, put away, gorge oneself on, wolf (down), bolt,
stuff (oneself with), gobble (up or down), guzzle, gulp (down),
Brit gollop: The two of them scoffed every crumb they could
find.

--n. 2 food, victuals, rations, edibles, provisions, Colloq
grub, eats, chow, Slang Brit prog: In no time at all, they had
cleared out every last bit of scoff in the larder.

scold v. 1 reprimand, chide, reprove, upbraid, criticize, censure,
find fault (with), rebuke, reproach, lecture, berate, rate,
castigate, take (someone) to task, find fault with, rap
(someone's) knuckles, slap (someone's) wrist, Colloq bawl out,
dress down, give (someone) hell, give (someone) what for, jump
on (someone), jump down (someone's) throat, call (someone) to

account, bring (someone) to book, let (someone) have it with
both barrels, give (someone) a piece of (one's) mind, give
(someone) a tongue-lashing or a talking-to, give (someone) a
hard time, rake or haul (someone) over the coals, tell (someone)
off, tick (someone) off, skin (someone) alive, call or have
(someone) on the carpet, light or rip or tear or lace or sail
into (someone), US chew out, jump all over (someone), Brit
carpet: When their mother scolded them, they began to cry.


--n. 2 nag, shrew, termagant, virago, fishwife, beldam,
harridan, hell-cat, fury, amazon, tigress, Xanthippe, Colloq
battleaxe: In the old days, they used to take scolds, tie them
in a chair at the end of a pole, and dunk them in a pond till
they cooled off.


scoop n. 1 ladle, dipper, bailer, spoon: Use the scoop to skim the
fat off the soup. 2 exclusive: Fergus's story on the
minister's illegal business dealings was a real scoop for the
paper. 3 (latest) news, (inside) story, revelation, truth,
Colloq latest, low-down, info, dope, Brit gen, US poop: What's
the scoop on that man seen coming out of her bedroom?

--v. 4 Often, scoop up. bail, dip, ladle, spoon: They scooped
up some sand and spread it on the ice for traction. 5 scoop
out. gouge out, excavate, spoon out, hollow out, dig, cut:
Scoop out some melon balls for the fruit salad. 6 scoop up.
pick up, gather (up), sweep up or together, take up or in: He
scooped up the money and ran out of the bank.


scope n. 1 range, reach, field, area, extent, compass, expanse,
breadth, sphere, orbit, span: The scope of her interests
includes both the sciences and the arts. 2 leeway, space, room,
elbow-room, freedom, opportunity, capacity, stretch, latitude,
spread: Have you allowed enough scope for growth?


scorch v. sear, blacken, burn, roast, singe, char: Though scorched in
the fire, the papers were saved intact.

scorching adj. 1 hot, torrid, searing, parching, shrivelling, tropical,
hellish, sizzling, broiling, boiling, sweltering: Scorching
heat waves are dangerous for the very young and the elderly. 2
critical, caustic, scathing, mordant, vituperative, excoriating,
harsh, acrimonious, bitter: The shadow minister for finance

issued a scorching condemnation of the government's tax
policies.

score n. 1 record, account, reckoning, register, tally, amount,
number, count, sum, total; mark, grade: What was your best golf
score? Chester got a score of 80 in the French test. 2 nick,
groove, scratch, line, mark, stroke, notch, cut, Archery nock:
Every time he won, he made a score on his walking-stick. 3
twenty: And the days of our lives shall be three score years
and ten. 4 Often, scores. dozens, hundreds, (tens or hundreds
of) thousands, millions, number(s), drove(s), horde(s), host(s),
multitude(s), herd(s), legion(s), lot(s), mass(es), myriad(s),
shoal(s), pack(s), covey(s), bevy or bevies, swarm(s), flock(s),
army or armies, crowd(s), throng(s): Passengers by the score
angrily protested against the airline's policy of overbooking
flights. Scores of animals were fleeing before the forest fire.
5 music, accompaniment, Technical full or short or vocal score:
Boito might have written the libretto, but the score was by
Verdi. 6 situation, story, news, status (quo), condition, word,
Colloq latest, scoop, US poop: What's the score on your
applications to medical school? 7 dupe, gull, victim,
greenhorn, Colloq fall guy, chump, goat, sitting duck, Slang
sucker, patsy, mark, Brit mug: That fellow in the Hawaiian
shirt looks a likely score for our little scam. 8 ground(s),
basis, account, reason, rationale, provocation, cause: On what
score can you justify eliminating him from the competition? 9
settle or pay off or even a score or the score or old scores.
get revenge, retaliate, get even, avenge, repay, get an eye for
an eye, give tit for tat, give measure for measure, pay
(someone) back in his or her own coin, give (someone) a taste or
a dose of his or her or their own medicine, Colloq get one's own
back: He tried to find out where MacTavish moved had moved to
as he had an old score to settle with him.


--v. 10 mark, line, incise, scratch, nick, notch, cut, groove,
graduate; scrape, deface, mar, gouge, slash: The dipstick is
scored at intervals to indicate how much oil is in the
crankcase. 11 gain or make a point or points, record, tally,
account for: George scored a hat trick in the game against
Hotspurs. 12 count (for), reckon for or as: The ace scores
either 1 or 11 in vingt-et-un. 13 succeed, be successful,
triumph, win, make an impression, have an impact, Colloq make a
hit: Your plan really scored with the boss. 14 succeed in

seducing, Slang make out, get laid: Did you score with Ava last
night?

scorn n. 1 contumely, contempt, contemptuousness, disdain,
deprecation; rejection, dismissal: He treated their demands
with the utmost scorn. 2 mockery, derision, derisiveness,
sneering, ridicule, scoffing, jeering, taunting: The crowd's
scorn was directed at the politicians who failed to deliver what
they had promised.


--v. 3 reject, rebuff, disown, disavow, disregard, ignore,
shun, snub, flout, contemn, treat with or hold in contempt, have
no use for, disdain, spurn, despise, turn up one's nose at, curl
one's lip at, look down on or upon, look down one's nose at,
thumb one's nose at, Colloq pooh-pooh, put down, Brit cock a
snook at: His parents offered to finance his education, but he
scorned their help. 4 mock (at), deride, sneer at, ridicule,
scoff at, jeer at, taunt, poke fun at, make fun of, laugh at:
People scorned him because he said the earth was round.


scornful adj. contumelious, contemptuous, disdainful, deprecative,
disparaging, derisory, derisive, snide, supercilious, mocking,
sneering, scoffing, haughty, overweening, high-handed, superior,
Colloq snooty, Slang snotty: The people were scornful of his
attempt to reassure them, and continued to demand action.

scoundrel n. villain, rogue, wretch, good-for-nothing, scapegrace,
blackguard, rascal, scamp, cur, Old-fashioned bounder, cad,
knave, Colloq heel, Slang louse, Brit rotter: Politicians tend
to treat their opponents as liars and scoundrels.

scour v. 1 scrub, clean, cleanse, wash, rub, abrade, polish, burnish,
buff, shine: The pots were scoured until they shone. 2 scrape
(about or around), rake, comb, turn upside down, search,
ransack: I scoured the shops looking in vain for the coffee
filters you wanted.

scourge n. 1 curse, misfortune, bane, evil, affliction, plague,
adversity, torment, misery, woe: He questions whether AIDS
should be considered the scourge of the 20th century. Was it
Attila who proved himself the scourge of Rome? 2 whip, lash,
cat-o'-nine-tails, knout, quirt, horsewhip, bull-whip: They saw
fit to punish themselves with scourges.


--v. 3 whip, flog, beat, lash, horsewhip, whale, belt,
flagellate: Some medieval sects scourged themselves as they
went in procession through the cities. 4 punish, castigate,
chastise, discipline, afflict, torment: In the old days,
students were scourged if they made a mistake.

scout v. 1 Often, scout about or around. reconnoitre, investigate,
study, research, examine, explore, spy, search or look (about or
around) (for), hunt (about or around) (for), cast around or
about (for), Colloq check (about or around): I am going to
scout about to find a key that fits. 2 scout up or out.
discover, find, locate, uncover, Colloq dig up: I was finally
able to scout up a key that fits.


scowl v. 1 glower, frown, grimace, glare, look daggers, lower or
lour: It's hard to tell if he's ever pleased because he's
always scowling.


--n. 2 frown, grimace, glare, dirty look: I do wish she would
wipe that scowl off her face and try to look more pleasant.

scramble v. 1 climb, clamber, crawl, scrabble, struggle: We scrambled
up the rocky hillside with the big cat in pursuit. 2 rush,
hurry, scamper, run, hasten, race, scurry, scoot, scuttle, dash,
hotfoot (it), hustle, Chiefly US and Canadian, hightail (it),
Colloq skedaddle: When the siren sounded, we scrambled down to
the air raid shelter. 3 Often, scramble up. mix up, confuse,
jumble, intermingle, mingle, commingle: Contestants,
spectators, and officials were all scrambled together.

--n. 4 scrimmage, struggle, tussle, contention, clash,
competition, contest, race, rush, clash, conflict, disorder,
commotion, riot, mˆl‚e or melee, pandemonium, Colloq
free-for-all, hassle, Brit scrum or scrummage: Thousands were
involved in the scramble for tickets to the rock concert. In the
scramble for a directorship Jeremy lost. 5 struggle, climb: She
twisted her ankle in the scramble over the rocks.


scrapฐ n. 1 mite, bit, shred, bite, morsel, piece, fragment, shard or
sherd, particle, sliver, snippet, snip, crumb, whit, iota, jot
or tittle, snatch, drop, drip, grain, speck, molecule, atom,
dab, trace, scintilla, hint, suggestion: There wasn't a scrap

of evidence to link him with the crime. 2 scraps. remnants,
remains, leftovers, leavings, residue, vestiges, traces,
scrapings, discards, rejections, rejects: In the alley, two
cats were fighting over some scraps of garbage. 3 waste,
debris, rubbish, Colloq junk: Any computer more than five years
old isn't even worth its weight as scrap.

--v. 4 discard, throw away, reject, abandon, give up, consign
to the scrap heap, forsake, forget, get rid of, dispose of,
dispense with, Colloq junk, US trash: If I were you, I would
buy a new car and scrap this one.

scrap n. 1 fight, brawl, fracas, fray, affray, rumpus, scuffle,
Donnybrook, battle (royal); row, dispute, argument, quarrel,
disagreement, wrangle, squabble, tiff, spat, Colloq ruckus,
set-to, dust-up: A terrible scrap broke out in the pub last and
the police were called in. Our neighbours were having a scrap
about who should take the dog for a walk.


--v. 2 fight, brawl, spar, scuffle, battle, row, wrangle,
argue, disagree, squabble, bicker: Let's not scrap over trifles
- only important things.

scrapbook n. album, portfolio, collection: She keeps a scrapbook of
reviews of her stage triumphs.

scrape v. 1 abrade, graze, scratch, bark, scuff, skin, bruise, damage,
injure: I scraped my knee on the pavement when I fell. 2
Often, scrape off or away or out. remove, rub off or away, scour
or scrub or clean (off or away), scratch off or away, claw (at
or away or out), gouge out, scrabble (at), dig out or away at:
As I scraped away the grime, a beautiful mosaic was revealed.
Each sled dog scraped out a hole in the snow and snuggled into
it. 3 skimp, scrimp (and scrape), save, stint, be frugal or
stingy or parsimonious or thrifty, pinch and save or scrape,
economize; struggle, US scrabble: Only by scraping were we able
to pay the increased taxes. 4 bow and scrape. make obeisance,
kowtow, salaam, genuflect, kiss the feet or hem or ring, grovel,
demean or lower oneself, prostrate oneself, toady, Colloq
boot-lick: He can bow and scrape all he likes, but Jones will
get nowhere with the foreman. 5 scrape by or through. get by,
cope, (barely) manage, survive, scrape or get along, Colloq
squeak by, barely make it: We are just about able to scrape by

on the little that Nigel is making. 6 scrape together or up.
glean, garner, scratch or get or rake together or up, dredge up,
scrabble for, gather, save (up), get hold of, marshal, amass,
muster, accumulate, aggregate, compile, pile up, stack up,
assemble, Colloq scrounge (up): By the time we finally managed
to scrape up enough for a down payment on a house, the prices
had gone up.

--n. 7 abrasion, bruise, scratch, graze, scuff, damage, injury:
He was very annoyed when he found a scrape on his brand-new car.
8 predicament, difficulty, quandary, dilemma, plight, (fine)
kettle of fish, muddle, stew, situation, position, pinch, Colloq
pickle, fix, mess, the crunch, (tight or tough) spot: I got
into a terrible scrape by forgetting our wedding anniversary.
Can you lend me some money to help me out of a scrape?

scratch v. 1 mar, mark, gouge (out), gash, abrade, graze, scuff, grate
against, bruise, damage, injure; claw: If you glue some felt to
the bottom, the lamp won't scratch the table. 2 chafe, rub: If
you scratch those mosquito bites you might get an infection. 3
Often, scratch out or off. erase, obliterate, rub out or off,
cross out, delete, strike out or off, expunge; exclude,
eliminate, US x out: You can scratch my name from the list of
candidates. She scratched out what she had written and started
again.

--n. 4 mark, gouge, gash, abrasion, scrape, graze, scuff,
bruise, damage, injury; line: Where did you get that scratch on
your face? 'It's only a scratch', Sandy protested as they tried
to remove the spear from his shoulder. 5 up to scratch. up to
standard or par, adequate, sufficient, good enough, competent,
satisfactory, competitive, Colloq up to snuff: Cynthia's
performance is not yet up to scratch, so she might not make the
team.


--adj. 6 hasty, hurried, impromptu, unplanned, haphazard,
rough, casual, informal, unprepared, unpremeditated, makeshift,
extempore, Colloq off the cuff, US pick-up: We didn't have time
to practise, so we are racing with a scratch crew.


scratchy adj. 1 itchy, irritating, prickly: The pullover was as
scratchy as a hair shirt. 2 rough, hoarse, raw, grating, sore,
raspy, dry: My throat feels a bit scratchy and I need something

to drink.

scrawl n. 1 scribble, Colloq squiggle, US hen-scratch,
chicken-scratch: I can't read that scrawl of his.


--v. 2 scribble, scratch, doodle: How do pharmacists read the
prescriptions that doctors scrawl?

scrawny adj. bony, skinny, spare, drawn, reedy, haggard, lean, lank(y),
scraggy, gaunt, raw-boned, angular, emaciated, cadaverous;
anorectic or anorexic: She certainly has changed from that
scrawny kid I used to know.

scream v. 1 shriek, screech, squeal, yowl, wail, caterwaul, howl, cry:
She screamed when I applied iodine to the cut. 2 laugh, roar,
hoot, howl, guffaw: The women screamed hysterically as the male
stripper got down to the bare essentials.

--n. 3 shriek, screech, squeal, yowl, wail, caterwaul, howl,
cry: When she saw what had happened, she let out a
blood-curdling scream. 4 Colloq card, panic, riot,
thigh-slapper: Phyllis is such a scream when she talks about
the silly things that happen to her.


screen n. 1 partition, (room) divider, paravent, wall: In their
one-room flat a bookcase serves as a screen to separate the
living area from the sleeping area. 2 shelter, protection,
shield, cover: A row of poplars acts as a screen against the
wind. 3 curtain, blind, shroud, cloak, cover; concealment,
camouflage: The gauze fabric was too transparent to act as a
screen. 4 sieve, mesh, strainer, filter, colander, riddle: The
sand has to be shovelled through a screen to get rid of the
stones. 5 motion pictures, movies, silver screen; television,
small screen, home screen, Colloq box, telly, US boob tube: She
is a star of both the big and small screens.

--v. 6 partition (off), separate, divide, wall off: Why not
use a beaded curtain to screen the kitchen area from the
dining-room? 7 shelter, protect, shield, cover, guard, conceal,
camouflage, mask, veil, hide: A decorative pierced wall screens
the ladies of the harem from the prying eyes of visitors. 8
sift, separate (out), sort (out), filter, select, cull, process,
interview, evaluate, grade, gauge, qualify, examine, scan,

Chiefly Brit vet: The agency screens all candidates before
sending them to see a client.

screw n. 1 bolt, screw-bolt, machine screw, lag-bolt, lag-screw:
This screw is too small to hold that door hinge. 2 helix,
spiral, corkscrew: The screw of a spiral staircase should not
be too small for safety. 3 sexual intercourse; sexual partner,
Slang lay, Taboo slang fuck: When arrested for kerb-crawling,
he said that he was just looking for a screw. 4 put the screws
on (someone). pressure, influence, force, constrain, press,
oblige, require, demand, coerce, compel, apply pressure, bring
pressure to bear (on); insist; Chiefly Brit pressurize, Colloq
twist (someone's) arm, put the squeeze on (someone): I believe
that someone put the screws on him to leave town.


--v. 5 twist, turn, rotate: Screw the bolt in clockwise. 6
Often, screw out of. defraud, cheat, swindle, gull, bilk, do out
of, Slang take, clip, fleece: They screwed him by convincing
him that the bonds were real. He was screwed out of all his
savings. 7 screw up. a raise, increase, stretch, strain;
summon, call up, call upon, tap, draw on or upon: I screwed up
my courage to ask for a salary increase. b ruin, destroy, make
a mess of, botch, bungle, muddle, mismanage, mishandle, Colloq
make a hash of, Slang louse up, Brit make a muck-up of, US
bollix up, Taboo slang fuck up, Brit bugger up, ballocks or
bollocks up, make a balls-up of: It is hard to see how they
could have screwed up such a simple operation. c contort, twist,
deform, warp: At the suggestion of cauliflower, Ambrose screwed
up his face in displeasure.


scribe n. 1 copyist, copier, transcriber, Archaic scrivener;
amanuensis, clerk, secretary: Before the invention of movable
type printing, copies of books and documents were prepared by
scribes. 2 writer, author, penman, scrivener, wordsmith,
scribbler, hack, penny-a-liner; dramatist, dramaturge,
playwright, poet, novelist, essayist, columnist, technical
writer; journalist, gentleman or lady of the press,
newspaperman, newspaperwoman, reporter, rewrite man or woman or
person, editor, reviewer, commentator, newswriter, sob sister,
agony aunt or uncle, Miss Lonelyhearts, gossip columnist, member
of the fourth estate, Brit paragraphist, leader-writer, US Grub
Streeter, Colloq Brit journo: In a general way, he refers to
all writers as 'scribes', but particularly those he considers a

bit old-fashioned.

--v. 3 inscribe, incise, etch, engrave, mark, scratch, score,
grave, scrimshaw, carve, chase or enchase: The shotgun was
scribed with the most beautiful designs, some inlaid in gold.

scrimmage n. skirmish, scuffle, fray, affray, disturbance, brouhaha,
mˆl‚e or melee, riot, row, brawl, struggle, scramble, tussle,
fracas, rumpus, Donnybrook, battle, fight, Colloq ruckus,
set-to, dust-up, free-for-all, scrap, Brit scrum or scrummage,
Slang Brit (bit of) bovver: The police were called when what
started as a minor scrimmage began to develop into a riot.

script n. 1 handwriting, hand, (cursive) writing, penmanship;
calligraphy: These love-letters are written in an unusually
beautiful script. 2 manuscript, scenario, book, play,
screenplay, teleplay, libretto, continuity: Stick to the script
- I don't want you ad libbing!


--v. 3 write, pen, prepare, create: The new series was
scripted by the same writer who wrote 'Out in the Outback'. 4
plan, organize, design, arrange, lay out, order, configure,
pattern: The take-over of the company had not been scripted in
their business forecasts.


Scripture n. Scriptures, sacred writings, Bible, Good Book, Holy Writ or
Scripture(s), Word of God, Gospel(s); Book of Mormon; Koran;
Upanishad(s), Bhagavad-Gita: Throughout his life, he did only
those things approved in Scripture.


scrounge v. 1 ferret out, seek out, nose or smell out, come up with,
scrape together or up, scratch up; importune, cadge, beg (,
borrow, or steal), Colloq US freeload, bum: Did Hedley try to
scrounge some money from you, too?


--n. 2 scrounger, cadger, parasite, Colloq sponger, US
freeloader: Hedley, that scrounge, has just asked me for a
cigarette.


scrub v. 1 See scour, 1, above. 2 cancel, call off, abort, scratch,
drop, terminate, give up, end, abandon, stop, cease,
discontinue, do away with: Something went wrong with the fuel
computer, so they scrubbed today's satellite launch.


scruple n. 1 compunction, qualm, reluctance, misgiving, second
thoughts, doubt, (twinge of) conscience, hesitation, uneasiness,
discomfort, squeamishness: Peter hadn't the slightest scruple
about taking the money from his aunt.

--v. 2 pause, falter, hesitate, vacillate, have doubts or
compunction (about), demur, waver, shrink from or at, have
misgivings or qualms (about or over), be loath or loth (to),
think twice (about), stick at, be reluctant, balk (at), have
scruples (about): Susan didn't scruple for a moment about
keeping the money she found in the street.

scrupulous
adj. 1 careful, cautious, meticulous, exacting, precise,
over-nice, strict, rigid, rigorous, severe, critical,
fastidious, neat, conscientious, finicky or finical, fussy,
painstaking, punctilious: Andrew has always been scrupulous
about his toys, his books, his clothes, etc. 2 ethical,
honourable, upstanding, moral, righteous, principled,
high-minded, just: Meg was always scrupulous in her business
dealings.

scrutinize
v. examine, analyse, dissect, investigate, probe, study,
inspect, sift, go over or through, check: I have scrutinized
the results of the blood tests and can find nothing abnormal.

scrutiny n. examination, analysis, investigation, probe, probing, study,
inspection, sifting, inquiry or enquiry, exploration, check:
The tax inspectors have subjected the company books to close
scrutiny but have found nothing amiss.

scud v. fly, skim, race, scoot, speed, shoot: We scudded along in
the catamaran at a good 30 knots.

sculpture n. 1 figure, figurine, statue, statuette, group, head, bust,
relief; bronze, marble: His favourite sculpture is Rodin's
Burghers of Calais .


--v. 2 sculpt or sculp, model, model, chisel, carve, cast,
form, fashion: The students are learning how to sculpture in
clay.


scurrilous
adj. foul-mouthed, thersitical, gross, indecent, profane,
Fescennine, vulgar, obscene, licentious, Sotadean or Sotadic,
foul, vituperative, low, coarse, scabrous, vile, nasty,
defamatory, derogatory, disparaging, vilifying, calumnious or
calumniatory, malign, aspersive, opprobrious, offensive,
abusive, insulting: Clifford was an inveterate collector of
scurrilous limericks.


scurry v. dash, scramble, scamper, scoot, dart, fly, race, sprint,
scuttle, hurry, hasten, speed, hustle, rush, tear, zoom, zip,
bolt, rip, scud: A rat scurried across the floor. We went
scurrying round the shops on Christmas Eve.


scurvy adj. low, miserable, contemptible, vile, base, despicable,
rotten, sorry, bad, ignoble, dishonourable, mean, worthless,
shabby: Robbing poor old ladies is a pretty scurvy activity.


19.3 sea...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



sea n. 1 ocean, deep blue sea, high seas, Literary (briny) deep,
(bounding) main, Neptune's or Poseidon's kingdom or domain,
Nautical blue water, Davy Jones's locker, Colloq briny, drink,
pond (= 'Atlantic Ocean'): For years he sailed the seas in
search of adventure. 2 swell, breaker, wave: As the wind
increased, huge seas began to wash over the boat. 3 plethora,
quantity, abundance, surfeit, profusion, flood, multitude,
spate, legion, mass, Colloq lot(s), heap(s), pile(s), ton(s),
mountain(s), load(s), oodles, gobs, scads: Hamlet's sea of
troubles was nothing compared to mine if this book isn't
completed soon! 4 (all) at sea. confused, disoriented, at sixes
and sevens, bewildered, perplexed, baffled, mystified, lost,
adrift: They were clearly not expecting her and were completely
at sea as to what to do.

sea-coast n. seashore, shore, coast, seaside, seaboard, shoreline,
coastline, littoral, sand(s), beach, strand: The people in the
villages along the sea-coast depend mainly on fishing for their
livelihood.

seafaring adj. maritime, nautical, naval, marine: Britain was at one
time the largest seafaring nation in the world.

seal n. 1 symbol, token, mark, insigne (pl. insignia), sign, signet,
crest, bearing, coat of arms, escutcheon, emblem, badge,
monogram, identification, cartouche, design, imprint, stamp:
The seal on his ring showed a crouching lion. 2 authentication,
confirmation, verification, validation, affirmation,
attestation, ratification, corroboration, assurance, guarantee
or guaranty, endorsement, substantiation, evidence, notice,
notification: Management set their seal of approval on the
plans.

--v. 3 Sometimes, seal off or up. close (off or up), shut
(off), zip up, plug (up), stop (up), lock, bolt, secure, batten
down, make airtight or waterproof; cork: All exits had been
sealed off. They sealed up the windows so that no air could get
in. 4 authenticate, confirm, verify, validate, affirm, attest,
ratify, clinch, corroborate, assure, ensure, guarantee, endorse:
The peace treaty was sealed by the marriage of the king to the
emperor's daughter.

seam n. 1 junction, juncture, joint, suture, Technical commissure;
scar, ridge, line, cicatrix: It is easy enough to see the seam
where the parts meet. 2 lode, vein, stratum, bed, layer,
thickness: The miners have been working on a new seam
discovered at the end of Tunnel 4.

seamy adj. sordid, nasty, dark, disreputable, shameful, unwholesome,
unpalatable, unsavoury, distasteful, unseemly, squalid, low,
depraved, degenerate, degraded, foul, vile, odious, abhorrent,
contemptible, scurvy, rotten, unattractive, ugly, repulsive,
repellent: In his later work, he painted the seamy side of life
in the slums.


search v. 1 Often, search through. examine, scrutinize, check, comb
(through), explore, go through, investigate, scout out, inspect,
look at or into, probe, scour, sift through, pry into, hunt or
rummage through; inquire or enquire of, Colloq plough through:
She searched through several encyclopedias but could not find
the information she was looking for. Search your conscience to
determine the best course. 2 Often, search for. look (about or
around), cast about, seek, leave no stone unturned: I searched

high and low but couldn't find my key.

--n. 3 hunt, pursuit, quest: The search for the killer went on
for years. 4 researching, analysis; exploration, examination,
scrutiny, probe, study, perusal, sifting, inspection, scouring,
inquiry or enquiry: A thorough search of the documents failed
to turn up anything useful. The police made a house-to-house
search of the neighbourhood.


searchingly
adv. penetratingly, piercingly, intently, deeply, fixedly,
concentratedly, eagerly: She looked searchingly into my eyes
for some glimmer of hope.


season n. 1 time, period, occasion, opportunity: This is the season
when the birds migrate north. Is the silly season upon us again
so soon? 2 in season. ripe, ready, edible, seasoned, seasonable,
available: Fresh strawberries will be in season soon.


--v. 3 spice, salt, flavour, pep up, enliven: One of the great
things about chicken is that you can season it in many different
ways. 4 ripen, mature, age, condition, mellow: The wood should
be well seasoned before being made into furniture.


seasonable
adj. appropriate, opportune, suitable, apt, timely, fitting,
providential, well-timed, proper, fit, propitious, welcome,
well-suited, happy, lucky, fortunate, convenient, auspicious,
favourable, advantageous, expedient: The success of the book
was owing largely to its seasonable publication, just at the end
of the cold war.

seasoned adj. experienced, trained, long-standing, long-serving,
practised, well-versed, habituated, acclimatized or acclimated,
accustomed, familiarized, prepared, established, veteran,
tempered, hardened, toughened, inured: It was a pleasure to be
working with so seasoned a performer as Margie.

seasoning n. spice, zest, flavour, relish, sauce: The fact that a former
film star was running for office lent just the right seasoning
to the campaign.

seat n. 1 place, chair, bench, sofa, settee, settle, stool, throne:

He found a seat and waited to be called. 2 focus, base, centre,
heart, hub, site, capital, cradle, headquarters, fountain-head:
In those days, Paris was the main seat of learning in western
Europe. Istanbul was established as the seat of the Turkish
empire. 3 membership, position, incumbency: His grandfather
held a seat in the House of Commons. 4 bottom, buttocks,
posterior(s), rump, hindquarters, fundament, derriŠre, Colloq
behind, butt, backside, rear (end), Brit bum, US fanny, tushie,
tush, tokus, hinie, Slang tail, Brit arse, US ass: He needs a
swift kick in the seat to get him to move. 5 abode, residence,
home, domicile, estate, mansion: The duchess used to spend the
summer at her country seat in Norfolk.

--v. 6 hold, accommodate, have room or space or capacity for,
contain, sit: The new auditorium will seat more than four
thousand. 7 install or instal, enthrone, ensconce, instate,
invest, establish, place, swear in: Once Lord Carter has been
seated, it will be difficult to get rid of him.


seating n. accommodation, capacity, space, room: At present, the
auditorium has seating for only 500.

secede v. withdraw or resign or retire (from), abandon, forsake,
apostasize, break with or away (from), drop or pull out (of),
turn one's back to or on, quit, separate from, leave, wash one's
hands of, have nothing further to do with: The City of New York
occasionally threatens to secede from the United States.

secession n. withdrawal, seceding, defection, break, breaking,
disaffiliation, retirement, separation, splitting off or away,
apostasy: The secession of the splinter group was welcomed by
virtually all the other members.

secluded adj. 1 private, separate, isolated, lonely, cloistered,
sequestered, detached, solitary, retired, eremitic, monastic:
He lives a very secluded life on an island in the Outer
Hebrides. 2 off the beaten track, out-of-the-way, remote,
far-away, far-off, separate, segregated, private: He chose a
secluded island in the Outer Hebrides for his vacation.


seclusion n. privacy, private, separation, isolation, loneliness: He
prefers to live in complete seclusion.

secondฐ adj. 1 subsequent, following, next: He let the first target go
by and aimed for the second one. 2 subordinate, next: If the
colonel isn't here, who is the second officer? 3 alternative,
second-best: She refuses to settle for second choice. 4
alternate, other: The laundry is picked up and delivered every
second Tuesday. His second language is Italian. 5 other, later,
younger, newer, more recent: After his first wife died, he took
her nurse as his second wife. 6 another, duplicate: The boy is
a second Einstein.


--n. 7 defective or imperfect or damaged or faulty or deficient
or flawed or impaired or marred or blemished or bruised or
inferior merchandise: The prices of these shirts have been
reduced because they are seconds. 8 subordinate, assistant,
number two, lieutenant, aide-de-camp, man Friday, girl Friday,
right hand; understudy, stand-in, substitute, surrogate, double,
alternate, backer, supporter; Colloq US gal Friday: Not being
ambitious, Helen would prefer to be a second to the person who
runs the business.


--v. 9 support, back, aid, help, assist, approve (of), advance,
promote, subscribe to, espouse, sponsor, patronize, favour,
encourage, go along with: Madam Chairwoman, I would like to
second this proposal. 10 transfer, move, assign, shift,
relocate: After the Falklands War, he was seconded to fleet
headquarters for a year.

--adv. 11 secondly, in the second place, secondarily, (number)
two, b or B: I want to go: first, because it'll be interesting,
and second, because Jake'll be there.

second n. moment, instant, flash, minute, twinkling or wink or bat (of
an eye), split second, Colloq sec, jiffy, two shakes (of a
lamb's tail), Brit tick, half a mo: I'll be with you in a
second, as soon as I finish writing this letter.

secondary adj. 1 less important, unimportant, inessential or unessential,
non-essential, non-critical, subsidiary, ancillary, minor,
inferior, subordinate: These secondary matters can be dealt
with after the important ones. 2 derivative, derived, indirect,
second-hand, unoriginal, not original; copied, imitated: His
biography of Queen Victoria was based entirely on secondary
sources. 3 auxiliary, second-line, backup, extra, reserve,

spare, provisional, supporting, supportive, alternate,
alternative: We were forced to rely on our secondary defences
after the enemy cavalry broke through.


second-hand
adj. used, old, worn, Colloq hand-me-down: When we were
children our parents could only afford to dress us in
second-hand clothes. His much-vaunted novels are for the most
part based on second-hand ideas.


secrecy n. 1 mystery, concealment, confidentiality, stealth,
secretiveness, surreptitiousness, privacy, furtiveness,
covertness, clandestineness: Why was there so much secrecy
surrounding the publication date of Jennie's book? 2 in secrecy.
secretly, mysteriously, confidentially, stealthily, secretively,
surreptitiously, privately, furtively, covertly, clandestinely,
sneakily: They carry on much of their business in secrecy.

secret adj. 1 concealed, hidden, private, covert, shrouded,
clandestine; confidential, covert, quiet, under cover,
secretive, unpublishable, unpublished, Colloq hush-hush: There
is a secret passageway leading from the cave to the cove. Keep
secret what I shall tell you. She revealed to me her most secret
desires. 2 cryptic, private, arcane, mysterious,
incomprehensible, esoteric, recondite, abstruse; cryptographic,
encrypted, encoded: We used to communicate by secret code. Did
you receive my secret message?

--n. 3 private or confidential matter or affair, mystery: If I
tell you my secret will you tell me yours? 4 in secret.
privately, confidentially, secretly, on the q.t. or Q.T.;
surreptitiously, under cover, by stealth, stealthily, furtively,
quietly, on the sly, clandestinely: The office manager told me
in secret that John was going to resign. They see one another
in secret.

secreteฐ v. hide, conceal, cache, bury, cloak, shroud, enshroud,
camouflage, mask, disguise, Slang stash away: They secreted the
haul from the robbery in the cellar of a house in Balham.


secrete v. yield, excrete, pass, generate, release, ooze, seep, exude,
discharge, leak, drip, drop, dribble, trickle, run, drain, emit,
give off, emanate, transude, Technical extravasate: The ants

herd aphids for the substance they secrete. The wound will
secrete pus for a while.

secretion n. secreting, release, escape, oozing, seeping, seepage,
discharge, discharging, leak, leaking, leakage, drip, dripping,
drop, dropping, dribbling, trickling, trickle, running, drain,
draining, emission, emitting, giving off, exudation,
transudation, excretion, excreting, emanation, emanating,
generation, Technical extravasation; transudate, excreta,
Technical extravasate: The secretion of perspiration may be
profuse under such circumstances. The secretion is highly acid
in content.

secretive adj. reticent, silent, close-mouthed, taciturn,
uncommunicative, reserved, tight-lipped, close, Colloq mum:
Robert is very secretive about where he goes every day at
lunch-time.

secretly adv. surreptitiously, quietly, privately, covertly, on the q.t.
or Q.T., furtively, stealthily, mysteriously, clandestinely, in
secret, confidentially, on the sly, slyly, sub rosa, sub
sigillo: I can tell you secretly that she is wanted by the
police. Henry secretly rents videotape cartoons to watch at
weekends.


sect n. 1 religious order or group or denomination or body or cult
or persuasion or subdivision: At times it seems as if there are
as many sects as worshippers. 2 school (of thought), faction,
ism, set, clique, cabal: He belonged to a small sect that
promulgated the Ptolemaic cosmogony.

sectarian adj. 1 cultist, cultish, clannish, cliquish, partisan, partial,
dogmatic, doctrinaire, factional: They seldom mingle with
others, maintaining their sectarian existence. 2 parochial,
narrow, narrow-minded, limited, insular, provincial, rigid,
fanatic(al), prejudicial, prejudiced, bigoted: Because they
refused to consider ideas other than their own, they gradually
became more and more sectarian in their views.


--n. 3 adherent, member, sectary, votary, cultist, partisan:
They tried to banish Anabaptists, Lutherans, Calvinists, and
other sectarians. 4 (true) believer, dogmatist, fanatic, bigot,
zealot, extremist, Slang nut, bug, fiend: Some of the

sectarians engage in the ritualistic handling of live
rattlesnakes.

section n. 1 part, division, department, branch, sector, group,
detachment, segment, portion, subdivision, component, element:
Sadler has been assigned to work in the research section. I
never read the the sports section in the Sunday papers. Which
sections of the country will vote for you? The string section
needs practice before tonight's concert. 2 sample, slice,
cross-section, fraction: It can be faulty to assume that the
characteristics of the whole are necessarily represented in a
small section of it. I examined a section of tissue under the
microscope. 3 part, stage, segment, portion, leg: The first
section of the journey was more comfortable than the last.


--v. 4 cut (up), divide (up), segment, split, cleave, measure
out, apportion, allot, allocate: The land was sectioned into
four-acre parcels.


secular adj. worldly, terrestrial, mundane, temporal, material, lay,
laic or laical, non-clerical, non-ecclesiastic(al),
non-spiritual, non-religious, civil, state: Once he had taken
his vows, he put aside secular matters.


secure adj. 1 safe, shielded, sheltered, protected, immune,
unthreatened, unexposed, unimperilled, snug, cosy: Fiona feels
quite secure in her new house. Considering the success of the
company, Bill's job looks secure. 2 firm, steady, stable, fixed,
fast, moored, anchored, immovable, closed, shut, fastened,
locked (up), tight, sound, solid, sturdy, strong: That button
on your jacket doesn't look very secure. Make sure that the
house is secure before you go to sleep. 3 reliable, safe, good,
profitable, healthy, solid: Telephone shares looked like a
secure investment at the time. 4 sure, certain, assured,
ensured, definite, inevitable, assumed, evident, obvious,
unquestionable, established, probable, easy: With only two
minutes left to play, victory seemed secure for Rangers.

--v. 5 obtain, get (hold of), come by, acquire, procure, win;
gain, get or take possession of, arrogate: Tim has secured a
responsible position at the bank. She always manages to secure
the sympathy of older men. 6 guarantee, underwrite, hypothecate,
collateralize: We used our house to secure the loan. 7

protect, shelter, shield, defend, guard, safeguard, preserve:
It seems impossible to secure young children from bullying at
school. 8 fasten, make fast, fix, affix, attach, anchor: Secure
the cases to the roof-rack with strong rope.


security n. 1 safety, shelter, protection, fastness, refuge, safe
keeping, sanctuary, asylum: During the air raids, we retired to
the security of the basement. 2 confidence, certainty, surety,
assurance, conviction: He has the security of knowing that he
is right in this instance. 3 guarantee or guaranty, collateral,
deposit, gage, pledge, insurance: What are you going to offer
as security for the loan? 4 surveillance, safeguarding,
guarding, safe keeping, protection, custody, custodianship,
care: What plans does the company have for the security of the
office building?

sedate adj. 1 composed, serene, peaceful, calm, tranquil, cool,
collected, even-tempered, detached, imperturbable, unruffled,
undisturbed, unperturbed, controlled, placid, grave, serious,
sober, solemn, Colloq unflappable: Despite all the turmoil
round her, Sarah remained quite sedate. 2 dignified, decorous,
refined, formal, stiff, staid, proper, strait-laced, prudish,
fussy, prim, conventional, old-fashioned: Donald prefers a
sedate waltz to boogying and jiving.


sedative n. 1 narcotic, tranquillizer, opiate, sleeping-pill, soporific,
calmative, anodyne, depressant, hypnotic, barbiturate, lenitive,
Colloq downer, knock-out drop, Slang Mickey (Finn): The doctor
has given him a sedative and he should sleep now.


--adj. 2 narcotic, tranquillizing, relaxing, soothing, calming,
allaying, opiate, soporific, sleep-inducing, calmative, anodyne,
lenitive, depressing, hypnotic: I found that listening to a
recording of surf splashing on a beach has a sedative effect.


sedentary adj. seated, sitting, stationary, fixed, immobile, unmoving,
housebound, desk-bound: You should find a more sedentary
occupation to follow while you recover. As a writer, I lead a
sedentary existence and get little exercise.


sediment n. lees, dregs, deposit, grounds, precipitate, remains,
residue, settlings, residuum, detritus: Periodically, the
sediment must be cleaned out of the filters.


sedition n. agitation, incitement (to riot), rabble-rousing,
fomentation, instigation, firing-up, stirring up, whipping up;
mutiny, insurrection, insurgency or insurgence, rebellion;
treason, treachery: Because he had organized the strike in the
munitions plant during wartime, he was accused of sedition.

seditious adj. rebellious, mutinous, revolutionary, insurgent,
inflammatory, rabble-rousing, insurrectionist, insurrectionary,
refractory, subversive, treacherous, dissident, disloyal,
turncoat, unfaithful: One seditious action on the part of the
colonists was to dump tea into the harbour at Boston,
Massachusetts.


seduce v. 1 lure, entice, attract, allure, tempt, mislead, beguile,
deceive, decoy, draw on, charm, captivate, vamp, entrap,
ensnare, trap, Colloq sweet-talk: He was seduced into giving
her his life's savings. 2 dishonour, ruin, corrupt, lead
astray, defile, debauch, deflower, violate, ravish: How many
girls have been seduced in the name of undying love?

seducer n. See also seductress, below. rake, libertine, rou‚, playboy,
lady-killer, lecher, debauchee, debaucher, lover, cicisbeo, Don
Juan, Lothario, Casanova, Colloq wolf: She can't really be
going out with that wretched seducer!

seductive adj. alluring, attractive, tempting, tantalizing, enticing,
inviting, seducing, enchanting, entrancing, bewitching,
fascinating, flirtatious, coquettish, captivating, beguiling,
provocative, siren, irresistible, winning, appealing,
prepossessing, Colloq sexy: He was lured into the whirl of the
financial world by the seductive five-letter word - money. Never
had Helena looked more seductive than on that night in Rio.


seductress
n. See also seducer, above. temptress, siren, femme fatale,
enchantress, Circe, Lorelei, Jezebel, vamp: That clever
seductress will soon have him eating out of her hand.


see v. 1 perceive, note, notice, mark, spot, watch, witness,
recognize, behold, discern, distinguish, observe, look at,
regard, sight, catch sight of, descry, espy, spy, make out, look
upon, view, glimpse, catch a glimpse of, Slang get a load of, US

glom: I saw him buy a bottle of whisky. We saw two
yellow-bellied sapsuckers in one day! Can you see the sea from
your suite? Did you see the Houses of Parliament when you were
in London? 2 understand, comprehend, apprehend, perceive,
appreciate, fathom, grasp, take in, realize, know, be aware or
conscious of, get the idea or meaning of, Colloq dig, get, get
the drift or the hang of: I see what you are saying, but I
don't agree. After her speech, I saw Gladys in a new light. 3
foresee, foretell, imagine, envisage, envision, visualize,
picture, divine, conceive (of), dream of, conjure up, accept: I
can see a day when warming from the greenhouse effect will make
the sea level rise. Ted said he can't see you as a married man.
4 determine, ascertain, find out, investigate, discover, learn:
See if the bakery has any macaroons. I'll see what she thinks.
5 Often, see to it. ensure, assure, make sure or certain, mind,
be vigilant: It's cold outside, so see that you dress warmly.
6 accompany, escort, show, lead, conduct, usher, take, convoy,
bring, walk, drive: I was seeing Nellie home from a soir‚e at
Aunt Dinah's. 7 go out with, socialize with, keep company with,
consort with, associate with; court, woo; Colloq go steady with,
Chiefly US date: Are you still seeing that boy you met at the
school dance? 8 make up one's mind, think over, mull over,
consider, ponder (on or over), contemplate, decide, reflect
(on), meditate (on or over or about), ruminate (on or over),
brood over: Mother said she'd see whether I could go. Then I
asked father, and he said he'd see. 9 receive, meet (with), talk
or speak with, confer with, consult (with), have a word with,
sit down with, visit with, interview; welcome, greet: The
ambassador will see you now. 10 undergo, experience, go
through, endure, survive: He saw service overseas during the
war. 11 help, aid, assist, support, finance, pay the way for;
guide, shepherd: She saw three children through university
without anyone's help. 12 see about. a see to, attend to, look
after, take care or charge of, look to, organize, manage, do,
undertake, sort out; think about, consider, give some thought
to, pay attention or heed to: Could you please see about
feeding the horses while I am away? I asked Martin and he said
he'd see about it. b investigate, study, probe, look into, make
enquiries or inquiries, enquire or inquire about: The teacher
said she would see about letting us out early before the
holiday. 13 see off. bid adieu or bon voyage: We went to the
airport to see them off. 14 see through. a penetrate, detect,
perceive, Slang be wise to: She saw through your subterfuge at

once. b see (something) through. persevere, persist, manage,
survive, last, ride out, Colloq stick out: Once you start on
something, I wish you'd see it through. c see (someone)
through. provide with help or aid or assistance, help, aid,
assist, last: We'll give you enough money to see you through.
15 see to. See 12(a), above.

seed n. 1 grain, spore, kernel, pit, tuber, bulb, corm, Technical
ovum, ovule, embryo, egg, germ: Add water and the seeds will
soon germinate. 2 origin, source, cause, root, provocation,
reason, basis, grounds; motive, motivation, motivating factor:
The seeds of suspicion were sown by the continuous police
presence in the neighbourhood. 3 offspring, children, progeny,
young, issue, descendants, heirs, successors: Yea, and verily I
say unto you that his seed shall populate the earth. 4 go or run
to seed. run down, become dilapidated or worn out or shabby,
decay, go downhill, decline, degenerate, deteriorate, go to rack
and ruin, Colloq go to pot: If he doesn't start to look after
it, the entire place will go to seed.


--v. 5 scatter, sow, distribute: Don't walk on the freshly
seeded lawn.

seedy adj. 1 shabby, dilapidated, worn (out), decayed, deteriorated,
run-down, broken-down, mangy, grubby, decaying, tatty, scruffy,
squalid, sleazy, Colloq ratty: They live in a seedy little
shack on the other side of town. 2 tired, weary, wearied,
run-down, worn out, unwell, out of sorts, ailing, ill, sickly,
Colloq poorly, under the weather, off one's feed: I begged off
at dinner time because I was feeling a bit seedy.

seeing conjunction. in view of (the fact that), whereas, in (the)
light of, inasmuch as, since, considering: Seeing that you are
here, you might as well tell her yourself.


seek v. 1 look (for), search (for), hunt (for), go or be after,
quest after, pursue: They are seeking a really good site for a
grand luxury hotel. Seek and ye shall find. 2 hope, aim,
aspire, try, essay, endeavour, undertake: They are seeking to
recruit members for the new party. 3 ask for, request, beg,
solicit, invite; demand: He sought her help and she refused
him.

seem v. appear, look (as if or non-standard in US like), sound,
feel, have (all) the hallmarks or earmarks of, give every
indication or appearance of: He seems all right to me. She
seems to have forgotten her key again. It seems as if I've never
been away at all. He seemed frightened.

seeming adj. apparent, evident, ostensible, outward, superficial,
surface, assumed, feigned, pretended, false, so-called, alleged,
specious, purported, professed: She was shocked by his seeming
indifference to her problems.

seemingly adv. apparently, evidently, ostensibly, outwardly,
superficially, falsely, allegedly, speciously, purportedly,
professedly, on the face of it, possibly, feasibly, conceivably,
plausibly, believably: The purpose of this seemingly honest
confession was to throw the detectives off the scent.

seemly adj. 1 proper, fitting, appropriate, becoming, suited,
suitable, fit, befitting, apt, comme il faut, right, apropos,
apposite, characteristic, meet, reasonable, sensible: You can
count on Felix to do the seemly thing in such cases. 2 decent,
decorous, proper, dignified, genteel, gentlemanly, ladylike,
diplomatic, discreet, prudent, politic: She behaved in a seemly
manner, in keeping with what was expected of a princess.


seer n. soothsayer, fortune-teller, sibyl, oracle, prophet,
prophetess, augur, vaticinator, prophesier, clairvoyant,
psychic, crystal-gazer, star-gazer: The seer foretold a grave
famine and much suffering in the land.


see-saw n. 1 teeter: The children were playing on the see-saw.

--v. 2 teeter, totter, waver, vary, vacillate, oscillate,
alternate, fluctuate, swing, switch: He couldn't make up his
mind and kept see-sawing between staying and going.

seethe v. 1 boil, stew, simmer, foam: In the kitchen, a large pot of
stew seethed on the stove. 2 stew, simmer, foam (at the mouth),
fume, smoulder, burn, rage, rant, rave, become livid or
feverish, be in ferment, be furious or incensed, Colloq blow
one's stack or top, carry on, take on, get hot under the collar,
get red in the face, get all steamed up: The ball sailed
through Mr Griffiths' new greenhouse and he came out seething

with rage.

see-through
adj. sheer, diaphanous, gauzy, transparent, translucent,
gossamer, filmy, peekaboo: She was wearing a see-through
neglig‚e when she appeared at the door.

segment n. 1 section, part, division, portion, component, element;
piece, fraction, fragment, length, joint, slice, wedge: Only a
narrow segment of the population supports the new measures. She
divided the orange into three equal segments.

--v. 2 divide, partition, section, separate, part, cleave,
split, subdivide, fragment: The department was then further
segmented into smaller units, each with its own manager.

segregate v. separate, segment, partition, isolate, seclude, sequester,
set apart, compartmentalize, exclude, ostracize, discriminate
against: In the sorting process, each size must be segregated
into its own compartment. Their policy was to segregate the
Blacks from the rest of the population.

segregation
n. separation, segmentation, partition, isolation, seclusion,
sequestration, setting apart, compartmentalization, exclusion,
ostracism, discrimination, apartheid, US Jim Crowism: No modern
culture can long survive a segregation of the races.

seize v. 1 Sometimes, seize on. grab, grasp, clutch, take (hold of),
grip, snatch: Robin felt that he had to seize every opportunity
that presented itself. The dog seized the robber by the seat of
the pants. 2 capture, catch, arrest, take into custody, take
prisoner, apprehend, round up, Colloq pinch, nab, collar, pick
up, Brit nick, Slang bust: The police seized him as he was
trying to leave the country. 3 catch, transfix, stop, hold,
possess, take possession of, afflict, beset, visit, subject: I
was seized by a sudden desire to kiss those quivering, pouting
lips. 4 take advantage of, make good use of: When their
attention was diverted, I seized the opportunity to escape. 5
confiscate, take (away), commandeer, appropriate, capture, take
possession of, impound: Ten tons of cannabis was seized in the
raid. 6 seize up, bind, jam, stop, lock (up), stick, freeze
(up): Because of the excessive heat, the gears seized and the

engine stalled.

seizure n. 1 seizing, confiscating, confiscation, appropriation,
impounding, commandeering, capture, taking, possession,
annexation, sequestration, usurpation: Police today announced
the seizure of a shipment of 2000 pounds of cocaine. 2 spasm,
attack, fit, paroxysm, convulsion, Technical ictus: He has had
another seizure and is not expected to live.


seldom adv. rarely, infrequently, not often, hardly ever, very
occasionally: Since they moved away, we seldom see the
Pattersons.

select v. 1 choose, pick, show (a) preference for, prefer, opt for,
single out, hand-pick, distinguish: Select any two books from
this pile. Anne was delighted to be selected from hundreds of
candidates.

--adj. 2 selected, chosen, hand-picked, choice, special,
preferred, preferable, favoured, favourite, exceptional,
excellent, first-rate, first-class, superior, supreme, prime,
better, best, finest, tiptop: We have set aside some of our
select jewels for you to consider, Your Ladyship. 3 limited,
restricted, restrictive, exclusive, privileged, ‚lite, closed:
He belongs to one of those select clubs that accept you only if
your family can be traced back five hundred years.

selection n. 1 choice, pick, preference, option: Please make your
selection from the merchandise in this display. 2 assortment,
variety, collection, range, batch, number, set, series, group:
Tonight I shall play for you a selection of jazz recordings made
at the Savoy. 3 selecting, choosing, picking, singling out,
electing, settling on, voting for, opting for, choice, pick,
election: Selection has been delayed till tomorrow. 4 extract,
quotation, excerpt, abstract, passage, piece, quote: I shall
read you a selection from Blake's Songs of Innocence and
Experience .

selective adj. particular, discerning, discriminative, discriminating,
discriminatory, eclectic, exacting, demanding, choosy, Colloq
picky: Thea has been very selective in her choice of partners.

self-abuse

n. masturbation, onanism, self-gratification, auto-eroticism or
autoerotism, self-stimulation, self-manipulation,
self-pollution, self-defilement, self-contamination, Technical
manustupration: Victorian schoolboys were punished if suspected
of self-abuse.

self-confidence
n. confidence, self-assurance, self-respect, self-esteem,
assurance, poise, aplomb, self-reliance, self-sufficiency:
Harrigan has demonstrated that he has the self-confidence to run
the department.

self-confident
adj. confident, self-assured, assured, poised, self-reliant,
secure, sure of oneself, positive, definite, assertive,
independent: She seems much more self-confident, relaxed, and
contented these days.

self-conscious
adj. embarrassed, coy, diffident, shy, modest, self-effacing,
sheepish, shrinking, retiring, unsure, apprehensive, reserved,
insecure, affected, awkward, nervous, uncomfortable, hesitant,
timid, timorous: Phil felt a bit self-conscious about asking
Maria to the dance.


self-contained
adj. 1 self-possessed, unemotional, self-controlled, in
control, composed, serene, peaceful, calm, tranquil, cool,
collected, even-tempered, detached, imperturbable, unruffled,
undisturbed, unperturbed, controlled, placid, grave, serious,
sober, solemn, Colloq unflappable: Sometimes I think Frank is a
little too self-contained. 2 reserved, controlled, distant,
aloof, formal, withdrawn, reticent, standoffish: Gregory is so
self-contained that he did not tell anyone that he was ill, not
even his wife. 3 whole, entire, complete, stand-alone, unitary:
The house has been divided into five self-contained apartments.

self-control
n. 1 self-discipline, self-restraint, restraint, self-denial,
control, will-power, strength (of character or of mind or of
will), mettle, fortitude, moral fibre, determination,
self-possession, resoluteness, resolve, will, constancy,
steadfastness, perseverance, doggedness, obduracy, persistence,

Facetious US won't-power: Can I exercise the self-control
needed to stop smoking? 2 calmness, tranquillity, serenity,
placidity, imperturbability, cool-headedness, coolness, poise,
level-headedness, patience, aplomb, dignity, equanimity,
forbearance, control, restraint, self-restraint, even temper:
You exhibited marvellous self-control by not losing your temper
when you were insulted.

self-denial
n. 1 self-sacrifice,self-abnegation, renunciation,
selflessness, altruism, unselfishness, magnanimity: His
contributions must have been made at the cost of some
self-denial. 2 hardship, suffering, self-mortification,
asceticism, privation, renunciation, renouncing, abstemiousness,
abstinence, abstention, self-deprivation, keeping away from,
refusal, refusing, giving up, desisting, Colloq swearing off:
As far as certain foods are concerned, a little self-denial is
good for one's health. 3 See self-control, 1, above.


self-esteem
n. 1 conceit, vanity, egoism, narcissism, self-centredness,
egotism, amour propre, self-approbation, self-satisfaction,
self-admiration, self-love, self-adulation, self-idolatry,
smugness, self-importance, self-regard: The arrogant,
overweening self-esteem of some of the club members is
unbearable. 2 See self-confidence, above.

self-evident
adj. evident, obvious, patent, clear, incontrovertible,
definite, express, distinct, clear-cut, apparent, unmistakable
or unmistakeable, undeniable, inescapable, incontestable, plain,
axiomatic, proverbial, manifest, true, palpable, tangible: Her
guilt seemed self-evident at first. The gradual destruction of
the beaches is self-evident.


self-government
n. 1 self-rule, independence, self-determination, home rule,
autonomy, freedom: The satellite countries, one by one, voted
for self-government. 2 See self-control, 1 above.


self-important
adj. conceited, self-centred, self-seeking, self-absorbed,
vain, egotistic(al), self-satisfied, smug, pompous,

swollen-headed, swell-headed, arrogant, overweening,
overbearing, vainglorious, self-glorifying, self-engrossed,
presumptuous, snobbish, haughty, Colloq snooty, Slang snotty,
stuck-up: That self-important little cockalorum ought to be
taken down a few pegs.

self-indulgent
adj. self-gratifying, selfish, self-gratifying, extravagant,
sensual, intemperate, overindulgent, greedy, immoderate,
hedonistic, sybaritic, epicurean, gluttonous, gormandizing,
pleasure-bound, pleasure-seeking, dissolute, dissipating,
licentious, profligate, debauching: David's self-indulgent
habits take no account of his wife and children.


selfish adj. 1 greedy, covetous, grasping, avaricious, self-indulgent,
self-aggrandizing, acquisitive, self-seeking, self-loving,
self-centred, self-absorbed, self-interested, self-serving,
egotistic(al), egoistic(al): They pursue success for their own
selfish ends. 2 stingy, mean, mercenary, tight, tight-fisted,
narrow, penurious, parsimonious, miserly, niggardly,
penny-pinching, cheese-paring, ungenerous, illiberal, grudging,
uncharitable, possessive, inconsiderate, thoughtless: He is so
selfish that he won't even give you the right time.


selfless adj. open, charitable, unselfish, self-denying, generous,
altruistic, ungrudging, magnanimous, considerate, thoughtful;
self-sacrificing: Always ready to help anyone with a need,
Archer is the most selfless man I know.


self-made adj. independent, self-reliant, entrepreneurial,
self-sufficient: She is a self-made woman and has accomplished
it all without anyone else's help.

self-possessed
adj. composed, cool, serene, placid, collected, self-assured,
peaceful, calm, tranquil, even-tempered, detached,
imperturbable, unruffled, undisturbed, unperturbed, controlled,
dignified, refined, Colloq unflappable: Considering what she
has been through, Tanya is quite self-possessed for a teenager.


self-respect
n. honour, dignity, integrity, self-regard, self-esteem, pride,
amour propre, morale: He managed to maintain a semblance of his

self-respect despite the accusations hurled at him.

self-righteous
adj. Pharisaic(al), sanctimonious, holier-than-thou, pietistic,
mealy-mouthed, hypocritical, complacent, smug, self-satisfied,
priggish, superior, tartuffian, canting, Colloq goody-goody,
Slang Brit pi: Butter would not melt in the mouth of that
self-righteous hypocrite!


self-styled
adj. would-be, self-called, soi-disant, professed,
self-appointed, self-christened, so-called, quasi-: The
building has been designed by a firm of self-styled
'neo-traditionalist' architects.


self-sufficient
adj. independent, self-reliant, self-supporting,
self-sustaining: Agriculture will soon reach the point where
the country is self-sufficient for food.


self-willed
adj. headstrong, determined, forceful, refractory, stubborn,
obstinate, pigheaded, wilful, ungovernable, uncontrollable,
unruly, unmanageable, intractable, contrary, perverse,
uncooperative, contumacious, recalcitrant, stiff-necked,
vexatious, difficult, incorrigible, disobedient: That
self-willed, overindulged little brat needs a good spanking.

sell v. 1 vend, transfer, convey (title), trade, barter, exchange,
dispose of: Sorry, but I sold that car last week. 2 market,
deal in, merchandise, trade in, traffic in, peddle, vend, hawk,
handle, retail, carry, stock, furnish, supply, offer, Colloq
push, Slang Brit flog: We no longer sell that model. She has a
shop selling second-hand clothes. 3 Often, sell out. betray,
inform against, deliver up, give away, Slang rat on, grass on,
tell on, tattle on, sell down the river, blow the whistle on,
double-cross, Brit shop: He swore he'd get the man who sold
him. 4 promote, push, put across or over: He couldn't sell
sand to a beach flea. 5 be sold on. persuaded,convinced, won
over: After seeing that film, I was sold on a holiday in
Mexico.

seller n. dealer, vendor, merchant, retailer, shopkeeper, salesperson,

salesman, saleswoman, saleslady, sales agent, representative,
traveller, travelling salesman, peddler, hawker, colporteur,
sutler, chandler, Old-fashioned counter-jumper, Brit shop
assistant, -monger (as in costermonger, ironmonger, fishmonger,
etc.), US and Canadian sales-clerk, clerk, shop-girl, Colloq
rep, US drummer: Time ran out on his job as a seller of
water-clocks and hourglasses.

semblance n. 1 appearance, image, likeness, resemblance, form, figure,
bearing, aspect, air, look, mien, exterior, mask, fa‡ade, front,
face, show, veneer: Beneath that semblance of tranquillity lies
a turbulent, tortured mind. 2 guise, face, front, fa‡ade, air,
show, veneer, look, pretence, show, cloak, simulation,
impression, affectation, Rare superficies: You might try to
give the sculpture at least a semblance of reality.

seminal adj. 1 original, basic, creative, primary, prime, formative,
innovative, imaginative, new, unprecedented, precedent-setting,
landmark, benchmark, important, influential, telling:
Michaelson's paper is considered the seminal work on the
subject. It sets forth many seminal ideas. 2 embryonic,
germinal, potential, undeveloped, incipient: Each seed contains
a seminal plant.


seminary n. academy, school, institute, institution, college,
university, training ground: His three daughters had all
attended an exclusive seminary on the East Coast.

send v. 1 Sometimes, send off. dispatch or despatch, commission,
charge, depute, delegate, assign: The pope sent an emissary to
London. 2 communicate, transmit, convey, deliver, consign,
address to, mail, post, fax, remit, ship, forward; broadcast,
telecast, televise, radio, telegraph: The message is being sent
to all concerned. 3 release, discharge, shoot, propel, fire,
fling, project, hurl; cast, throw, toss, let fly: With a great
burst of flame the satellite was sent into orbit. 4 delight,
please, charm, enrapture, stir, thrill, move, electrify, Slang
turn (someone) on: That saxophone solo really sends me. 5 send
down. imprison, incarcerate, send away, jail or Brit also gaol
Slang US send up (the river): If she doesn't mend her ways,
she'll be sent down. 6 send for. call for, summon, order,
request, ask for: I have sent for a taxi which should be here
shortly. 7 send forth or out. emit, radiate, discharge, give

off, exude, grow: The object sent forth a strange
phosphorescent glow. In the spring, the vine sends forth
tendrils. 8 send off. send (someone) away, send (someone) away
or off with a flea in his or her ear, dismiss, discharge, send
(someone) packing, send (someone) about his or her business,
Colloq give (someone) his or her walking papers, Slang give
(someone) the brushoff, US give (someone) the brush: I went to
the office as you instructed, but they just sent me off with no
explanation. 9 send up. a lampoon, satirize, burlesque, parody,
make fun of, Colloq take off, spoof, Brit take the mickey out
of: In Britain one of the enduring forms of humour is in
sending up the government. b imprison, incarcerate, send away,
jail or Brit also gaol, Slang US send up the river: He was sent
up for insider trading.


senile adj. (of a woman) anile; senescent, decrepit, declining,
failing, in one's dotage, doting, doddering, in one's second
childhood, dotty, simple, feeble-minded; forgetful, Colloq past
it: He's senile and needs constant care.


senility n. (of a woman) anility; senile dementia, Alzheimer's disease,
senescence, decrepitude, decline, dotage, second childhood, loss
of one's faculties: An increased life-span has created
increased cases of senility.


senior adj. elder, older, Brit (postpositive) major; (higher-)
ranking, superior, chief: The senior members of the club are
impossibly stuffy. You must not address your senior officer in
such a manner.


senior citizen
n. elderly person, retired person, pensioner, Brit OAP
(='old-age pensioner'), grey panther, Chiefly US retiree,
golden-ager: Special tax provisions have been made for senior
citizens.

sensation n. 1 feeling, sense, impression, perception, foreboding,
presentiment, prescience, awareness, suspicion, Colloq sneaking
suspicion, funny feeling, hunch: I had the distinct sensation
of having been there before. 2 commotion, stir, thrill, furore
or US furor; excitement: The news of the wedding caused a
sensation. 3 hit, coup de th‚ƒtre, success, Colloq
show-stopper, crowd-puller, crowd-pleaser: Edith Piaf was a

sensation at Le Th‚ƒtre de la Verdure in Nice.

sensational
adj. 1 exciting, stimulating, electrifying, galvanizing,
shocking, hair-raising, spine-tingling, thrilling, stirring,
breathtaking, amazing, astonishing, astounding, staggering,
mind-boggling, unbelievable, incredible, spectacular, Slang
mind-blowing: They certainly put on a sensational show - the
best I have ever seen. 2 lurid, vivid, overdone, overdrawn,
extreme, melodramatic, exaggerated, dramatic, extravagant: The
weekly I worked for insisted that each issue's first page carry
a sensational story - whether it was true or not. 3 (very) good,
great, marvellous, wonderful, superior, superb, matchless,
peerless, unequalled, nonpareil, extraordinary, terrific,
phenomenal, splendid, fabulous, fantastic, stupendous, Colloq
super, smashing, Slang far-out: Suzanne Peters's performance
was sensational in Carmen .

sense n. 1 faculty: It's not always easy to tell if Brown's senses
are all functioning. 2 common sense, intelligence, perception,
quick-wittedness, quickness, (mother) wit, judgement, reason,
wisdom, sagacity, discrimination, discernment; sanity, Colloq
brains, Slang Brit nous: Fancy doing something like that! - she
hasn't the sense she was born with! 3 See sensation, 1, above.
4 meaning, intelligibility, coherence, head or tail, drift,
gist, import, purport, nuance, significance, message, substance:
I was unable to get any sense out of what she was saying. Yes, I
wasn't able to make sense out of it either. 5 sentiment,
atmosphere, impression, intuition, sensation: I had a sense of
being de trop - that I was not wanted.

--v. 6 feel, perceive, detect, divine, intuit, have a hunch or
feeling, have or get or be under the impression that, suspect,
Colloq have a funny feeling that, feel (something) in one's
bones, pick up: I sensed a certain antagonism in that last
remark. I sensed that he was getting bored with me.

senseless adj. 1 insensible, unconscious, (knocked) out (cold), stunned,
insensate, comatose: Agatha's head hit the fire-grate and she
was borne senseless to her room. 2 numb(ed), insensate,
unfeeling, benumbed, unfeeling, insensible, anaesthetized, dead,
deadened, insentient: My feet are senseless from the cold. 3
pointless, purposeless, ridiculous, ludicrous, unintelligent,

illogical, irrational, incongruous, meaningless, absurd, wild,
mad, crazy, demented, insane, asinine, nonsensical, imbecilic or
imbecile, idiotic, moronic, simple-minded, fatuous, stupid,
foolish, silly, dizzy, halfwitted, mindless, brainless, witless,
empty-headed, thimble-witted, pea-brained, bird-brained,
hare-brained, feather-headed, rattle-brained, addle-pated,
muddle-headed, Colloq daft, US daffy, nutty, batty, Slang wacky,
dippy: Many of the government's objections to the plan are just
senseless posturing. He is promoting some senseless plan for
double-decker motorways.

sensibility
n. 1 See sensitivity, 3, below. 2 Often, sensibilities.
feelings, responsiveness, responsivity, emotions, sentiments:
Personal events are more likely to affect our sensibilities than
major disasters in which we are not involved.

sensible adj. 1 reasonable, realistic, logical, common-sense,
commonsensical, rational, reasoned, sound, practical, prudent,
judicious, discreet, intelligent, sage, wise, sane;
down-to-earth, matter-of-fact, well-thought-out: Do you really
think it sensible to go out in this storm? Andrew has a very
sensible way of dealing with junk mail - he returns it to
sender. 2 perceivable, perceptible, detectable, evident,
discernible, recognizable, ascertainable, apprehensible,
cognizable, manifest, palpable, physical, tangible, corporeal,
substantive, material, visible, observable, seeable: Some
maintain that in addition to the sensible world there is another
world, an anti-world, that we do not normally encounter. 3
sentient, feeling, sensitive, live, conscious, aware: Who among
us ever regards microbes as sensible creatures? 4 Usually,
sensible of or to. conscious (of), aware (of), acquainted
(with), cognizant (of), sensitive (to), alive to, mindful (of),
understanding (of), in touch (with), observant (of), awake (to),
alert (to), Slang wise (to), hip or old-fashioned hep (to): The
people of the village are ever sensible to the needs of their
neighbours. There are some things to which we are not at all
sensible. 5 appreciable, significant, considerable, substantial,
substantive, noticeable: The theory is that an increased
interest rate will have a sensible effect on the rate of
inflation.

sensitive adj. 1 delicate, tender, sore, susceptible: My arm is still

sensitive where I got the injection. 2 touchy, susceptible,
susceptive, reactive, responsive, attuned, impressionable,
emotional, thin-skinned, vulnerable, supersensitive,
hypersensitive, testy, irascible, quarrelsome, irritable,
volatile, excitable, temperamental, petulant, hot-tempered,
quick-tempered: Liz is very sensitive on the subject of being
unmarried, and I shouldn't bring it up. 3 finely tuned,
delicate, responsive, subtle, acute, reactive, receptive: We
need a more sensitive test to detect neutrinos. This radio is
not sensitive enough to receive distant stations.

sensitivity
n. 1 sensitiveness, delicacy, touchiness, over-sensitivity,
hypersensitivity, supersensitivity; soreness, irritability: The
sensitivity of teenagers to criticism is well known to teachers
and parents. She complained of sensitivity and pain in the
pelvic region. 2 compassion, concern, sympathy, tenderness,
tender-heartedness, kind-heartedness, kindliness, warmth,
feeling: The nurses exhibit a genuine sensitivity for the
problems of the handicapped. 3 awareness, consciousness,
acuteness, perception, understanding, intuition, feeling, sense,
sensitivity, sensitiveness, receptivity or receptiveness,
receptibility, appreciation, appreciativeness, susceptibility,
susceptivity or susceptiveness: Harvey has a keen sensitivity
for the feelings of others. Sometimes I think the duke lacks the
sensitivity needed to sympathize with the needy.

sensual adj. physical, appetitive, voluptuous, carnal, bodily, fleshly,
erotic, sexual, lustful, unchaste, abandoned, dissolute,
profligate, dissipated, licentious, lewd, lascivious, lubricious
or lubricous, goatish, hircine, lecherous, libidinous,
salacious, prurient, rakish, wanton, debauched, Cyprian, loose,
dirty, Slang randy: Cranston pursued his sensual pleasures with
no regard for morality.


sensualist
n. lecher, profligate, wanton, debauchee, rou‚, rake, Romeo,
Don Juan, Casanova, Lothario, libertine; voluptuary, hedonist,
sybarite, bon viveur, bon vivant, epicure, epicurean, gourmet,
gourmand, gastronome, pleasure-seeker: The main character in
the film is a self-seeking sensualist who betrays every woman in
his life.

sensuous adj. sensory, sybaritic, epicurean, hedonist(ic), sumptuous,
luxurious, rich: She felt sensuous delight in the scents and
sounds of the island.


sentence n. judgement, decision, ruling, verdict, decree, determination;
punishment, Slang rap: It is up to the judge to announce the
sentence of the court. Asked by his teacher for an example of a
short sentence, Johnny replied, 'Thirty days'.


sentiment n. 1 attitude, feeling, sensibility, emotion, susceptibility,
tenderness, tender-heartedness, sentimentality, sentimentalism:
He wanted to preserve the old village square more out of
sentiment than because it was historically important. 2 Often,
sentiments. view, outlook, opinion, position, attitude,
judgement, thought, belief, feeling, emotion: His sentiments
regarding apartheid are better left unexpressed.

sentimental
adj. 1 emotional, sympathetic, compassionate, tender,
warm-hearted, tender-hearted: Has he returned for sentimental
reasons or for practical and mercenary ones? 2 romantic,
nostalgic, emotional, maudlin, mawkish, over-emotional, tender,
tearful, weepy, sickening, nauseating, simpering, sweet,
saccharine, Colloq sloppy, gooey, sticky, tacky, mushy, slushy,
gushy, soppy, drippy, tear-jerking, ill-making, sick-making,
Slang corny, schmaltzy, icky, yucky or yukky: His last tune is
always some sentimental ballad like 'Good Night, Sweetheart'.

sentimentality
n. romanticism, nostalgia, pathos, emotionalism, maudlinism,
bathos, mawkishness, over-emotionalism, tenderness, tearfulness,
weepiness, sweetness, Colloq sloppiness, gooeyness, mushiness,
slushiness, gushiness, soppiness, drippiness, US stickiness,
tackiness, Slang corn, corniness, schmaltz, schmaltziness,
ickiness, yuckiness or yukkiness: The role of the bereaved
mother was overplayed with enough gushing sentimentality to make
one sick.

sentinel n. sentry, guard, watchman, watch, picket, lookout, patrol:
The sentinels measured out the ramparts of the fortress with
their regular paces.

separable adj. distinguishable, segregable, detachable, divisible,

severable, removable, fissile, scissile: Unfortunately, as
history demonstrates, morality and religion are separable.

separate v. 1 disjoin, pull or take or break apart, come or fall apart,
fall or take or break to pieces, split or divide or break (up),
split or break (off or away), disconnect, disengage, part,
partition, sort (out), uncouple, disarticulate, disassemble,
unhook, detach, disunite, unyoke, disentangle, unravel: In
order to clean it, I first have to separate all the individual
elements of the motor. The glue didn't hold, and the vase
separated into a dozen fragments. Separate this yarn into
different piles. 2 distinguish, discriminate, analyse, sort,
break down, classify, segregate, single out, sequester, type,
codify, organize, split up; group, collate: What criteria are
used to separate the men from the boys, the sheep from the
goats, or the wheat from the chaff? 3 split or break up, part
(company), divide (up), disband, divorce: After ten years we
separated, and each went our own way. 4 fork, split (up or
off), bifurcate, diverge, branch: Beyond the river, the road to
Norton separates from the main road.

--adj. 5 divided, separated, disjoined, disconnected, detached,
isolated, discrete, distinct, individual, independent, solitary,
different: Sort these books by subject into separate piles. 6
different, independent, unrelated, other: How you behave when
you are not at home is a separate matter. 7 withdrawn,
solitary, alone, shut or closed off or away, apart, detached,
removed, cloistered, secluded, sequestered, isolated, separated:
He prefers a separate existence, far away from the rest of the
world.

separately
adv. individually, independently, singly, one by one, one at a
time, personally, alone, severally: Each child approached
separately to wish her Bon Voyage.

separation
n. 1 rift, break, split, split-up, divorce, break-up, disunion,
estrangement: Their separation, after forty years, was a
surprise. 2 partition, division, split, schism, dividing line,
dissociation, disassociation, severance: The United States
constitution provides for the separation of church and state. 3
disintegration, shattering, break-up, fragmentation,

dismemberment, taking or keeping apart, segregation, division,
disjoining, disjunction, fission, scission, rupture, schism,
splitting, split, fracturing, fracture, break: After a crash,
investigators supervise the separation of the aeroplane into its
tens of thousands of component parts.

sepulchre n. tomb, mausoleum, burial-vault, grave, crypt, pyramid,
burial-place: Beneath the floor of the church are the
sepulchres of important people.


sequel n. follow-up, upshot, issue, result, consequence, development,
supplement: The ruling went against him, but there was a
curious sequel when he was suddenly offered an out-of-court
settlement. They are showing the film Jean de Florette ,
together with its sequel Manon des Sources .

sequence n. succession, progression, order, series, chain, string,
course, cycle, arrangement, organization, train, line, set, run,
concatenation, system: His description conflicts with the
sequence of events as recorded by the video camera. Some of
these dates are out of sequence.

sequential
adj. successive, ordered, orderly, serial, progressive,
organized, systematic, cyclic, continuous: Would you please put
these periodicals into sequential order?

seraphic adj. angelic, celestial, divine, heavenly, blissful, sublime,
empyrean, Elysian, ethereal, holy, saintly, godly: In her later
years, Anna's beauty took on a detached, seraphic quality.

serene adj. 1 peaceful, tranquil, calm, pacific, peaceable, restful,
halcyon, idyllic, bucolic, pastoral, undisturbed, unruffled,
imperturbable, unperturbed, untroubled, quiet, still: With the
turmoil of the love affair behind her, Sharon looked ahead to a
more serene life. 2 calm, cool, collected, placid, composed,
self-possessed, poised, unexcitable, even-tempered, temperate,
nonchalant, easygoing, cool-headed, easy, Colloq unflappable:
Beneath William's serene exterior lay a seething, churning
miasma of violent lust.

serenity n. 1 peacefulness, peace, tranquillity, calm, calmness,
restfulness, quiet, stillness: The serenity of the warm

summer's evening was shattered by an enormous explosion. 2
tranquillity, peacefulness, peaceableness, unexcitability,
calmness, calm, composure, self-possession, poise, aplomb,
even-temperedness, temperance, nonchalance, cool-headedness,
placidity, Colloq unflappability: The serenity of her nature
was like a safe harbour to the friends who sought comfort from
the turbulence of their lives.

serious adj. 1 grave, solemn, earnest, unsmiling, poker-faced,
straight-faced, sedate, sober, pensive, thoughtful; humourless,
sombre, grim, dour, severe: One should be wary of the person
who is always serious, who cannot see the ludicrous side of
life. 2 grave, important, vital, dangerous, weighty,
significant, momentous, crucial, consequential, life-and-death
or life-or-death, urgent, pressing; no laughing matter, of
consequence or moment or importance: Things like the greenhouse
effect and the hole in the ozone layer are serious concerns for
all mankind. 3 sincere, straightforward, not joking or fooling,
genuine, honest: Is he serious about wanting me to fetch him a
left-handed wrench? 4 acute, critical, life-threatening, bad,
dangerous, nasty, perilous, alarming, grave, severe, precarious:
His condition is serious and we might have to operate tonight.
She had no idea that measles could be such a serious illness.


seriously adv. 1 gravely, badly, severely, critically: Two men were
seriously injured in the explosion. 2 really, honestly, Scout's
honour, sincerely, truly, candidly, openly, Colloq joking or
kidding aside, no joking or kidding or fooling, cross one's
heart (and hope to die): Seriously, kids, I meant what I said
about going to bed on time, or no treats tomorrow at the beach.
3 soberly, earnestly, unquestioningly, without a doubt, at face
value: What teacher takes seriously that old story about a
grandmother's illness as an excuse for absence?


sermon n. 1 lecture, lesson, preaching, reprimand, reproach, reproof,
remonstration, remonstrance, scolding, harangue, Colloq
talking-to, dressing-down: Mother gave me a long sermon last
night about getting home late. 2 homily, address, exhortation,
lesson, lecture, speech, talk, discourse: We thought that
Father Keiller's sermon on vanity was especially appropriate.

serpentine
adj. 1 evil, bad, diabolical, satanic, Mephistophelian,

reptilian, devilish, wily, cunning, conniving, sneaky, shrewd,
artful, crafty, slick, sly, insidious, shifty, tricky, scheming,
plotting, Machiavellian: With serpentine deceit she swore that
she had returned the ring. 2 twisting, winding, tortuous,
snaking, snakelike, sinuous, anfractuous, roundabout,
meandering, ambagious, indirect, devious, crooked, labyrinthine,
vermicular, vermiculate, complex, complicated, Byzantine: The
amulet was traced through a serpentine trail of ownership back
to Xerxes.


serrated adj. sawlike, saw-shaped, sawtoothed, toothed, notched, zigzag,
jagged, serrate, serriform, serratiform, serrulate(d),
crenellated, crenulate, crenate, denticulate: A knife with a
serrated edge would cut the meat more easily.


serried adj. ranked, tiered, row on row, ranged, assembled, packed,
close, compacted, compact: The serried army of brightly clad
warriors stretched as far as the eye could see.


servant n. 1 domestic (servant), help, retainer; maid, maidservant,
parlour-maid, upstairs maid, lady's maid, cleaner, cleaning man,
cleaning woman, amah; housekeeper, chatelaine, major-domo,
factotum, steward, seneschal, butler, houseman, houseboy, boy,
page; valet, man, gentleman's gentleman, manservant,
serving-man, footman, foot-boy, chauffeur, driver, attendant,
groom; governess, au pair (girl), nurse, nursemaid, ayah; cook,
chef, waiter, waitress, stewardess, wine steward, sommelier (des
vins); menial, lackey, dogsbody, Archaic servitor, Historical
coachman, postilion, serving-woman, serving-girl, servant-girl,
serving-wench, scullery-maid, scullion, Literary cup-boy,
Ganymede, Chiefly Brit nanny, Brit boots, charwoman, charlady,
daily, tweeny, US scrubwoman: Who can afford to keep domestic
servants these days? 2 civil servant. civil-service employee or
worker, public servant, (government or State) official,
office-holder, government worker: In his capacity as a civil
servant, Richard has worked for several different governments.

serve v. 1 attend (to), wait on or upon, minister to, look after (the
needs of), be at (someone's) beck and call, assist, help, be of
assistance or help, be in the service of, oblige, accommodate,
gratify: After a patron is seated and settled, approach him and
ask, 'May I serve you, Sir (or Madam, as the case may be ) ?' We
serve all customers with equal consideration. 2 fulfil or carry

out or perform or discharge (a function or a duty or one's
duty), work (for), do (duty) (as or for), do one's part,
suffice, be used or of use or useful (to or for), function (as
or to), act (as or to), fill the bill, be serviceable (as or
for), be available (for), answer (for), be sufficient or
adequate or suitable, suit, be advantageous or of advantage
(to); fight (for), be obedient (to), take one's part: This
catch will serve to keep the door closed. I had no screw driver,
but a coin served just as well. They also serve who only stand
and wait. 3 distribute, deal out, dole out, give out, present,
set out, provide, supply, offer, pass out or about or around,
make available, come (a)round with, dish up or out: They will
serve hors-d'oeuvres at seven-thirty. Dinner is served, Madam. 4
be convenient or opportune or favourable (to): If the
opportunity serves me, I shall repay you many times over. 5 not
fail, not play tricks (on), work or function (for), be accurate
or correct: If memory serves, he was last here about ten years
ago. 6 go through, complete, spend, last, endure, survive:
Henryson served ten years in Dartmoor for that crime.


service n. 1 help, assistance, aid, use, usefulness, utility, benefit,
advantage: May I be of service to you? You could do me a great
service by not saying anything of this to my mother. 2
maintenance, overhaul, servicing, checking, repair, mending:
Must we send the copier out for service or can they do it in the
office? 3 serving, accommodation, amenities, waiting, care: The
food is good but the service leaves much to be desired. 4
employment, employ: How long have you been in my service,
Jones? 5 use, utilization, usage, handling: This old teapot
has seen much service. 6 assignment, post, appointment,
Military Brit secondment: Oscar was on service in the Far East
during the war. 7 rite, ceremony, ritual, worship: I shall be
attending a memorial service for Grimes on Saturday. 8 Often,
services. army, navy, air force, marines; armed forces or
services, military: He was a pianist before joining the
service. 9 Often, services. talents, help, professional care,
work, advice: You will need the services of a good accountant.
10 serve, serving; putting into play: Clarke's tennis service
is faster and more accurate than before.


serviceable
adj. 1 workable, working, functional, functioning, usable,
useful, operative, operating: It seems unlikely that the old

tractor will still be serviceable. 2 hard-wearing,
long-wearing, durable, utilitarian, long-lasting, tough,
wear-resistant: I need to buy a serviceable pair of hiking
boots.


servile adj. submissive, subservient, menial, craven, acquiescent,
abject, cringing, slavish, mean, fawning, deferential,
mean-spirited, vile, low, base, ingratiating, grovelling,
obsequious, toadying, toadyish, sycophantish, sycophantic,
truckling, wheedling, unctuous, slimy, flattering, time-serving,
boot-licking, Colloq chiefly Brit smarmy, US and Canadian
apple-polishing, Slang Brit arse-kissing, US ass-kissing, Taboo
slang brown-nosing, Brit arse-licking, US ass-licking: Victor
is constantly trying to gain favour with the directors in the
most servile way.

servility n. submissiveness, submission, subservience, servileness,
acquiescence, abjectness, abjection, cringing, slavishness,
meanness, fawning, mean-spiritedness, vileness, baseness,
grovelling, obsequiousness, obsequence, toadying, toadyism,
sycophancy, sycophantism, truckling, wheedling, unctuousness,
sliminess, flattery, boot-licking, Colloq chiefly Brit
smarminess, US and Canadian apple-polishing, Slang Brit
arse-kissing, US ass-kissing, Taboo slang brown-nosing, Brit
arse-licking, US ass-licking: We are sick of the servility with
which Victor treats the directors.

servitude n. bondage, slavery, thraldom, serfdom, subjugation,
enslavement, subjection, vassalage: They were sentenced to ten
years' penal servitude.

session n. 1 sitting, seating, assembly, conference, meeting, hearing:
Parliament is in session at this very moment. 2 term, period:
The bill will be introduced again at the next session of
Parliament.

set v. 1 set down, place, put, situate, locate, site, plant,
position, station, stand, lay, install or instal, lodge, mount,
park, deposit, plump, drop, plunk or plonk (down): Please set
that blue box over here. 2 go down, sink, decline, subside:
The sun is setting. 3 jell or gel, congeal, freeze, solidify,
stiffen, harden, clot, coagulate, thicken, cake: The concrete
takes a long time to set in this weather. 4 establish, fix,

fasten on, appoint: The date of the wedding has been set for
May 23rd. 5 focus on, home or zero in on, pinpoint, pin down:
When Ivor sets his mind on doing something, it usually gets
done. 6 adjust, regulate, turn, synchronize, fix, calibrate,
coordinate: Set your watches to Greenwich Mean Time. Set the
counter back to zero. 7 present, introduce, establish,
determine, stipulate, lay down, define, indicate, designate,
specify; set or mark off, delineate: Who set the pattern for
such behaviour? You'll have to set the rules. 8 prepare, set up,
concoct, lay, arrange, fix: I think we ought to set a trap for
the burglar. 9 set forth, propound, present, devise, work out
or up, make up, select, choose, decide, settle, establish: Who
is going to set the questions for the examination? 10 arrange,
lay, spread: If you set the table, I'll serve dinner. 11
adjust, move, tilt, fix, place, position, lodge: He set his hat
at a jaunty angle and strode out of the restaurant. 12 set
about. a get or make ready, start, begin, get to work, set in
motion, get under way, start the ball rolling, break the ice,
undertake, launch, tackle, address oneself to, enter upon,
Colloq get cracking: It's time you set about deciding what you
want to do for a living. b attack, assail, assault, beat up:
The gang set about him with clubs. 13 set against. a compare,
evaluate, rate, balance, weigh, juxtapose, contrast: If you set
his assets against his liabilities, he comes off pretty well. b
antagonize, set at odds, alienate, divide, disunite: They
succeeded in setting brother against brother. 14 set apart. a
distinguish, separate, differentiate: His talent for language
sets him apart from the others. b reserve, put or set aside,
store, earmark, put away, lay away, set by, save, keep back: I
set apart this piece of chocolate just for you. 15 set aside.
a See 14 (b), above. b annul, cancel, nullify, declare or
render null and void, reverse, repudiate, abrogate, quash,
overturn, overrule, discard: The judge set aside the ruling of
the lower court. 16 set back. put back, hinder, slow, hold up,
retard, delay, impede, obstruct, stay, thwart, frustrate,
inhibit: Completion has been set back because the materials
failed to arrive. 17 set down. a write (down), put in writing,
put down, record, register, mark or jot down, list: The
secretary laboriously set down every word the official said. b
ascribe, assign, attribute, impute, charge: She set down her
failure to win promotion to prejudice on the part of management.
c put down, land: See if you can set the plane down in that
field over there. 18 set forth. a express, voice, propose,

propound, state, offer, submit, suggest, broach, make a motion,
move: Hugo set forth various proposals for the expansion of the
company. b set out or off, put forth or out, begin, start
(out), get under way, go, embark, sally forth, push off, depart,
leave: After much hemming and hawing, Clive finally set forth
on his big adventure. c set out, present, declare, describe,
propose, state, articulate, enunciate: Hermione's theory is set
forth in a lengthy report. 19 set in. begin, become
established, arrive, come: Winter has set in quite early this
year. 20 set off. a ignite, kindle, detonate, light, touch
off, trigger, trip: That little spark set off an explosion that
destroyed the entire plant. b dramatize, enhance, highlight,
throw into relief, show (off), display: The engraving is
beautifully set off by the new mat and frame. c See 18 (b),
above. 21 set on. set upon, attack, assault, pounce on or upon,
fall on or upon, fly at: You were set on by a pack of dogs in
the park? 22 set out. a See 17 (b) and (c), above. b put out,
lay out, arrange, dispose, display: The stallholders are all
setting out their wares for the jewellery fair this morning. 23
set up. a build, put up, erect, assemble, construct, raise,
elevate, put together, arrange, prepare: They are setting up
the Christmas displays over the weekend. b start, begin,
initiate, organize, establish, found; finance, fund, invest in,
back, subsidize: The Crockers are setting up their third shop
in Halsted. His father set him up in business. 24 set upon.
attack, assault, ambush, beat up, fall upon, set about Colloq
mug: The gang set upon him as he was getting home from work.

--n. 25 collection, group, combination, number, grouping,
assortment, selection, arrangement, series: Brackenhall bought
a set of Hogarth etchings from the gallery. 26 clique, coterie,
group, company, circle, ring, crowd, faction, sect, gang: The
set she associates with think nothing of flying to Rio for the
weekend. 27 kit, outfit, rig; equipment, apparatus: When I was
ten, my father bought me a chemistry set. 28 setting, stage set
or setting, scene, mise en scŠne, mounting, scenery: Hunter's
set for Waiting for Godot won a prize.

--adj. 29 fixed, established, determined, predetermined,
arranged, prearranged, decided, customary, usual, normal,
regular, agreed, conventional, habitual, definite, defined,
firm, unvarying, unvaried, unchanging, wonted, rigid, strict,
settled, scheduled: There is a set order in which these things

are done. 30 stereotyped, trite, hackneyed, routine, standard,
traditional, unchanged, unvaried, invariable: He made his set
welcoming speech, as usual dripping with condescension, to the
incoming classes. 31 prepared, ready, fit, primed: Are you all
set to go?

set-back n. hindrance, hitch, check, reverse, reversal, impediment,
block, obstruction, defeat, hold-up, delay, check, rebuff,
upset; relapse; Colloq hiccup: The reduction in arts funding
has resulted in some severe set-backs in certain programmes.
Derek has suffered a set-back and will remain in hospital for a
while.

setting n. mounting, scenery, background, backdrop, locale, location,
surroundings, habitat, home, environs, environment, milieu,
frame, context, site, placement; stage set or setting, mise en
scŠne, scene: It is quite interesting to see how the animals
live in their natural setting. The setting of Hardy's novels is
in the West Country.


settle v. 1 arrange, order, dispose, organize, straighten out, put in
or into order, compose, sort out, classify, coordinate, resolve,
set to rights, reconcile: Ben settled his affairs before
undergoing surgery. 2 Often, settle on or upon. fix (on),
decide (on), establish, appoint, set, confirm, affirm, conclude,
make sure or certain (of), determine, agree (upon or on), pick,
choose, select: Have you been able to settle on a suitable time
to visit Max and Maddy? 3 decide, reconcile, resolve, put an end
to, conclude, clear up, patch up, adjust, negotiate, mediate:
We have settled our differences. 4 Often, settle down. take up
residence, go or come or move to, dwell, reside, make one's
home, abide, remain, stay, live, set up home or house,put down
roots, locate, inhabit, US set up housekeeping, locate: They
have decided to settle in Australia after George retires. 5
Sometimes, settle down. light, alight, land, come down, put
down, set down, (come to) rest or (roost), descend, perch: The
butterfly settled on the tip of Alice's nose. 6 populate,
people, colonize, pioneer: That part of the country wasn't
settled till late in the 19th century. 7 Usually, settle down.
calm down, subside, quiet down, be or become tranquil, Chiefly
Brit quieten (down): The class settled down and we began the
lesson. I must settle down and get back to work. 8 calm, quiet,
soothe, tranquillize, relax, Chiefly Brit quieten: He drank

some camomile tea to settle his nerves. 9 subside, sink,
decline, fall: A great crack appeared in the wall when the
house settled a bit. 10 Often, settle up. pay, square, dispose
of, clear, balance, liquidate, discharge: If you settle the
bill, we can leave. 11 Often, settle out. gravitate, sink,
fall, precipitate (out): Stop shaking the container and let the
sand settle to the bottom. 12 clarify, clear: After about an
hour, the particles will start to settle.


settlement
n. 1 colony, outpost, post, camp, community, encampment,
village, hamlet: The first colonists established a small
settlement on the bank of the river. 2 colonization, settling,
populating, settling: The settlement of the valley was mainly
by Scandinavians. 3 agreement, rapprochement, resolution,
adjustment, elimination, reconciliation, working-out,
accommodation, arbitration, arrangement: Settlement of the
dispute was supervised by a union representative. 4 payment,
defrayal, discharge, liquidation, satisfaction, settling,
quittance, clearing, clearance: The settlement of our debts is
of paramount importance. 5 deciding, settling, setting,
decision, conclusion, confirmation, affirmation, establishment,
stabilization, determination, agreement, choice, selection: The
only thing on his mind was the settlement of their holiday
destination - should it be France or Thailand?

settler n. colonist, frontiersman, frontierswoman, pioneer, immigrant:
The early settlers cleared the land for farming.


set-up n. 1 arrangement, system, organization, layout, regime,
structure, make-up, composition, framework, frame, construction;
conditions, circumstances: This set-up of interlocking
directorships makes it difficult to see who answers to whom and
who owns what. What, exactly, is the set-up between you and
Eustace? 2 prearrangement, trap, Slang put-up job: As soon as I
saw the police car, I knew we had walked into a set-up.

sever v. 1 cut off or apart or in two, lop or chop or hew or hack
off, slice or shear off, cleave, dock, bob, dissever, split,
separate, divide, disjoin, detach, disconnect: The animal's
foot was severed by the trap. 2 separate, disunite, dissolve,
break off or up, terminate, end, cease, stop, discontinue,
suspend, abandon, put an end to: The final divorce decree

severed us from one another once and for all.

several adj. 1 some, a few, not too or very many, a handful or a
sprinkling or a number of: Several people asked for you at the
party last night. 2 various, sundry, a variety of, diverse,
divers, different, respective, individual, distinct, disparate,
particular, certain, specific, discrete, dissimilar: There are
several stages one must go through before reaching the end.


severe adj. 1 strict, harsh, rigorous, austere, hard, stony,
stony-hearted, hard-hearted, flinty, inexorable, iron-handed,
oppressive, unbending, rigid, uncompromising, relentless,
unyielding, obdurate, pitiless, punitive, merciless,
unsympathetic, unfeeling, cruel, brutal, mean, savage, inhuman,
beastly, ruthless, despotic, dictatorial, tyrannical,
autocratic, demanding, exacting, painstaking, fastidious,
exigent, taxing: Nicholas Nickleby was subjected to extremely
severe treatment at Dotheboys Hall. Mr Bradshaw was a severe
taskmaster. 2 stern, forbidding, dour, glowering, grave, grim,
stiff, strait-laced, serious, unsmiling, sober, cold, frigid,
aloof, austere: If he so much as dropped a spoon the master
would give Nicholas a severe look. 3 dangerous, critical,
dreadful, awful, life-threatening, acute, dire; mortal, fatal,
terminal: She has had a severe attack of the flu. 4 stringent,
punitive, harsh, punishing, burdensome, tough, onerous,
grievous, painful, Draconian or Draconic: There are severe
penalties for breaking the parking laws in this city. 5 harsh,
bitter, cold, inclement, keen, violent, stormy, intense,
turbulent, fierce, wicked: Granny couldn't live through another
severe winter at Fort William. 6 stark, bare, plain, austere,
Spartan, ascetic, primitive, simple, sparse, spare, monastic,
modest, unadorned, unembellished, crude, undecorated,
unembroidered: The severe d‚cor in the servants' quarters gave
the appearance of a prison.


severely adv. 1 acutely, seriously, badly, dangerously, dreadfully;
permanently, fully, entirely: The accident left him severely
handicapped. 2 strictly, harshly, rigorously, austerely,
oppressively, relentlessly, mercilessly, cruelly, brutally,
savagely, inhumanly, tyrannically: The boys were severely
maltreated at the school. 3 sternly, forbiddingly, dourly,
gloweringly, gravely, seriously, grimly, unsmilingly, soberly,
coldly, coolly, austerely: Mrs Gladwin regarded me severely

over the top of her pince-nez. 4 stringently, punitively,
harshly, onerously, grievously, painfully: One is punished
severely for the slightest infraction of the law. 5
dangerously, acutely, critically, dreadfully, awfully; mortally,
fatally, terminally: I am afraid to say that your mother is
severely ill. 6 starkly, plainly, barely, modestly, austerely,
ascetically, monastically, primitively, simply, crudely,
sparsely, sparely: The room is furnished a bit severely for my
taste.


severity n. 1 strictness, harshness, rigour, rigorousness, austerity,
hardness, flintiness, inexorability, inexorableness, stringency,
oppression, oppressiveness, rigidity, inflexibility,
relentlessness, obduracy, obdurateness, pitilessness,
mercilessness, cold-bloodedness, abusiveness, cruelty,
brutality, meanness, savagery, inhumanity, beastliness,
ruthlessness, despotism, tyranny, fastidiousness, exigency: The
severity of the discipline was almost unbearable. 2 coldness,
aloofness, sternness, gravity, grimness, frigidity, austerity,
solemnity: The severity of his look froze me to the spot. 3
dangerousness, acuteness, seriousness, gravity, ferocity,
fierceness, virulence, violence, intensity: The severity of the
fits has diminished since we put the patient on new medication.
4 stringency, punitiveness, punishment, harshness, onerousness,
grievousness, painfulness, burdensomeness, oppressiveness: The
severity of the sentence is not inappropriate to the heinousness
of the crime. 5 harshness, inclemency, violence, storminess,
intensity, ferocity, fierceness, fury, furiousness,
tempestuousness: The severity of the weather has interfered
with our maintenance of the electrical power lines. 6 plainness,
starkness, austerity, asceticism, bareness, modesty, simplicity,
primitiveness, spareness, sparseness, monasticism, crudeness:
The severity of the cells at the monastery was equalled by the
austerity of the regimen.


sew v. sew up, stitch, darn, mend, repair; sew on, attach, fasten;
tack, baste, hem: Would you sew up a hole in my sweater for me
and, while you're at it, would you mind sewing a button on my
shirt?


sex n. 1 gender: It is difficult to determine the sex of some of
the lower animals. 2 sexual intercourse or relations, coitus,
coition, mating, copulation, (sexual) congress or union,

intimacy, lovemaking, making love, coupling, Colloq making out,
going to bed, shacking up, Slang having it away, Taboo slang
screwing, shafting, shagging, fucking, Chiefly Brit bonking:
They feel that there is too much sex and violence on television
these days.

sexual adj. 1 sex, reproductive, genital, procreative or procreant,
sex, progenitive, propagative: Their current project is an
investigation of sexual behaviour in young adults. 2 sensual,
sensuous, erotic, carnal, fleshly, voluptuous, libidinous,
earthy, bodily, physical, lustful, animal, Colloq sexy: They
have a deep sexual attraction to one another.

sexy adj. 1 erotic, arousing, exciting, sensual, sensuous,
seductive, suggestive, provocative, inviting, alluring, bedroom,
flirtatious, appealing, fascinating, striking, tempting,
captivating, enchanting, stunning, Colloq come-hither: She
thought he had a sexy smile. 2 sex, dirty, pornographic,
obscene, filthy, smutty, lewd, foul, lascivious, indecent,
explicit, gross, X-rated, vulgar, rude, coarse, off colour,
risqu‚, titillating, bawdy, ribald, lusty, immodest, rough,
indelicate, suggestive, unseemly, improper, indecorous, naughty,
shameless, Slang raunchy: They sat there leering over a sexy
magazine.


19.4 shabby...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



shabby adj. 1 worn, dingy, faded, worn out, threadbare, tatty,
tattered, frayed, raggedy, ragged, scruffy, dilapidated, ratty,
dirty, bedraggled, mangy, run-down, seedy, (much) the worse for
wear, Brit down at heel, US down at the heel(s), Colloq grubby,
scrubby, gungy, tacky, US grungy: He was wearing a shabby suit
and down-at-heel shoes. 2 poor, peremptory, unpleasant, nasty,
disagreeable, mean, contemptuous, demeaning, grudging,
ungenerous, impolite, rude, unfriendly, unhelpful, shoddy,
ungentlemanly, unladylike, dishonourable, unworthy, scurvy,
Colloq rotten: We were subjected to very shabby treatment at
the office where we applied for work. 3 dilapidated, tumbledown,
broken-down, shattered, battered, run-down, ramshackle, seedy,
neglected, dirty, squalid, slum-like, slummy, Colloq beat-up,
crummy: Sam lives in a shabby little house near the canal. 4

mean, stingy, ungenerous, niggardly, contemptible, low, lowly,
base, mean-spirited, despicable, vile, uncouth, discreditable,
inferior, disreputable, infamous, abominable, dishonourable,
ignoble, atrocious, ignominious, odious, detestable,
opprobrious: The shabby apology for their behaviour fell on
deaf ears.

shack n. hut, hovel, shanty, cabin, lean-to, Colloq dump: The shack
was built out of scrap lumber and cardboard boxes.


shackle n. 1 Often, shackles. fetter(s), leg-iron(s), chains, iron(s),
bilboes, gyve(s), ball and chain, manacle(s), handcuff(s),
restraint(s), bond(s), trammel(s), Colloq cuff(s), Slang
bracelet(s), Brit darbies: When those shackles went round his
ankles, he thought he'd never see them taken off. 2 Usually,
shackles. restriction, restraint, deterrent, impediment, check,
obstacle, obstruction, barrier, hindrance, bar, encumbrance:
When shall we throw off the shackles of ignorant prejudice and
see a truly free world?


--v. 3 chain, fetter, manacle, handcuff, bind, restrain, tie,
secure, truss, pinion, tether: He was shackled to the mast and
whipped for disobedience. In this glorious spring weather I
resent being shackled to a desk. 4 restrain, hold back, check,
deter, hinder, discourage, hobble, handicap, restrict, curb,
rein, bridle, control, fetter, inhibit, limit: Freedom of
expression has been shackled during all those years of
oppression.


shade n. 1 shadow, shadiness, dimness, duskiness, semi-darkness,
gloominess, murkiness, dusk, gloom, murk, darkness, obscurity,
Literary shades: We rested in the shade of an old oak to get
out of the hot sun. 2 tint, tinge, tone, colour, hue,
intensity: The curtains should be of a lighter shade to match
the wallpaper. 3 hint, intimation, tinge, suggestion, modicum,
sprinkling, soup‡on, trace, suspicion, undertone, overtone,
touch, speck, dash, nuance, atom, grain, scintilla, iota, jot or
tittle: Did I detect a shade of sarcasm in your voice,
Aloysius? 4 ghost, spectre, apparition, phantom, phantasm,
spirit, wraith, vision, banshee, Colloq spook: As night came
on, horrifying shades took shape amongst the leafless trees. 5
blind, window-blind, curtain, venetian blind; lampshade; screen,
cover, covering, protection, veil, awning, canopy, shield,

shelter, umbrella, parasol: We need shades to reduce the glare
of the light. We had only a light tent as a shade against the
broiling sun. 6 fraction, hair's breadth, bit, hair, Colloq
smidgen or smidgin: Try moving the picture a shade to the left.
7 variation, variety, nuance, degree: Do you really think his
approval would make a shade of difference to me? 8 put (someone)
in or into the shade. overshadow, exceed, surpass, outstrip,
outclass, eclipse, outshine, best, better, beat, put to shame,
outplay, outperform, outdo, Colloq run rings or circles around,
show up: Your record time in the 1000-metre put other
contenders in the shade. 9 shades. sun-glasses: Take off those
shades so I can see what you are thinking.

--v. 10 screen, protect, shield, shelter, cover: You should
shade your eyes from the direct sunlight. 11 darken, opaque,
black out, blacken: She shaded in parts of the diagram to give
a better effect. 12 dim, shadow, veil, blot out, cloud,
conceal, hide, obscure, shroud, screen, mask, camouflage,
disguise: The house is shaded from view by trees on the south
side.

shadow n. 1 darkness, gloom, dimness, dusk, obscurity: In the shadow
I could make out the dim outline of a figure. 2 cover, screen,
covering, shield, veil, curtain, protection, concealment: He
stole past the sentry under the shadow of darkness. 3 hint,
intimation, suggestion, suspicion, trace, vestige; remnant: I
do not have the slightest shadow of doubt that she is telling
the truth. Martin is merely a shadow of his former robust self.
4 cloud, blight, curse: A terrible shadow has fallen upon the
family name. 5 See shade, 4, above. 6 companion, alter ego,
comrade, Colloq sidekick, crony, chum, (bosom) pal, US (bosom)
buddy: Boswell was Johnson's shadow for almost twenty years.

--v. 7 follow, trail, track, dog, stalk, pursue, trace, Colloq
tail, US and Canadian bird-dog: For a month detectives shadowed
the suspect.

shadowy adj. 1 dark, shady, bowery, leafy, shaded, gloomy, dusky, dim,
Literary bosky: The hotel bar was a shadowy place with pink
lights on the tables. 2 vague, dim, dark, obscure, faint,
indistinct, indefinite, hazy, ill-defined, unclear,
indeterminate: The photograph was too shadowy for us to
identify anyone in it. The years before he came to London are

part of his shadowy past. 3 spectral, ghostly, phantom,
phantasmal, wraithlike, phantasmagoric(al), illusory, dreamlike,
imaginary, visionary, chimerical, hallucinatory, unreal,
unsubstantial, fleeting, impalpable, transitory, ethereal,
immaterial: He saw shadowy figures lurking near the tomb. The
plaintiff's case is shadowy, to say the least. 4 See shady, 2,
below.

shady adj. 1 See shadowy, 1, above. 2 indistinct, indefinite,
questionable, doubtful, uncertain, unreliable, suspicious,
suspect, dubious, shifty, disreputable; devious, tricky,
slippery, underhand(ed), unethical, unscrupulous, dishonourable,
dishonest, Colloq fishy, crooked, bent, not (strictly) kosher:
The minister's shady past will be revealed in the next issue of
Tribune . She got involved with some shady character who had
just come out of prison.

shaft n. 1 pole, rod, staff, stick, stem, shank, handle, helve;
pillar, column, post, stanchion, upright: The shaft of the
harpoon splintered as the whale suddenly plunged downwards.
These shafts help support the upper storey. 2 beam, ray, gleam,
streak, pencil: At exactly noon on the winter solstice a shaft
of light struck the altar at the centre of the stone circle. 3
thrust, barb, sting, dart, gibe or jibe, barb, Colloq slap (in
the face), knock, put-down: After the episode in the
restaurant, Barbara had to suffer the shafts of her colleagues
and their teasing. 4 mine-shaft, tunnel, adit, well, pit;
air-shaft, duct, flue: How many men went down the shaft in the
first shift? The screen over the ventilating shaft must be kept
clean.

shaggy adj. hairy, woolly, unkempt, unshorn, uncut, hirsute,
dishevelled, matted, untidy: They had a large black dog with
shaggy hair and a great bushy tail.


shake v. 1 quiver, quake, shudder, waver, wobble, tremble, shiver:
The poor child is shaking from the cold. 2 wiggle, wriggle,
squirm, shimmy, twitch, joggle, jiggle, waggle, sway, swing,
roll, bump, grind, vibrate, oscillate, pulsate, gyrate: When
Lola shakes her hips the strongest men have been known to
weaken. 3 weaken, undermined, impair, harm, damage, discourage;
disenchant, disappoint, disaffect: The incident shook my faith
in the political party I had supported all my voting life. 4

wave, brandish, flourish, display, show off, parade, exhibit,
vaunt, waggle, flap, flutter: It was thrilling to see the
once-banned flag being shaken under the noses of the deposed
leaders. 5 Often, shake up. agitate, stir (up), mix (up); upset,
distress, frighten, scare, shock, disturb, unnerve, unsettle,
disconcert, discomfit, worry, fluster, disquiet, confound,
confuse, perplex, puzzle, Colloq rattle, get to, US throw (for a
loop): Shake the medicine before taking it. I was really shaken
by the news that Sheila had quit. 6 shake down. a break in,
condition, test, prove, Colloq debug: We shook down the
submarine on a 30-day cruise. b blackmail, extort or extract or
squeeze or wrest money from, hold up, squeeze, threaten: The
shopkeepers were so frightened that the gang easily shook them
down. 7 shake off. get rid of, discard, dislodge, drop, brush
off, elude, evade, lose, throw off, rid oneself of, give the
slip to: We finally shook off our pursuers: at last we felt
safe.

--n. 8 shaking, quivering, quaking, shuddering, wavering,
wobbling, trembling, shivering, quiver, quake, shudder, waver,
wobble, tremble, shiver, wiggle, wriggle, twitch, joggle,
jiggle, sway, swing, roll, gyration: The dog gave a shake of
its tail and bounded towards them. 9 agitating, agitation,
shaking, stirring (up), jolt, jar, jarring, jounce, jolting,
jouncing: Give him a good shake and he'll wake up. 10 the
shakes. trembling, tremors, delirium tremens, Colloq D.T.'s:
She's had so much to drink that she's got the shakes.

shake-up n. reorganization, rearrangement, overhaul, revamp,
restructuring, rehabilitation, make-over, realignment: With new
owners you can expect a complete shake-up of top management.

shaky adj. 1 uncertain, wobbly, unstable, precarious, unsound,
flimsy, weak, unsteady, unsupported, unsubstantiated,
undependable, unreliable, tenuous, untrustworthy, dubious,
questionable, doubtful, Colloq iffy: The evidence against him
is very shaky indeed. 2 wobbly, wobbling, unstable, precarious,
dilapidated, ramshackle, on its last legs, decrepit, falling
down or apart, rickety, flimsy, unsteady, insecure, unsound,
unsubstantial, insubstantial, feeble: Surely, you can't expect
that shaky old chair to support your weight!

shallow adj. 1 surface, skin-deep, superficial, thin, empty, flimsy,

trivial, unimportant, slight, frivolous, idle, foolish: If you
read only comic books, your thoughts are bound to be shallow. 2
Often, shallows. shoal(s), sand bar, sandbank, bank, shelf:
This boat draws too much water to go fishing in the shallows.


sham n. 1 fake, fraud, counterfeit, imitation, hoax, humbug,
pretence, forgery, copy, imposture, Colloq phoney or US also
phony: Their call for reform is a sham, as they have no
intention of disturbing the status quo.


--adj. 2 fake, fraudulent, counterfeit, imitation, paste,
simulated, false, make-believe, fictitious, made-up, bogus,
spurious, mock, ersatz, artificial, synthetic, Colloq phoney or
US also phony, pseudo: He sat there feigning interest, a sham
smile on his face.

shambles n. chaos, devastation, mess, disaster, Augean stables, pigsty,
muddle, pigpen: I can't find anything in this shambles. The
campaign degenerated into a complete shambles.


shambling adj. shuffling, lumbering, dragging, scuttling, awkward,
clumsy, lurching, unsteady, faltering: The old beggar hobbled
off with a shambling gait.


shame n. 1 embarrassment, humiliation, mortification, chagrin,
ignominy, shamefacedness, loss of face, abashment: Watts felt
abysmal shame at being discovered stealing from petty cash. 2
disgrace, ignominy, dishonour, disrepute, degradation,
opprobrium, vilification, calumniation, infamy, obloquy, odium,
contempt, scandal, denigration, loss of face, defamation,
discredit, disesteem, disfavour, derogation, disparagement: To
think that one knight's single act of cowardice in 1249 could
have brought such shame to all his descendants. 3 pity,
calamity, disaster, catastrophe; outrage: What a shame that
Gerry failed the exam! 4 humility, modesty, (sense of) decency
or decorum or propriety, respectability, decorousness,
diffidence, shyness, coyness, prudishness, timidity,
shamefacedness: The people who wear bathing suits like that
obviously have no shame at all. 5 put to shame. a surpass,
eclipse, outclass, overshadow, cast into the shade, outdo,
outstrip, outshine, show up: Cochrane put his opponents to
shame when they failed to score a single point against him. b
See 8, below.


--v. 6 embarrass, humiliate, mortify, humble, chagrin,
disconcert, discountenance, put down, bring down, abash,
chasten, Colloq bring (someone) down a peg, suppress, subdue:
He hated the teacher because she had shamed him in front of his
friends. 7 coerce, force, drive, bully, push; embarrass,
humiliate, mortify, humble: The other boys shamed him into
admitting that he had done it. 8 disgrace, embarrass,
dishonour, scandalize, calumniate, degrade, debase, defame,
discredit, stigmatize; smear, blacken, stain, taint, besmirch,
tarnish: I am sure, son, that nothing you ever do would shame
the family or me.

shamefaced
adj. 1 bashful, shy, modest, self-effacing, diffident, timid,
meek, coy, sheepish, timorous: He felt shamefaced as a
schoolboy when they awarded him a medal for bravery. 2 ashamed,
shamed, abashed, embarrassed, humiliated, dishonoured,
mortified, humbled, chastened, chagrined, uncomfortable,
discomfited, remorseful, red-faced: Shamefaced, she finally
admitted the truth about where she had been.

shameful adj. disgraceful, dishonourable, base, low, mean, vile,
degrading, indecent, inglorious, deplorable, discreditable,
corrupt, disreputable, infamous, ignominious, humiliating,
embarrassing, mortifying, humbling, chastening, discomfiting,
shaming, blameworthy, scandalous, outrageous, unprincipled:
Quentin was known for his shameful behaviour both at school and
in the army.


shameless adj. wild, flagrant, unreserved, uncontrolled, immodest,
wanton, indecorous, indecent, rude, improper, forward, bold,
unembarrassed, unblushing, audacious, brazen, brash, unabashed,
unashamed, impudent, shocking, outrageous: He was roundly
condemned for his shameless neglect of his responsibilities.
Her behaviour was shameless, even wanton.

shape n. 1 form, figure, build, body, physique; lines, profile,
silhouette, contours: I've never heard anyone complain about
Marilyn Monroe's shape. 2 form, pattern, configuration,
structure, aspect: The discussion is on the shape of things to
come in the double-glazing trade. The new swimming-pool will be
in the shape of a figure of eight. 3 form: Gradually, the

shopping mall began to take shape. 4 state, condition, fettle,
status, (state of) health, order, trim: When I saw Wayne
yesterday, he seemed in very good shape indeed. 5 guise,
disguise, form, appearance, likeness, image: Zeus visited Dan„e
in the shape of a golden shower, and fathered Perseus on her.

--v. 6 form, fashion, mould, cast, make, model, sculpture,
sculpt; cut, carve, hew, hack, trim: Using primitive tools,
they were able to shape the clay into bowls. The topiary shrubs
were shaped into the forms of birds. 7 determine, give form to,
control, govern, regulate, affect, condition, influence, decree,
frame, define,: There are many factors that shape our future.
8 word, express, embody in words, put, formulate, form: Perhaps
you could shape your question differently. 9 change, modify,
remodel, accommodate, fit, adapt, adjust: The box was shaped
especially for this bottle. 10 shape up. a take form, take
shape, develop, evolve, proceed: The plan is shaping up very
nicely. b conform, improve, progress, go or move or come along,
show improvement, come up to snuff; behave better: Those who
cannot shape up will have to ship out.

shapeless adj. 1 amorphous, formless, nebulous, unformed, indefinite,
unstructured, vague: Sculptors start with a shapeless mass of
clay. 2 unshapely, deformed, misshapen, distorted, twisted,
bent, battered: The wreckage was a shapeless tangle of steel
and mortar.

shapely adj. curvaceous, comely, well-proportioned, graceful, neat,
well turned out, good-looking, pleasing; voluptuous, Colloq
sexy: That slinky black dress certainly sets off her shapely
figure to advantage.

share n. 1 portion, allotment, division, apportionment, allocation,
ration, appropriation, dispensation, allowance, part, due,
percentage, interest, dividend, quota, portion, helping,
serving, Colloq cut: Each of us is entitled to a share in the
profits. We made sure that all participants got their shares. 2
interest, piece, part, stake, equity, slice: Do you own any
shares in the stock market? My share in United Telephone is
worth twice what I paid for it.

--v. 3 share out, divide up, allot, apportion, allocate,
ration, appropriate, share in, split, partition, parcel or deal

or dole out, pay out: Ownership in the company is shared
equally among the employees. Let's just take one car, and share
the expenses.


sharp adj. 1 acute, keen; razor-sharp, knife-like, knife-edged,
sharpened; pointed, needle-sharp: How do you keep the telescope
in sharp focus? You need an extremely sharp knife for boning
fish. This pencil isn't sharp enough. 2 abrupt, sudden,
precipitous, sheer, vertical, marked: Just round the corner is
a sharp dip in the road. There was a sharp rise in prices on the
London Stock Exchange today. 3 keen, keen-witted, keen-minded,
sharp-witted, shrewd, intelligent, smart, alert, bright, quick,
agile, astute, clever, on the qui vive, penetrating, observant:
Penny has a very sharp mind and a good eye for detail. 4
caustic, bitter, biting, acrid, hot, spicy, pungent, piquant,
tangy, harsh, sour, acid, acidulous, tart: That lemon sorbet is
a little too sharp for my taste. 5 acid, acidulous, acerbic,
vitriolic, acrimonious, cutting, piquant, biting, bitter,
unkind, strict, hurtful, spiteful, virulent, sarcastic,
sardonic, trenchant, severe, scathing, malicious, nasty,
malignant, venomous, poisonous: How does one escape the sharp
comments of the critics? She was unprepared for the sharp
exchange between the guests on her chat show. 6 clever, shrewd,
artful, crafty, sly, cunning, foxy, calculating, unscrupulous,
dishonest, Colloq sneaky, fly: There is evidence that the stock
manipulators were engaged in very sharp practice. 7
high-pitched, shrill, penetrating, piercing, strident, harsh,
ear-splitting, loud: Jane gave a sharp cry when she felt the
ice break under her feet. 8 poignant, severe, cutting, intense,
sudden, piercing, extreme, acute, fierce: Complaining of a
sharp pain in his chest, he fell down. 9 chic, dapper, spruce,
stylish, smart, fashionable, dressy, Colloq snappy, natty,
classy, nifty, swell, swanky: If you want to see the latest
collection of sharp clothes, go to the disco.


--adv. 10 sharply, precisely, exactly, punctually, on the dot,
Colloq on the button, US on the nose: Our appointment was for
seven o'clock sharp. 11 sharply, suddenly, abruptly: I was
pulled up sharp by her mention of the Black Rose. 12 sharply,
alertly, attentively, vigilantly, watchfully, carefully: Listen
sharp to what I tell you.

sharpen v. hone, grind, strop, whet: Of what use is a knife if you

don't sharpen it periodically?

sharp-eyed
adj. sharp-sighted, eagle-eyed, hawk-eyed, lynx-eyed,
gimlet-eyed, keen-sighted, wide awake, wakeful, watchful,
observant, (on the) alert, on the qui vive, wary, circumspect,
Argus-eyed, cautious, careful: It takes quite a sharp-eyed
person to check the accuracy of these circuits.


sharply adv. 1 severely, sternly, harshly, cuttingly, acerbically,
peremptorily, angrily, strictly, firmly: Her teacher sharply
rebuked Hilary for smiling. 2 suddenly, quickly, abruptly,
precipitously, precipitately: Prices increased sharply for the
third day in succession. 3 acutely, distinctly, definitely,
definitively: These new cameras automatically remain sharply
focused on the object.

shatter v. 1 disintegrate, burst, pulverize, shiver, smash, demolish,
break (to smithereens), splinter, fragment, fracture, dash to
pieces: If you hadn't caught the vase, it would have shattered
into a million pieces. 2 destroy, ruin, devastate, wreck, dash,
crush, demolish, torpedo, undermine, blast: Any dreams he might
have had of being published were shattered by the rejection
letter. 3 upset, disturb, perturb, trouble, unnerve, overcome,
overwhelm, crush, devastate, depress, deject, rattle, shake
(up), unsettle, agitate, confound, confuse, stupefy, daze, stun,
paralyse, Colloq throw: He was shattered by the news of Mill's
death.


shave v. 1 shear (off), cut (off), trim, clip, crop, snip off,
remove: He made a mistake in shaving off his beard, as it hid
his weak chin. 2 pare, scrape, plane, whittle: If you shave
just a hair off this side, it will fit into the hole.


--n. 3 close shave. narrow escape, Colloq narrow or near
squeak, US squeaker: That was a close shave! - You almost fell
out the window!

shedฐ n. lean-to, shelter, structure, addition, penthouse, hut,
shack, stall, booth, pen, cote, hutch: The tools are in the
shed alongside the barn.

shed v. 1 spill: Much blood has been shed in the name of freedom.

2 shine, spread, scatter, throw, cast, let fall, impart,
release, focus, pour forth, let fall, radiate: Can you shed a
little light on a matter that has puzzled me for years? 3 pour
or stream or flow or surge or spill (out or forth), discharge,
emanate, emit, drop; exude, ooze, weep: The clouds shed their
snow and the world below turned white. Don't shed any tears over
me. 4 cast off, doff, drop, abandon; moult, defoliate,
desquamate, peel (off), flake (off): The trees shed their
leaves. She rushed into the bathroom, shedding her clothes as
she went.

sheen n. shine, gleam, polish, lustre, shininess, burnish,
brightness, gloss, glow, glimmer, shimmer, radiance, glint,
dazzle: The sheen of the horse's coat glistened in the
sunlight.

sheepish adj. 1 timid, withdrawn, passive, docile, obedient, compliant,
sheeplike, manipulable, tractable, pliable, meek, amenable:
Dashworth might seem sheepish but he doesn't like to be bullied.
2 See shamefaced, above.

sheer adj. 1 steep, precipitous, abrupt, perpendicular, bluff,
vertical: There is a sheer drop of 2000 feet to the valley
below. 2 absolute, unmitigated, unqualified, downright,
out-and-out, unalloyed, unadulterated, pure, unmixed, plain,
simple, rank, total, complete, arrant, thorough, thoroughgoing,
utter: Johnson said that he had got his definition of 'pastern'
wrong out of 'sheer ignorance'. 3 transparent, see-through,
thin, diaphanous, filmy, gauzy, gossamer, translucent, peekaboo:
Kathryn was wearing the sheer nightgown he had given her for her
birthday.

sheet n. 1 bed-sheet, crib-sheet, fitted sheet, flat sheet, US
contour sheet: How often do you change the sheets on your bed?
2 leaf, folio, page: He tore a sheet of paper from the
notebook. 3 pane, panel, plate, slab: The desk has a sheet of
glass on top for protection. 4 lamina, lamination, layer,
stratum, veneer, membrane: Plywood is made up of a number of
thin sheets of pressed wood bonded together for strength. 5
area, expanse, stretch, layer, film, coat, coating, covering,
blanket, cover, surface, skin, veneer: The sheet of ice on the
road made driving hazardous. 6 newspaper, journal, paper,
tabloid, gazette, daily, weekly, monthly, Colloq rag: Have you

got a copy of the sheet that published the article about you?

shell n. 1 cartridge, projectile, shot: We huddled in the foxhole as
the shells whistled overhead. 2 exterior, outside, fa‡ade,
framework, frame, chassis, externals, skeleton, hull: After the
earthquake, only the shell of the building was left standing.

--v. 3 shuck, husk, peel, hull, excorticate, decorticate:
Would you mind shelling the peas while I peel the potatoes? 4
fire on or upon, bombard, barrage, attack, bomb, blitz,
cannonade, Slang Brit prang: The enemy shelled our position
relentlessly. 5 shell out. pay out, give out, disburse, spend,
expend, hand over, hand out, Colloq lay out, fork out, dish out,
Chiefly US ante up: I had to shell out a month's salary for
that suit.

shelter n. 1 protection, cover, refuge, asylum, sanctuary, haven,
safety, security: During the hailstorm, we sought shelter in a
cave. 2 cover, covering, concealment, screen, umbrella: Under
the shelter of a moonless night, they stole quietly past the
guards. 3 dwelling-place, habitation, home, dwelling, housing,
accommodation: He feels that everyone is entitled to food,
clothing, and shelter.


--v. 4 protect, screen, shield, safeguard, guard, keep, secure,
harbour: The parapet sheltered the guards from the icy wind. 5
seek or take refuge or shelter, hole up, Colloq lie or lay low:
Mike sheltered in a mountain hut until the hue and cry died
down.


shelve v. postpone, defer, put off or aside or on ice or on the shelf,
pigeon-hole, lay aside, hold in abeyance, US table: We will
have to shelve this matter until we have more information.


shepherd v. lead, convoy, escort, conduct, guide, usher, take, pursue:
I want you, personally, to shepherd Miss Jones through the
plant. As this project requires special care, I shall shepherd
it through personally.


shibboleth
n. password, catchword, catch-phrase, buzz-word, byword,
watchword, jargon: As Simon knew none of the shibboleths of
teenagers' slang, he remained an outsider to his classmates.


shield n. 1 protection, guard, safeguard, defence, screen, bulwark,
shelter: Education is a poor shield against poverty.


--v. 2 protect, guard, safeguard, keep, defend, screen,
shelter: The mother bear will shield the cubs from harm or die
in the attempt.

shift v. 1 move, change position; edge, budge, relocate, rearrange,
transpose, switch: Shift the picture slightly to the left.
Marla shifted over closer to me on the bench. I almost broke my
leg because you shifted the chair as I was about to sit on it. 2
Usually, shift for (oneself). manage, succeed, make do, look
after, take care of, get or scrape by or along, fend for
(oneself), make it, paddle one's own canoe: Cyril prefers to
live alone and shift for himself. 3 sell, market, move: The
object of advertising is to shift merchandise.

--n. 4 hours, stint, schedule; workforce, relay, crew, cadre,
staff, workers, squad, team, corps, group, party, gang: I
prefer to work the morning shift. The night shift comes on at
1600. 5 change, movement, switch, transfer, swerve, deflection,
veer: Owing to a wind shift, it became impossible to manoeuvre
among the rocks. 6 smock, chemise, muu-muu; caftan or kaftan: A
light cotton shift is the most comfortable thing to wear in such
scorching weather.

shiftless adj. unambitious, lazy, indolent, uninspired, unmotivated,
idle, lackadaisical, irresponsible, uncaring, unenterprising,
aimless, slothful, otiose, ineffective, ne'er-do-well,
good-for-nothing, fain‚ant, pococurante: He calls Geoff a
shiftless vagabond, virtually a tautology.

shifty adj. tricky, artful, shrewd, canny, cunning, foxy, wily, sharp,
devious, slick, evasive, smooth, slippery, scheming, designing,
conniving, calculating, underhand(ed), conspiratorial,
treacherous, traitorous, deceitful, deceiving, duplicitous,
two-faced, Janus-faced, dishonest, crooked, untrustworthy,
Colloq bent: The shifty scoundrel gave me a bad cheque and did
a moonlight flit.

shilly-shally
v. hem and haw, dilly-dally, teeter-totter, see-saw, yo-yo,

vacillate, waver, alternate, fluctuate, dither, falter,
tergiversate, Brit haver, hum and haw, Scots swither; delay,
hesitate, dawdle: Stop shilly-shallying and decide whether you
want chocolate or strawberry!


shimmer v. 1 shine, gleam, glow, glimmer, glint, glisten, ripple,
flicker: The desert shimmered like a lake under the relentless
sun.


--n. 2 shimmering, shine, gleam, glow, glimmer, glint, gloss,
flicker, light: As Julia slunk up to the microphone, the
spotlight picked up the shimmer from her black satin gown.

shin v. Usually, shin up. climb, clamber up, scramble up, scale, US
shinny up: The lad shinned up the flag-pole carrying the
banner.

shine v. 1 gleam, glow, shimmer, radiate, beam, glare, flare,
glisten, glitter, coruscate, twinkle, sparkle, scintillate,
glint, flash, flicker: The light of a candle shone from her
window. The stars are shining brightly. I want that brass
polished till it shines. 2 polish, burnish, rub (up or down),
buff, brush, brighten: You'd best shine your shoes before going
for the job interview. 3 excel, surpass, stand out, outshine,
be outstanding or pre-eminent or excellent or prominent or
conspicuous: She had shone at tennis from a very early age, and
first entered Wimbledon when she was twelve.

--n. 4 gleam, glow, shimmer, sparkle, brightness, radiance,
gloss, lustre, sheen, glaze, patina: That shine was achieved
with a little wax and elbow-grease. 5 take a shine to. like, be
attracted to, take a fancy to, fancy: Her Great Dane has taken
a shine to me and likes to sit on my lap.


shiny adj. gleaming, glowing, shimmering, glossy, shimmery, lustrous,
glassy, radiant, bright, beaming, glistening, polished,
burnished, glittering, dazzling, coruscating, twinkling,
sparkling, scintillating, glinting, flashing, flashy,
flickering, lambent, fulgent: She loves riding about in her
shiny new car.

ship n. 1 vessel, (ocean or passenger) liner, steamer, wind-jammer,
cutter: The statue is dedicated to the men who go down to the

sea in ships.

--v. 2 send, move, ferry, transport, deliver, carry, dispatch
or despatch, freight, haul, truck, cart: You need a specialized
company that ships computers and other delicate equipment. 3
ship out. leave, depart, embark, set sail, take off, get out,
quit, Slang scram: You'll ship out if you know what's good for
you.


shipshape adj. neat, trim, spotless, orderly, Bristol fashion, spick and
span, tidy: Pick up your clothes and make this room shipshape
at once!

shirk v. avoid, evade, shun, dodge, get out of, shrink from, Colloq
duck (out of), Brit skive, Military Brit scrimshank, US gold
brick: Stop shirking your responsibilities and get to work! Is
Callum shirking again?

shiverฐ v. 1 shake, quake, tremble, shudder, quiver: We sat in our wet
clothes, shivering in the cold. The old shack shivered in the
wind. 2 vibrate, luff, flap, flutter, chatter, rattle, shake,
wallop: The sails shivered violently in the stiff breeze.

--n. 3 shake, quake, tremble, shudder, quiver, thrill, frisson,
trembling, tremor, flutter: She gave a little shiver and then
snuggled into my arms. 4 the shivers. trembling, shivering,
goose-pimples or goose bumps, Colloq the shakes, US the chills:
He's had malaria and occasionally gets the shivers. Those horror
films give me the shivers.


shiver v. shatter, fragment, splinter, disintegrate, rupture, explode,
implode, smash (to smithereens), crash: The light-bulb fell and
shivered into a million fragments.


shock v. 1 startle, surprise, stagger, jar, jolt, shake (up), stun,
numb, paralyse, daze, stupefy, dumbfound or dumfound, bowl over,
appal, astonish, astound, frighten, scare, petrify, traumatize,
horrify, outrage, disgust, nauseate, repel, revolt, sicken,
upset, disquiet, disturb, perturb, discompose, unsettle, Colloq
throw, US throw for a loop, flabbergast, give (someone) a turn:
He shocked us when he announced his resignation. We were shocked
to learn of the train wreck.

--n. 2 trauma, stupor, paralysis, prostration, breakdown,
collapse, nervous exhaustion: He is in a state of shock after
the accident. 3 surprise, thunderbolt, bolt from the blue,
bombshell, revelation, shocker, eye-opener, jolt: It came as a
shock to learn whom I had been talking to so casually. The
death of her husband was a terrible shock. 4 tingle, jolt,
impact: You'll get a nasty shock if you touch those wires.

shocking adj. 1 surprising, astounding, astonishing, amazing, striking,
stupefying, numbing, sudden, unexpected, electrifying,
startling, Colloq mind-boggling, mind-blowing: It was shocking
to see the way the neighbourhood had deteriorated. 2
disgusting, revolting, nauseating, nauseous, sickening,
repulsive, abominable, hideous, horrible, horrifying, horrific,
horrid, foul, loathsome, abhorrent, ghastly, hideous,
unspeakable, dreadful, distressing, outrageous, appalling,
monstrous, scandalous: The conditions in the concentration
camps were shocking.


shoddy adj. shabby, tatty, inferior, poor, rubbishy, cheap, pinchbeck,
meretricious, tawdry, gaudy, Brummagem, plastic, artificial,
tinsel, tinselly, second-rate, trashy, junky, Colloq crappy,
cheapjack, tacky, US chintzy: They can't get away for long with
selling such shoddy merchandise.


shoo interjection. 1 Scat!, Go away!, Away with you!, Be off!, Get
out!, Begone!, Colloq Get lost!, Beat it!, Scram!: I shouted
'Shoo!' and the chickens scattered.


--v. 2 Often, shoo away or off. scare off, frighten away, drive
away, force to leave: She shoos away anyone who disturbs her
while she is painting.

shoot v. 1 scoot, dart, whisk, speed, bolt, run, race, rush, flash,
fly, dash, hurtle, streak, scuttle, bound, leap, spring, Colloq
zip, whiz: The instant the baby cried out, its mother shot over
to protect it. 2 discharge, fire, open fire; let fly, launch,
propel, project, fling, hurl, throw, toss: Don't shoot till you
see the whites of their eyes! With all his strength he shot the
arrow into the beast's neck. 3 wound, hurt, harm, injure; kill,
slay, assassinate, execute, Slang fill or pump full of lead,
plug, blast, zap, knock off, snuff (out): He insulted her, so
she shot him. He's to be shot at sunrise. 4 sprout, germinate,

burgeon, flourish, grow, spring up, mushroom, develop: Owing to
the perfect weather, the corn shot up very quickly.

--n. 5 sprout, stem, bud, branch, offshoot, slip, scion,
sucker: If you want fruit, the new shoots have to be pinched
back.

shop n. 1 store, boutique, department store: Would you stop at the
shop and buy some lettuce? 2 workshop, machine shop: Henry
gained experience in operating a lathe at my father's shop.

--v. 3 betray, inform on or against, Slang peach on, rat on,
snitch on, blow the whistle on: The police persuaded Luke to
shop his accomplices in exchange for a lighter sentence. 4 shop
for. buy, purchase, seek, look for, research: I've been
shopping for a new dishwasher.

short adj. 1 small, little, slight, petite, diminutive, wee, tiny,
elfin, minuscule; midget, dwarfish, squat, dumpy, runty, stubby,
stunted, Colloq pint-sized, knee-high to a grasshopper,
sawn-off: Did you know that Queen Victoria was quite short? 2
shortened, brief, concise, compressed, compendious, compact,
pocket, US vest-pocket; abbreviated, abridged, cut: A short
version of the book was published in paperback. 3 laconic,
terse, succinct, pithy, sententious, epigrammatic: He made a
few short remarks that were very much to the point. 4 abrupt,
curt, terse, sharp, blunt, bluff, brusque, sharp, offhand,
gruff, testy, snappish, discourteous, uncivil, impolite: It is
unnecessary to be so short with the staff. 5 direct, straight,
straightforward, short and sweet: In reply to your request for
permission to leave early, the short answer is 'No'. 6 Usually,
short of. deficient (in), lacking (in), needful (of), wanting,
inadequate, shy (of), low (on): The hotel is short of clean
linen because the laundry failed to deliver. 7 brief, limited;
transitory, temporary, short-lived, momentary, quick, transient:
HQ had a short life but a happy one. I'll just make a short stop
in here and will join you in a moment. 8 impecunious,
straitened, pinched, underfunded, poor, penniless, deficient:
I'm a bit short today and wonder if you could lend me some
money? 9 in short supply. rare, scarce, scanty, unplentiful,
meagre, sparse, Colloq chiefly Brit thin on the ground: Good
editors are in short supply these days. 10 short of. before,
failing, excluding, exclusive of, barring, eliminating,

precluding, excepting, except for, leaving out, apart from,
setting aside: Short of killing him, I am not sure what she
could have done in the circumstances.


--adv. 11 abruptly, suddenly, peremptorily, without warning,
instantly, unexpectedly, hurriedly, hastily, out of the blue:
She stopped short in the middle of the road and made me get out.
12 cut short. a trim, curtail, shorten, abbreviate, cut: I
must cut my visit short because I have a train to catch. b
stop, cut off, terminate, cut in on, break in on, interrupt;
butt in: I am sorry to cut you short, but it is getting on for
midnight. 13 fall or come short. fail, be or prove inadequate
or insufficient: These grades fall short of our expectations,
Bobby.


--n. 14 in short. briefly, in a word, all in all, to make a
long story short, in a nutshell: He told me, in short, that
there was no job and there never had been one. 15 shorts.
Bermuda shorts, knee-breeches, knee-pants, hot pants: I usually
wear shorts to play tennis.

shortage n. deficit, deficiency, shortfall, dearth, scarcity, lack,
want, paucity: They are predicting a shortage of water again
this summer.


shortcoming
n. failure, defect, deficiency, weakness, frailty, drawback,
liability, imperfection, weak point, flaw: One might
justifiably regard colour-blindness as a shortcoming in an
interior decorator.

shorten v. 1 cut, curtail, cut off or down or short, reduce, diminish,
trim; lop off, dock, prune; hem: Please shorten the time you
spend in the bathroom in the mornings. This skirt has already
been shortened. 2 condense, abridge, abbreviate, digest,
compress: Can one shorten the book without losing too much of
the characterization?

short-lived
adj. ephemeral, evanescent, temporary, fleeting, transitory,
transient, passing, fugacious, volatile: He enjoyed a
short-lived reputation that died with him.

shortly adv. 1 soon, presently, anon, before long, in a (little) while,
by and by, Archaic ere long: I'll see you shortly. 2 just,
immediately, soon, right: We had dinner with him shortly before
he went abroad. 3 abruptly, briefly, peremptorily, curtly,
brusquely, sharply, tersely, testily, gruffly, rudely, tartly:
'Leave me alone', said Bill shortly.

short-sighted
adj. 1 near-sighted, myopic, dim-sighted: He wears thick
spectacles because he's so short-sighted. 2 unimaginative,
unprogressive, improvident, imprudent, injudicious, rash, brash,
impulsive, reckless, impolitic, limited, unwary, incautious,
careless, thoughtless, unmindful: Lewis's short-sighted view
makes no provision for the future.


short-staffed
adj. undermanned, short-handed, understaffed: We are usually
short-staffed during the summer because of the holiday
schedules.


short-tempered
adj. testy, irascible, short, curt, abrupt, gruff, peremptory,
bluff, rude, tart, acid, acidulous, terse, brusque, crabbed,
crabby, irritable, touchy, petulant, peevish, bearish, snappish,
waspish, shrewish, curmudgeonly, crusty, surly, discourteous,
grouchy, disagreeable, caustic, acrimonious, acerbic: Henry is
often short-tempered if he has slept badly.

short-winded
adj. short of or out of breath, winded, breathless, panting,
huffing (and puffing), gasping (for air or for breath),
Technical dyspnoeal: He is very short-winded because he smokes
too much.


shot n. 1 discharge, shooting: The town was captured without a shot
being fired. 2 bullet, ball, slug, cannon-ball, buckshot,
pellet, projectile, missile: A dumdum bullet is a piece of soft
shot with a hollowed-out nose. 3 attempt, try, opportunity,
chance, go, essay, endeavour, guess, conjecture, Colloq stab,
crack, whack: You are allowed three shots at the answer. 4
marksman, markswoman, sharpshooter, sniper, rifleman: Geraghty
is an excellent shot and favourite for an Olympic gold. 5
photograph, snapshot, picture, Colloq snap, photo: Miller took

some excellent action shots using stroboscopic lighting. 6
injection, inoculation, vaccination: The doctor gave me a flu
shot this morning. 7 drink, jigger, tot, dram, nip, spot,
swallow, Colloq finger, swig, slug, snort: Will you have a shot
of whisky with me, Muldoon? 8 (space) launch or launching: The
moon shot scheduled for today has been postponed owing to
technical difficulties. 9 call the shots. run or direct or
manage or administer or control things or affairs or matters,
run the show, rule the roost, be in command or the driver's
seat: Ravelli calls the shots around here, and don't you forget
it. 10 like a shot. quickly, swiftly, rapidly, speedily,
hurriedly, hastily, at once, like a flash, immediately,
instantly, instantaneously, Colloq in two shakes of a lamb's
tail, like greased lightning, before you can say 'Jack
Robinson': All I had to do was mention ice-cream, and the
children were in here like a shot. 11 (not) by a long shot. no
way, under no circumstances, by no means, on no account, by no
chance, never: You ask if he can get elected and my response
is, 'Not by a long shot'. 12 shot in the arm. boost, stimulus,
encouragement, incentive, inducement, provocation, motivation:
The team needs a shot in the arm to improve morale.

shoulder n. 1 side, edge, verge, margin; breakdown lane: If you have a
flat tyre, drive onto the hard shoulder and phone for help. 2
give (someone) the cold shoulder. rebuff, snub, ostracize, send
(someone) to Coventry, cold-shoulder, put (someone) down,
reject, exclude, freeze (someone) out, shun, avoid, Colloq cut
(dead): After his court case, they gave Nicholas the cold
shoulder at his club. 3 put (one's or the) shoulder to the
wheel. make every effort, make an effort, strive, work hard,
pitch in, apply oneself, roll up one's sleeves, set or get to
work, Colloq knuckle down, buckle down: If we put our shoulders
to the wheel, we ought to be able to get our candidate elected.
4 rub shoulders (with). associate (with), hobnob (with),
socialize (with), consort (with), mix (with), fraternize (with),
keep company (with): Once in a while, she condescends to come
down and rub shoulders with the common people. 5 shoulder to
shoulder. side by side, united, as one, cooperatively, jointly,
arm in arm, hand in hand, in partnership: If we fight shoulder
to shoulder, we can defeat this menace and regain our freedom. 6
straight from the shoulder. directly, straightforwardly,
candidly, frankly, honestly, openly, unabashedly, unashamedly,
unambiguously, unequivocally, plainly, bluntly, man to man,

(with) no holds barred, outright, Colloq without beating about
the bush, without pulling (any) punches: I want to tell you,
straight from the shoulder, Willie, you're the best pal in the
world.


--v. 7 push, shove, jostle, hustle, thrust aside, elbow, force:
She shouldered everyone aside roughly to fight her way to the
bargain counter. 8 support, carry, bear, take upon oneself, take
on, accept, assume: Are you ready to shoulder the
responsibilities of caring for a family?

shout v. 1 yell, scream, bellow, bawl, howl, roar, cry (out), call
(out), whoop, Colloq holler: We lined up when the sergeant
shouted out our names.


--n. 2 yell, scream, bellow, howl, yelp, roar, cry, call,
whoop, Colloq holler: Nobody on shore could hear the boys'
shouts when their boat capsized.


show v. 1 display, present, expose, demonstrate, indicate, exhibit,
manifest, (lay) bare, disclose, reveal, betray, make known,
divulge, register, express, make clear or plain or manifest,
elucidate, clarify, explain: Show your identification as you
enter. Your persistent refusal to associate with Dominic shows
how you feel very clearly. They showed me how the new machine
works. 2 escort, accompany, conduct, usher, lead, guide, direct;
steer: Please show Mr Sorenson to his table. 3 prove,
demonstrate, confirm, corroborate, verify, substantiate, bear
out, certify, authenticate: This signature shows that the will
was signed personally by your father. 4 teach, instruct, tell,
inform, let (someone) in on, give (someone) an idea of: Would
you please show me how to use this washing-machine? 5 appear,
become or be visible, peek through, can or may be seen: The
floor was showing through a hole in the carpet. 6 exhibit,
reveal, indicate, display, register: A thermometer shows the
temperature, a barometer the atmospheric pressure. 7 make an
appearance, appear, show up, arrive, come: Do you really think
that the Jack Nicholson will show at the club tonight? 8
represent, symbolize, depict, portray, picture, illustrate:
This drawing shows what happens to children who bite their
fingernails. 9 present, play, put on, stage, screen; be (being)
presented or played or playing or put on or staged or screened:
They are showing The Maltese Falcon at the local cinema. What is

showing there tomorrow? 10 grant, accord, bestow: They finally
showed mercy and let the hostages go. 11 show off. make an
exhibit or a spectacle of, flaunt, advertise, display, parade;
pose, swagger, posture, boast, brag, US and Canadian grandstand:
They invited us to show off their new house. Quilty shows off
too much for my taste. 12 show up. a expose, give away, reveal:
His collection of animal trophies shows him up for what he
really is. b stand out, be conspicuous, be noticeable, contrast:
The white dress shows up nicely against your suntan. c
embarrass, (put to) shame, mortify, upstage, overshadow,
outshine, eclipse: John only runs in the marathon to show me
up.

--n. 13 display, demonstration, exhibition, exposition, fair,
presentation, Colloq expo: There will be a computer show at the
convention centre next week. 14 production, presentation,
drama, musical, entertainment: We flew to New York for a week
to see a few Broadway shows. 15 ostentation, display,
appearance, pretentiousness, pretension, affectation: Those
paintings are there just for show, not because they enjoy art.

showdown n. confrontation, climax, moment of truth, final settlement,
moment of decision, US face-off: It's come to the point where
we must have a showdown about who's boss.


shower n. 1 sprinkle, sprinkling, drizzle: Scattered showers are
predicted for this afternoon. 2 deluge, torrent, flood, stream,
barrage, overflow, abundance, profusion: Showers of confetti
rained on the parade from the offices.


--v. 3 sprinkle, rain, pour, spray, bombard, fall, descend,
drop: Debris and ash from the volcano showered down on the
village. 4 lavish, inundate, overwhelm, heap, load (down): On
return from her triumphant tour, Sylvia was showered with gifts
and praise.

showman n. producer, impresario, director: P. T. Barnum was possibly
the greatest showman in modern history.


show-off n. braggart, exhibitionist, swaggerer, egotist, boaster, Colloq
blowhard, windbag: Sit down and stop being such a show-off,
Tetsworth.

showy adj. flashy, garish, flamboyant, conspicuous, ostentatious,
pretentious, bravura, gaudy, US show-off; elaborate, fancy,
florid, ornate, fussy, intricate, baroque, rococo, Byzantine,
arabesque: Their house is very showy, with gargoyles and lions
and unicorns everywhere you look.

shred n. 1 scrap, fragment, bit, tatter, sliver, snippet, rag,
remnant, chip, piece; atom, trace, whit, grain, jot or tittle,
scintilla, trace, hint, suggestion, iota, speck: We found
shreds from his shirt caught on the thorn-bushes. There isn't a
shred of evidence to suggest that she killed him.

--v. 2 fragment, tear (up), tatter, rip (up); destroy,
demolish; throw away, dispose of, scrap, US trash: At the news
of the break-in, he dashed to his office and shredded the
incriminating evidence.

shrew n. harridan, virago, termagant, vixen, scold, fishwife, nag,
fury, spitfire, maenad, harpy, witch, hag, crone, hell-cat,
beldam, bitch, banshee, Xanthippe, Thyiad or Thyad, Colloq
battleaxe, dragon: His mother is an old shrew who does nothing
but complain all the time.

shrewd adj. clever, smart, astute, cunning, canny, acute, sharp,
keen-minded, keen, quick-witted, crafty, artful, manipulative,
calculating, calculated, foxy, sly, wily, perceptive,
percipient, perspicacious, discerning, wise, sage, sagacious,
long-headed, intelligent, ingenious, Daedalian, inventive,
resourceful: He is a shrewd politician, very good at knowing
exactly what people want to hear him say.

shriek n. 1 scream, cry, screech, squeal, squawk, squall: The girls
collapsed in shrieks of laughter.


--v. 2 scream, cry, screech, squeal, squawk, squall: It is
very boring to listen to one's neighbours shrieking at each
other day and night.

shrill adj. high-pitched, ear-splitting, piercing, ear-piercing,
sharp, piping, screeching, screechy, penetrating: She let out a
shrill cry when she saw what had happened.

shrink v. 1 wither, shrivel (up), contract: My woollen pullover

shrank because you washed it in hot water. 2 Often, shrink
from. withdraw (from), draw back, recoil (from), back away
(from), retreat (from), cower, cringe, flinch, shy away (from),
wince, balk (at): Once committed to a responsibility, nothing
could persuade Ella to shrink from it.

shrivel v. Often, shrivel up. shrink, wrinkle, pucker (up), curl (up),
wizen, contract; wither, wilt, dry up, desiccate, dehydrate:
The soil had dried up and all the plants had shrivelled.


shroud v. 1 screen, veil, mask, disguise, camouflage, cover, shield,
blanket, shade, hide, conceal, protect, cloak, swathe, wrap,
envelop: The tanks were shrouded from view in the forest. His
activities are shrouded in mystery.


--n. 2 winding-sheet, cerement, cerecloth, grave-clothes: They
wrapped his body in a shroud and buried him in the churchyard.
3 veil, cover, shield, cloak, blanket, mask, mantle, pall,
screen, covering, cloud: A shroud of secrecy descended over the
Morocco affair.

shrubbery n. shrubs, planting(s), hedge(s), hedging, hedgerow, thicket,
underbrush, brake, bracken, undergrowth, coppice or copse: The
fox lay low in the shrubbery till the dogs flushed him out.


shudder v. 1 quiver, shake, tremble, shiver, jerk, convulse, quaver,
quake; vibrate, rattle: I shudder to think what he might do
next. Olive slammed on the brakes and the ancient car shuddered
to a stop.


--n. 2 quiver, shake, tremble, twitch, shiver, convulsion,
paroxysm, spasm, quaver, quake; vibration, rattle: He gave a
shudder at the prospect of having to clean out the stable.


shuffle v. 1 mix (up), intermix, disarrange, rearrange, interfile,
intersperse, jumble, confuse; shift (about), mess up, turn
topsy-turvy, scatter, disorganize: I shall cut the cards after
you have shuffled them. Osbert shuffled the papers on his desk.
2 scuff or drag (one's feet), scrape along, shamble: The boy
shuffled into the headmaster's office, guilt written all over
his face. 3 equivocate, hem and haw, bumble, shift, cavil,
fence, be evasive or shifty, dodge, niggle, split hairs,
quibble, prevaricate, Brit hum and haw, Colloq waffle: The

suspect shuffled when asked the names of his accomplices.

--n. 4 shamble, shambling, scuffling, scraping: Whenever he
was lying, he did a funny little shuffle with his feet. 5
sidestep, evasion, subterfuge, trick, dodge, shift,
prevarication, quibble, shuffling: Tell me what you've done
with the money - and no shuffle!

shun v. avoid, keep or shy away from, steer clear of, eschew, shrink
from, fight shy of, run or turn (away) from, flee or escape
from; forgo, give up; disdain, spurn, rebuff, reject,
cold-shoulder, give the cold shoulder to: After her experience,
Penelope shunned the company of men for several years.


shut v. 1 close, fasten, secure, shut up; lock, bolt, seal: Come in
and shut the door. 2 shut down. close down, discontinue, cease,
suspend, halt, leave off, shut up; switch or turn or shut off,
stop: We shut down operations at the Enfield factory last week.
Make sure you shut down the machinery before leaving. 3 shut in.
a confine, seclude, keep in, pen, fence in, secure: We shut the
dog in before we went out. b See 6, (a), below. 4 shut off. a
switch or turn off, shut down, Colloq kill, douse, cut (off):
They shut off the lights while I was shaving. b separate,
isolate, seclude, segregate, sequester, bar, shut out, cut off,
send to Coventry: The more violent cases are shut off in
another wing. c close (off), shut (down): To save on heating,
we shut off part of the house in the winter. 5 shut out. a
exclude, eliminate, bar, debar, lock out, ban, keep out or away,
disallow, prohibit: Aliens without work permits are shut out
from employment. We shut out all hooligans and rowdies. b keep
out, screen, exclude, block out, cut out: This window shade
shuts out the direct sunlight. c screen, mask, hide, conceal,
veil, cover: The house is shut out from view by the hedge. 6
shut up. a confine, shut in, coop (up), cage (in), bottle up,
box in; imprison, jail, incarcerate, intern, immure: People
suspected of being subversives were shut up during the war. b
silence, keep quiet, stifle, mute, gag, shush, Chiefly Brit
quieten: As soon as Colin wants to say something, Sidonie shuts
him up. c See 1, above. d See 2, above.


--adj. 7 closed (up), sealed (up), locked (up), bolted,
fastened: There is not much hope of penetrating their shut
minds on this issue.


shuttle v. commute, alternate: He shuttles daily between London and
Paris.


shy adj. 1 diffident, coy, bashful, retiring, withdrawn,
withdrawing, reserved, timid, meek, modest, sheepish,
unconfident, self-conscious, introverted, nervous, apprehensive,
timorous, Rare verecund: Casey is quite shy and you have to
draw him out gently. 2 timorous, cautious, wary, chary, leery,
guarded, afraid, fearful, frightened, anxious, worried,
suspicious, distrustful, cowardly, craven, uncourageous: The
local people are shy of anyone or anything unfamiliar. 3
missing, lacking, deficient in, short of: The shipment is shy a
few dozen shoelaces we ordered.


--adv. 4 fight shy of. avoid, be unwilling or reluctant or
averse or loath or loth or disinclined or not disposed; be wary
or cautious or watchful: The children fight shy of talking to
strangers.


19.5 sick...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



sick adj. 1 Chiefly Brit nauseated, queasy, sick to one's stomach,
squeamish, qualmish; seasick, carsick, airsick, Colloq green
around the gills: Patrick felt a bit sick after the rough ferry
crossing. 2 ill, unwell, unhealthy, sickly, indisposed, infirm,
ailing, diseased, afflicted, Colloq under the weather, on the
sick-list, poorly, laid up, not (feeling) up to snuff: If you
feel sick, you'd best see a doctor. I've been sick for a week. 3
affected, troubled, stricken, heartsick, wretched, miserable,
burdened, weighed down: I was sick with worry to learn of the
problems you have been having with your business. 4 mad, crazy,
insane, deranged, disturbed, neurotic, unbalanced,
psychoneurotic, psychotic, Colloq mental, US off ((one's) rocker
or trolley): Anyone who could have committed such a crime must
be sick. 5 peculiar, unconventional, strange, weird, odd,
bizarre, grotesque, macabre, shocking, ghoulish, morbid,
gruesome, stomach-turning, sadistic, masochistic,
sado-masochistic, Colloq kinky, bent, far-out, US off: In 30
years as a policeman, I've seen some sick things, but this is
the end. 6 sickened, shocked, put out, upset, appalled,

disgusted, revolted, repulsed, offended, repelled, nauseated;
annoyed, chagrined, irritated: She was sick at what she saw in
the army field hospital. The way you do things sometimes makes
me sick. 7 Sometimes, sick of. (sick and) tired, bored, weary,
Colloq fed up with: Don't you get sick of telling them the same
thing so many times?

sicken v. 1 fall ill, take sick, contract, be stricken by, come down
with or catch something or a bug, fail, weaken: After he seemed
to be recovering so well, he suddenly sickened and died. 2 make
ill or sick, afflict, affect, disgust, nauseate, turn one's
stomach, upset, appal, shock, repel, revolt, repulse, offend,
make one's gorge rise; put out: The scene in the abattoir
sickened me.


sickly adj. 1 See sick, 2, above. 2 ailing, feeble, delicate, wan,
weak, pallid, pale, drawn, peaked, peaky, peakish: Jennie looks
sickly and must build up her resistance. 3 mushy, mawkish,
maudlin, cloying, insipid, weak, watery: The sickly
sentimentality of the episode about the boy and his lost puppy
was unbearable.

side n. 1 Sometimes, sides. flank(s), edge(s), verge, margin(s),
rim, brim, brink, border(s); bank; boundary or boundaries,
perimeter, periphery, limit(s): This side of the road is in
West Sussex, the other in East Sussex. The sides of the
swimming-pool are tiled. 2 surface, face, plane; facet: The
smallest possible number of sides of a pyramid is four. 3
faction, interest, party, part, sect, camp, (point of) view,
viewpoint, aspect, opinion, standpoint, stand, cause, angle,
position, attitude, school, philosophy: Which side do you
support in the controversy? 4 team; string, squad; American
football and Association Football or Soccer and Cricket eleven,
Australian Rules football eighteen, Baseball nine, Basketball
five, Gaelic football and Rugby Union fifteen, Rugby League
thirteen: Whichever side Craig is on seems likely to win. The
local side is now coming out onto the field. 5 affectation,
pretension, haughtiness, arrogance, insolence, pretentiousness,
airs: Chauncy puts on a bit too much side for my taste. 6 side
by side. together, jointly, cheek by jowl: These paintings
should not have been hung side by side. 7 take sides. show
preference, be partial, show favouritism: A judge must avoid
taking sides.


--adj. 8 secondary, incidental, subordinate, tangential,
subsidiary, indirect, ancillary, marginal, lesser, minor,
unimportant, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant:
The main point is that he refuses to cooperate, and his reasons
are entirely a side issue. 9 auxiliary, secondary: We live in a
quiet side-road just off the High Street.

--v. 10 side with. take sides with, show preference for, be
partial to, show favouritism to or for, support, favour, prefer,
go in or along with, join ((up) with), ally with, be or become
allied with, Colloq US throw in with, team up with: You can be
sure that Kenneth will always side with the favourite candidate.


sidelong adj. oblique, indirect, sideways, covert, surreptitious: He
marched straight ahead, without so much as a sidelong glance in
her direction.

sidestep v. avoid, dodge, circumvent, skirt, evade, shun, steer clear
of, Colloq duck: The minister neatly sidestepped all questions
about her retirement.

sidetrack v. divert, deflect, draw off or away, distract, turn aside;
shunt: Where was I? I got sidetracked by your comment about
being overweight.

sidewalk n. walk, Chiefly Brit pavement, footpath, footway: You may
play on the sidewalk, but don't you dare step into the street.


sideways adv. obliquely, laterally, edgeways, edge on, sidelong,
crabwise, indirectly, US and Canadian edgewise: The dresser
will go through the door if you turn it sideways.

sidle v. edge: She sidled towards the door, opened it, and was gone.


siege n. 1 blockade, encirclement, beleaguerment, besiegement: The
siege of Troy lasted ten years.

--v. 2 lay siege to, besiege, blockade, beleaguer, cordon off,
encircle, box or pen or shut in, bottle up: They sieged the
city and the inhabitants surrendered when they ran out of food
and water.

sift v. 1 strain, sieve, riddle, filter, screen, bolt; winnow,
separate, weed out, sort out, select, choose, pick: It is not
easy to sift out the promising manuscripts. 2 examine, analyse,
study, probe, screen, scrutinize, investigate: The police are
sifting the evidence of the witnesses.

sigh v. 1 breathe, sough; suspire: Troilus sighed forth his soul to
the tent where sleeping Cressid lay. 2 sigh for. bemoan, lament
or mourn or grieve or weep for, bewail; yearn or pine for: Now
and then, all of us sigh for the good old days.

--n. 3 murmur, exhalation, sound; suspiration: I gave a sigh
of relief as the train left the station.


sight n. 1 eyesight, vision, eyes: His sight was completely restored
by the operation. 2 field of view or of vision, range of
vision, ken, perception, view, eyeshot, gaze: We turned a
corner, and at last the welcoming lights of the pub came into
sight. 3 spectacle, scene, show; rarity, marvel, wonder,
phenomenon; pageant: I shall never forget the sight of Biffy
Harbottle, stark naked, standing on that table in the officers'
club. We went to Rome to see the sights. 4 mess, disaster,
eyesore, monstrosity, Colloq fright, atrocity: The flat looked
a sight after the boys finally moved out. 5 catch sight of.
spot, notice, descry, spy, espy, glance at, (catch a) glimpse
(of), (get a) look or peep or peek at, Colloq take a gander at,
get a look-see at, Slang get a load of, US glom, pipe: We
caught sight of a sinister-looking person slipping behind a
pillar. 6 out of sight. a remote, distant, far-away, unseeable,
imperceptible, invisible: She soon walked out of sight down the
road. The mortar emplacement is out of sight, over the hill. b
unusual, rare, extraordinary, outrageous, imaginative,
awe-inspiring, incredible, shocking, unreal, moving, jolting,
Colloq neat, cool, Brit brilliant, brill: The gig last night
was out of sight, man.

--v. 7 look, view, (take) aim, peer, peek, peep, draw a bead:
Sight along this stick and you'll see a cluster of stars called
the Pleiades. 8 spot, see, catch sight of, mark, observe,
behold, view, distinguish, discern, identify, note, notice,
remark, glimpse, descry, espy, spy: A group of bird-watchers
have sighted a golden eagle recently in the Grampians.

sightseer n. tourist, traveller, globe-trotter, Colloq rubberneck(er),
Brit tripper, day-tripper: As usual, the streets of Oxford were
crowded with sightseers and tourists.


sign n. 1 token, symbol, indication, mark, signal, indicator;
notice: I interpreted the shouts of the crowd as a sign that I
had won the race. 2 movement, gesture, motion, signal, cue,
gesticulation: She made a sign motioning me to come over. 3
trace, indication, evidence, mark, clue, hint, suggestion,
vestige: She waited for an hour but there was no sign of him.
4 device, mark, symbol, representation, emblem, trade mark,
badge, brand, stamp, seal, ideogram, ideograph, lexigram,
phonogram, grapheme, hieroglyph, cartouche, rebus, logo(type),
colophon, ensign, standard, banner, flag; monogram, initials,
cipher or cypher: Sir Roger fought under the sign of a rampant
lion. 5 signboard, advertisement, placard, poster, US
broadside; shingle, notice, announcement: You can't miss the
huge supermarket sign at the corner. 6 omen, augury, warning,
forewarning, foreboding, portent, indication, writing on the
wall, prophecy, prognostication, foreshadowing: We took the
rumbling as a sign of an imminent earthquake.

--v. 7 autograph, put one's signature on or to, inscribe,
countersign, endorse, witness, put or set one's hand to, mark;
sign on the dotted line; Colloq US put one's John Hancock on or
to: I have already signed the petition, have you? The painting
is valueless unless signed by the artist. 8 sign away. forgo,
relinquish, give up, abandon, abandon or quit claim to, waive,
release, surrender, dispose of, sacrifice, get rid of: With one
stroke of the pen, he signed away most of his fortune. 9 sign
off. close down, discontinue (broadcasting, writing a letter,
etc.): It is midnight, time for us to sign off till tomorrow.
10 sign on or up. a enrol, enlist, sign up (for), register,
volunteer, join (up), contract: I signed on to be a bodyguard,
not a nursemaid. b enrol, enlist, hire, employ, put under
contract, retain, engage, take on, Colloq take on board, bring
aboard: We signed up three new engineers this week. 11 sign
over. assign, consign, transfer, make over, deliver, give,
donate, present, dispose of, turn over: Aunt June was persuaded
to sign over the ownership of the business to her nephews.

signal n. 1 See sign, 1, above. 2 incitement, stimulus, spur,
impetus, goad, prick: The waving of the flag will be the signal

to advance.

--adj. 3 remarkable, conspicuous, striking, extraordinary,
unusual, unique, singular, special, noteworthy, notable,
exceptional, significant, important, outstanding, momentous,
consequential, weighty: The British forces won a signal victory
at Khartoum that day. Winning the competition is a signal
accomplishment.


--v. 4 motion, indicate, gesture, gesticulate, communicate,
announce, notify; whistle, wink, blink, nod, beckon, wave, sign:
When your turn comes, a clerk will signal you to approach the
counter. Peter raised his hand as a request to leave the room
and the teacher signalled his assent.


significance
n. 1 meaning, sense, signification, denotation, message, idea,
point, import, purport, implication, portent, content, pith,
essence; gist, drift, vein, impression, connotation: The
significance of words like God and love is different for almost
everyone who uses them. 2 importance, weight, weightiness,
consequence, moment, relevance, value: The significance of the
agreement lay not in its wording but in the fact that it was
drawn up at all.


significant
adj. 1 important, weighty, momentous, consequential, critical,
substantial, substantive, noteworthy, notable, valuable, valued,
meritorious, outstanding, impressive, historic, relevant,
signal: Appleton made significant contributions to knowledge
about the ionosphere. 2 meaningful, eloquent, pithy, expressive,
pregnant, suggestive, informative: It is significant that they
prefer the term Britain to England, Scotland, and Wales .


signify v. 1 sign, signal, indicate, communicate, make known, convey,
symbolize, betoken, represent, express, announce, declare,
denote, say, mean, specify; connote, intimate, suggest, reveal,
disclose, impart: She signified her agreement by a nod. What
does the phrase 'pursuit of happiness' signify to you? 2 matter,
count, be significant or important or consequential, be of
significance or of importance or of consequence, carry weight,
impress, stand out, deserve or merit consideration: It
signifies little that they were found innocent of a crime we all

believe they committed.

silence n. 1 quiet, quietness, stillness, soundlessness, noiselessness,
calm, calmness, hush, quietude, tranquillity, peace,
peacefulness, serenity: The silence was so complete that I
could hear my heart beating. 2 speechlessness, muteness,
dumbness, reticence, taciturnity, uncommunicativeness: Do not
construe his silence as agreement.


--v. 3 quiet, mute, hush, still, shush, calm, tranquillize,
soothe, Chiefly Brit quieten: The audience was silenced by the
start of the overture. 4 mitigate, temper, mollify, take the
sting out of, propitiate, pacify, blunt, suppress, repress,
restrain, subdue, draw the fangs or teeth of, inhibit, put down,
damp, mute, squelch, quash, emasculate, muzzle, muffle, shut
off, gag, stifle, smother, deaden (the effect of): Only a full
account of what lay behind these events will silence criticism
in the media.


silent adj. 1 quiet, still, soundless, noiseless, tranquil, hushed,
shushed, mute; calm, serene, placid, peaceful, pacific,
unagitated, unruffled, untroubled, undisturbed, Literary stilly:
After the children left the house fell silent. Not a mouse
stirred in the silent city. 2 uncommunicative, mute,
close-mouthed, taciturn, reticent, reserved, mum, tight-lipped,
secretive: Millie told me a great deal about her children but
was silent on the subject of her own activities. 3 unspeaking,
unspoken, mute, unexpressed, tacit, understood, implicit,
implied, unstated, unsaid: There is a silent agreement among
the islanders not to reveal where the whisky is hidden. 4
inactive, non-participating, passive, quiescent, Brit sleeping:
Although John runs the company, he has several silent partners.
5 unpronounced, unuttered, not sounded, Technical aphonic: The
g in sign is silent, like the k in know and the l in could .


silently adv. quietly, soundlessly, noiselessly, with catlike tread, as
quietly as a mouse, stealthily; wordlessly, speechlessly,
mutely: They fold their tents like the Arabs, And silently
steal away. He stood by silently, allowing his brother to do
all the talking.

silhouette
n. outline, profile, contour, form, figure, shape, shadow,

configuration, periphery, perimeter: I could see the silhouette
of a person on the window-blind.

silky adj. silken, silklike, delicate, sleek, soft, smooth, satiny,
shiny, glossy, lustrous, Technical sericeous: Her long, silky
black hair hung below her shoulders.

silly adj. 1 senseless, nonsensical, absurd, ridiculous, ludicrous,
laughable, risible, asinine, inane, preposterous, idiotic,
childish, puerile, foolish, foolhardy, irresponsible,
unreasonable, illogical, irrational, pointless, fatuous, stupid,
unwise, imbecilic, crazy, mad, insane: It would be silly to pay
for it if you can get it for nothing. 2 stunned, stupefied,
daze, giddy, dizzy, muzzy, benumbed: Culley said something rude
and the girl knocked him silly with a karate chop.

--n. 3 fool, nincompoop, idiot, dunce, ninny, halfwit,
simpleton, numskull or numbskull, dim-wit, booby, dolt, jackass,
twit, dolt, blockhead, bonehead, nitwit, ignoramus, clod, US
thimble-wit, Colloq dope, dummy, knuckle-head, goose, drip,
silly billy, Brit clot, Slang US and Canadian jerk, nerd:
Warren is such a silly to spend so much money on a girl who
cares nothing for him.


silt n. 1 deposit, sediment, alluvium, ooze, sludge: The irrigation
pumps get clogged up with silt.

--v. 2 Usually, silt up or over. become clogged or choked or
obstructed or dammed or congested: The channel silts up and has
to be dredged yearly so that the boats can pass through.

silver n. 1 silverware, sterling, (silver) plate; cutlery, US
flatware; hollowware: Guests are coming so I'll have to polish
the silver. 2 white, greyish, whitish-grey, greyish-white,
grey: When your hair has turned to silver, I will love you just
the same.

--adj. 3 silvery, shiny, shining, polished, burnished,
lustrous, pearly, nacreous, bright, gleaming, Literary or
heraldry argent; white: The moon's silver crescent hung low in
the sky. Her hair is more silver than grey. 4 silvery,
silver-toned, silver-tongued, sweet, pretty, euphonious,
melodious, mellifluous, mellifluent, dulcet, musical: The

silver tones of the muezzin echoed in the streets, calling the
faithful to prayer.

similar adj. 1 like, almost identical, comparable, equivalent, nearly
the same; alike: That brooch is similar to the one I bought for
my mother. The two may be similar, but they are not the same. 2
be similar to. resemble, be like, correspond to, compare
favourably with: This letter is very similar to the one I
received yesterday.


simmer v. 1 seethe, stew, cook, boil, bubble: A huge cauldron of soup
simmered on the fire. 2 chafe, seethe, stew, steam, smoulder,
fume, rage, burn, Colloq US do a slow burn: Father is still
simmering because you scratched his car. 3 simmer down. calm or
cool down, cool off, calm oneself, become quiet, control
oneself, get control of or over oneself, Chiefly Brit quieten
down, Slang cool it: Yesterday he was in a towering rage, but
he has simmered down a bit today.


simple adj. 1 uncomplicated, plain, uninvolved, unsophisticated,
understandable, intelligible, (easily) understood,
comprehensible, clear, lucid, straightforward, easy, elementary,
basic: At the age of four, Jan was able to do simple
mathematical calculations. 2 plain, unadorned, undecorated,
unembellished, basic, fundamental, elementary, elemental, mere,
unostentatious, unassuming, unpretentious, modest, classic,
uncluttered, stark, clean, severe, austere, Spartan, homely;
unvarnished, naked, honest: Thea was stunning in a simple black
dress with a colourful scarf and gold jewellery. The simple
truth is that he came home from work to find the house broken
into and his wife gone. 3 sincere, frank, candid, open,
unaffected, uncomplicated, unpretentious, straightforward,
above-board, simple-hearted, uncontrived, direct, upright,
square, forthright, four-square, righteous, honest, na‹ve,
guileless, artless, undesigning, childlike, ingenuous,
unsophisticated, innocent, green: The colonel was a simple man
who was respected because he always said just what he meant. A
simple heart may be its own best guide. 4 unsophisticated,
na‹ve, slow, slow-witted, stupid, thick, thickheaded,
simple-minded, feeble-minded, oafish, bovine, dense, obtuse,
dull, dull-witted, witless, halfwitted, brainless, backward,
imbecilic or chiefly Brit imbecile, cretinous, Colloq dumb,
moronic: That chap Dawson is far too simple to understand what

you are asking him. 5 lowly, humble, inferior, mean, base,
subservient, common, subordinate: The lord of the manor
regarded his tenants as simple folk, a breed apart from himself
and his family.


simplicity
n. 1 uncomplicatedness; understandability, comprehensibility,
lucidity, straightforwardness, clarity, intelligibility,
decipherability: Consider the simplicity of some life forms in
contrast to the complexity of others. The simplicity of the
Bible can be deceptive. 2 plainness, cleanness, clarity,
severity, starkness, austereness, asceticism, restraint,
bareness, purity: She prefers the simplicity of classical or
very modern design to baroque and rococo clutter. 3 sincerity,
openness, artlessness, candour, guilelessness, frankness,
unsophisticatedness, ingenuousness, straightforwardness,
forthrightness, unaffectedness, unpretentiousness, modesty,
na‹vety; plainness, directness, inelegance, rusticity,
pastoralism: Many have been charmed by the simplicity of the
local folk art. 4 stupidity, slow-wittedness, thickheadedness,
simple-mindedness, feeble-mindedness, oafishness, cloddishness,
obtuseness, dullness, dull-wittedness, witlessness,
halfwittedness, imbecility, brainlessness: The simplicity of
some of those yokels is incredible.


simplify v. clarify, clear up, make easy, paraphrase, explain,
explicate, disentangle, untangle, unravel, streamline: Simplify
your request and we shall be able to do what you ask.


simply adv. 1 merely, barely, purely, only, solely, just, entirely,
fully, totally, wholly, altogether, absolutely, really: Is it
true that they met regularly simply to discuss politics? 2
totally, completely, altogether, entirely, just, plainly,
obviously, really, unreservedly, unqualifiedly: If you believe
that, you're simply too stupid for words! 3 na‹vely, artlessly,
guilelessly, openly, innocently, ingenuously, unaffectedly,
unpretentiously, plainly, naturally: He asked her very simply
what she did as a 'working girl'. 4 plainly, modestly, starkly,
severely, sparely, sparsely, austerely, ascetically: His home
is simply furnished, without paintings or any other decoration.
5 distinctly, unambiguously, plainly, obviously, unmistakably or
unmistakeably: The instructions must be written simply so that
they are understandable to anyone.


simultaneous
adj. coincident, coinciding, concurrent, contemporaneous,
synchronous; contemporary: The simultaneous appearance of two
books on such an obscure subject was very unusual.

sin n. 1 trespass, transgression, offence, wrong, impiety, misdeed,
profanation, desecration, iniquity, evil, devilry, sacrilege,
crime, infraction, misdeed, dereliction, infringement,
violation, misdemeanour, fault, foible, peccadillo: How many
sins have been committed in the name of righteousness! It's a
sin to tell a lie. The seven deadly sins are anger,
covetousness, envy, gluttony, lust, pride, and sloth. 2
wickedness, sinfulness, vice, corruption, ungodliness, badness,
evil, wrongfulness, iniquity, iniquitousness, immorality,
depravity, impiety, irreverence, impiousness, sacrilege: His
brother Edmund was conceived in sin, and sin ruled his entire
life.


--v. 3 transgress, offend, fall (from grace), lapse, go wrong,
stray, go astray, err, Biblical or archaic trespass: Strictly
speaking, we can sin only against God.

sincere adj. honest, truthful, true, veracious, genuine, heartfelt,
true-hearted, undissembling, unfeigned, open, (open and)
above-board, straightforward, direct, frank, candid, guileless,
artless, Colloq upfront, on the level, on the up and up: I took
her criticism as a sincere desire to see improvement in my work.
You have always been sincere in your emotional involvements.


sincerely adv. truly, honestly, really, wholeheartedly, candidly,
frankly, unequivocally, seriously, earnestly, genuinely, deeply,
fervently: When they say they love each other, they mean it
sincerely.


sincerity n. honesty, truthfulness, straightforwardness, openness,
forthrightness, frankness, candour, candidness, seriousness,
genuineness, uprightness: Everyone appreciates sincerity in
dealings with others.


sinew n. 1 ligament, tendon; muscle, thew: After the climb, I ached
in every sinew. 2 Usually, sinews. strength, force, power,
energy, brawn, vigour, might, stamina, vitality: The sinews of

his argument were considerably weakened by her disarming
candour.

sinewy adj. strong, powerful, muscular, mighty, stout, wiry, robust,
tough; strapping, brawny, burly: She looked so tiny and fragile
cradled in his huge sinewy arms.

sinful adj. corrupt, evil, wicked, bad, wrong, wrongful, iniquitous,
vile, base, profane, immoral, profligate, depraved, criminal,
sacrilegious, ungodly, unholy, demonic, irreligious, impious,
irreverent: Anything that you like as much as you like
chocolate must be sinful. They would never condone such sinful
behaviour in our church.


sing v. 1 chant, intone, carol, vocalize, trill, croon, pipe, chirp,
warble; chorus; yodel: It was a wonderful spring day and
Barbara felt like singing. Can you sing On the Road to Mandalay
? 2 whistle, pipe, peep: I have just bought a singing kettle.
3 tell, tattle, name names, Slang rat, snitch, squeal, blow the
whistle, peach, spill the beans: They found out that Johnny had
been singing to the cops about the bank job.

singe v. char, blacken, sear, scorch, burn: Unfortunately, I singed
the tail of my shirt while ironing it.


singer n. vocalist, soloist, songster, crooner, chanteuse,
nightingale, minstrel, troubadour, balladeer, caroller,
chorister, choirboy, choir girl, choir member, chorus-boy,
chorus girl, chorus-member, Colloq songbird, canary, thrush:
She used to be a professional singer.

single adj. 1 unmarried, unwed, unattached, free; celibate: She
remained single till she was twenty-two. 2 singular,
individual, distinct, solitary; one, only, sole, lone, unique,
isolated: There wasn't a single person there who could think
for himself. A single shot rang out. 3 separate, distinct,
individual, solitary: Every single hair is rooted in its
follicle.


--v. 4 single out. select, choose, pick, separate, take or put
or set aside or apart, distinguish, cull, segregate, fix or
fasten on: Why was she singled out for special treatment?

single-handed
adj. 1 solo, lone, solitary, independent, unaided, unassisted:
Chichester was the first winner of the single-handed
transatlantic sailing race.


--adv. 2 single-handedly, by oneself, alone, solo, on one's
own, independently: He sailed round the world single-handed.

single-minded
adj. dedicated, devoted, resolute, steadfast, persevering,
firm, determined, dogged, unswerving, unwavering, tireless,
purposeful: Single-minded perseverance saw him through the
completion of the work in eight years.


singly adv. one at a time, separately, individually, one by one,
successively, one after the other, seriatim: Taken singly, the
facts are not hard to assimilate.

singular adj. 1 unusual, different, atypical, eccentric, extraordinary,
remarkable, special, uncommon, strange, odd, peculiar, bizarre,
outlandish, curious, queer, outr‚, offbeat, Slang far-out:
Ideas that yesterday were considered singular have today become
quite commonplace. 2 outstanding, prominent, eminent,
pre-eminent, noteworthy, significant, important, conspicuous,
particular, notable, signal, exceptional, superior: Stempel
made a singular contribution to the development of microscopy.
3 lone, isolated, single, separate, uncommon, rare, unique,
distinct, one of a kind: Some medieval philosophers denied the
existence of general realities, and claimed that all things that
exist were particular and singular.

singularity
n. 1 individuality, distinctiveness, uniqueness, idiosyncrasy:
Personality demonstrates its singularity even in handwriting. 2
eccentricity, peculiarity, strangeness, oddness, queerness,
outlandishness, uncommonness: The singularity of the marriage
ceremony among these tribes was often remarked on by
anthropologists. 3 Technical black hole: The ultimate collapse
of the star results, theoretically, in a singularity.


sinister adj. 1 fateful, inauspicious, unfavourable, foreboding,
threatening, menacing, minacious, minatory or minatorial,
portentous, ominous, unpropitious, disastrous, dark, gloomy:

There was a sinister meaning in the look he gave her. 2 evil,
bad, corrupt, base, malevolent, malignant, malign, harmful,
pernicious, treacherous, nefarious, wicked, diabolic(al),
baleful, villainous, insidious, sneaky, furtive, underhand(ed):
The poor girl fell under the sinister influence of a real-life
Svengali.

sink v. 1 founder, submerge, go down, go under, plunge, descend, be
engulfed: The ship was struck below the water-line and sank in
minutes. 2 subside, cave in, collapse, subside, settle, drop,
fall in, go down, slip away: The earth suddenly sank beneath
our feet. 3 descend, go down, drop, fall, move down or
downward(s), go down to or on: The parachute slowly sank to the
ground. When he saw the statue move, he sank to his knees,
terrified. 4 decline, weaken, worsen, degenerate, subside,
deteriorate, flag, fail, diminish, die, expire; languish; Colloq
go downhill: Grandfather, sinking fast, summoned the family to
his bedside. 5 disappear, vanish, fade away, evaporate; set, go
down, descend, drop: After a meteoric rise, many rock stars
sink into oblivion. As the sun sank slowly in the west, we
returned to our hotel to reminisce about our day at the
pyramids. 6 settle, precipitate, descend, drop: After a few
minutes, the sand sinks to the bottom. 7 bore, put down, drill,
dig, excavate, drive: A special shaft will be sunk just for
ventilating the mine. 8 submerge, immerse, plunge: He sank his
hand deep into the mud and came up with a small box. 9 stoop,
bend, get, go, lower or humble oneself: I never dreamt that he
would sink so low as to beg in the streets. 10 invest, venture,
risk, put: He sank his life's savings into his son's business,
only to see it go bankrupt. 11 sink in. be understood,
penetrate, register, make an impression on, get through to: How
many times do I have to tell you in order for it to sink in?

--n. 12 basin, wash-basin, wash-bowl, lavabo; Church font,
stoup, piscina: The kitchen has a large double sink. 13
cesspool, cesspit, pit, hell-hole, den of iniquity, sink-hole,
Colloq dive: We found him playing piano in some sink frequented
by the worst element of society.


sinking adj. 1 queasy, nervous, uneasy, tense, apprehensive, unquiet,
fretful, shaky, jittery, jumpy, anxious: Just thinking about
the way they treat hostages gave me a sinking feeling in the pit
of my stomach. 2 depressed, dejected, miserable, dolorous,

doleful, mournful, forlorn, woeful, desolate, despairing,
stricken, heavy-laden: I had a sudden sinking feeling when she
announced that she had something important to tell me.


sinner n. transgressor, wrongdoer, miscreant, offender, evil-doer,
malefactor, reprobate, Biblical or archaic trespasser: Few
people nowadays believe that sinners are punished in hell for
all eternity.


sip v. 1 taste, sample, sup: She was sitting on a bar stool,
sipping a cocktail.

--n. 2 taste, sample, soup‡on, drop, bit, swallow, mouthful,
spoonful, thimbleful, nip, dram, Colloq swig: She took a sip,
savoured it, then turned to me with a smile.

siren n. 1 whistle, warble, wailer, horn, foghorn; signal, alarm,
warning, alert, tocsin: The air raid siren sounded and everyone
ran for shelter. 2 temptress, seductress, enchantress, charmer,
sorceress, femme fatale, Circe, Lorelei, Colloq vamp, US
mantrap: Have you seen the latest siren to whom John has fallen
prey?

sissy n. milksop, mama's boy, mummy's boy, namby-pamby, weakling,
baby, cry-baby, mollycoddle, US milquetoast, Colloq softie or
softy, Brit wet: The boy you remember from school as a sissy is
now a football star.

sit v. 1 be seated, settle, sit down, take a seat, rest, Colloq
take the weight or a load off one's feet: Come in and sit with
me for a while. If you sit on that chair it will break. 2 hold a
session, be in session, assemble, meet, convene; gather, get
together: The Supreme Court of the United States will be
sitting next week. 3 Often, sit on. have or hold or occupy a
seat (on), participate (in), be a member (of): Kathy sits on
the board of directors. 4 remain, stay, lie, rest; relax, mark
time, abide, dwell: Let the dough sit a while to rise. Anita
sat in Vienna awaiting her instructions. 5 seat, contain, hold,
accommodate, have seats or seating for, have room or space or
capacity for seating: The auditorium sits only 600. 6 sit in.
a Often, sit in on. play, join (in), participate (in), take part
(in); observe, watch: Mind if I sit in on your poker game? We
invited Mary Lou to sit in during our discussion. b substitute,

fill in, stand in, double, Colloq cover, sub, US pinch-hit:
Mary Lou often sat in for our pianist if he had another gig. 7
sit out. wait out, outwait, outstay, outlast, outlive, last
through, live through: Will sat out endless dances. He sat out
the whole evening merely waiting to walk home with Lily. 8 sit
tight. wait, hang back, hold back, be patient, bide (one's)
time, play a waiting game, take no action, delay, temporize,
Colloq hold (one's) horses: Just sit tight till you hear from
them - don't jump the gun. 9 sit up. awaken, pay attention,
notice, become alert or interested or concerned: Jennie's
performance in the hurdles made many track coaches sit up. 10
sit (with). Often, sit well or right (with). agree with, be
agreeable to; seem, appear, look: The way Ashton handled the
matter did not sit well with the directors.


site n. 1 location, place, plot, plat, spot, locale, area, milieu,
neighbourhood, locality, purlieus, placement, position;
situation, orientation: A site near that of ancient Pergamum
has been acquired for the building. The site alongside the river
has much to recommend it.

--v. 2 locate, position, place, put, situate, install or
instal: The building has been sited to take maximum advantage
of the sun.


situate v. place in a position or situation or location, place,
position, locate, set, spot, put, install or instal: Harwood is
very well situated to learn what the high command is planning.
The greenhouse should be situated on the south side of the
house.

situation n. 1 place, position, location, spot, site, locale, setting:
The situation of the monastery, high on the mountain, makes it
almost inaccessible. 2 state (of affairs), condition,
circumstances, case, status (quo), lay of the land, picture;
plight, predicament; Colloq ball game; kettle of fish: The
present situation calls for careful planning. The chancellor's
policies have done little to improve the economic situation. 3
position, place, job, employment, post, Colloq berth: Jenkins
likes his new situation as Lord Fortescue's valet.

size n. 1 magnitude, largeness, bigness, bulk, extent, scope, range,
dimensions, proportions, measurement(s), expanse, area, square

footage, volume, mass, weight; hugeness, immensity, greatness,
vastness, enormousness: How do astronomers determine the
distance and size of stellar objects? A shape of extraordinary
size suddenly loomed up in the darkness.


--v. 2 dimension, measure: The furnishings are sized in
proportion to these miniature room displays. 3 size up. assess,
judge, evaluate, measure, take the measure of, appraise, assay,
make an estimate of, estimate, value, gauge, rate: She looked
him up and down, sizing him up as a prospective husband.

19.6 sketchily...
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sketchily adv. cursorily, superficially, incompletely, patchily, roughly,
perfunctorily, skimpily, vaguely, imperfectly, crudely, hastily,
hurriedly: His account of the event was sketchily written.


sketchy adj. cursory, superficial, incomplete, patchy, rough,
perfunctory, skimpy, imperfect, crude, hasty, hurried, vague,
ill-defined, fuzzy, indistinct, inexact, imprecise, unrefined,
unpolished, rough-hewn, unfinished: We received only sketchy
reports of what was going on in the capital. This will do as a
sketchy outline, but eventually the details will need to be
filled in.

skilful adj. skilled, accomplished, adept, adroit, dexterous, expert,
proficient, masterly, masterful, gifted, apt, able, clever,
talented, capable, professional, trained, qualified,
experienced, practised: Julio is a skilful enough driver to
race tomorrow. I have to admire the skilful way he handles
people.


skill n. 1 talent, ability, aptitude, expertness, expertise,
facility, skilfulness, art, artistry, cleverness, adeptness,
adroitness, mastery, dexterity, handiness, ingenuity,
experience, proficiency, finesse, knack, quickness, deftness,
technique: It requires great skill to operate this machine. 2
accomplishment, forte, strength, gift, capability, know-how,
faculty: Her skill is in teaching others how to be skilful
sales people.

skim v. 1 Often, skim off. separate, cream, scoop or ladle off, take
off, remove: After the water has come to a boil, skim off the
scum that has collected on top. 2 Often, skim through or over.
scan, flip or thumb or leaf through, skip through, glance at or
through, dip into: I only had time to skim through your report,
but at a glance it looks good. 3 soar, glide, skate, slide,
sail, fly: Along came Calabro on his sailboard, skimming along
the tops of the waves.


skin n. 1 epidermis, derma, integument, hide, pelt, fleece, fell:
Her skin reddens in the sun. How many skins are needed to make a
coat? 2 coat, film, coating, crust, incrustation, husk, peel,
rind, outside, shell, pellicle, veneer, outer layer, lamina,
overlay: The frame is first covered with a tough plastic skin
to make it waterproof.

--v. 3 flay, strip, decorticate, excoriate: I shall skin that
boy alive if I catch him! 4 peel, hull, husk, shell: This
machine skins the fruit automatically. 5 abrade, scrape, graze,
bark: She skinned her knee on the edge of the coffee table.

skin-deep adj. superficial, shallow, surface, slight, external,
unimportant, trivial, unprofound, insubstantial: The impression
he makes on people is only skin-deep.


skinny adj. thin, underweight, gaunt, bony, scraggy, lank, lanky,
gangly, gangling, raw-boned, meagre, spare, emaciated,
half-starved, undernourished, spare, pinched, hollow-cheeked,
wasted, shrunken: Two skinny children were clinging to their
mother's skirts.

skip v. 1 leap, cavort, caper, gambol, frisk, prance, jump, hop,
romp, bound, dance: Eleanor came skipping down the walk to the
house. 2 omit, leave out, pass by, overlook, pass over, avoid,
ignore, disregard, steer clear of, cut: In my haste, I skipped
over your name. Please skip the reading of the roll today.

--n. 3 leap, cavort, caper, gambol, frisk, prance, jump, bound,
dance, hop, romp: He had a curious way of walking, giving a
little skip before each step. 4 lacuna, gap, omission,
avoidance, disregard; miss, Colloq go-by: There was a skip of
32 pages after page 64. If you take my advice, you will give
that restaurant a skip.


skipper n. captain, master, commander; boss, leader, chief: The
skipper gave orders to put him in irons.


skirmish n. 1 fight, encounter, fray, brush, clash, engagement,
confrontation, showdown, combat, battle, conflict, struggle,
set-to, contest, scrimmage, fracas, tussle, mˆl‚e or melee, Law
affray, Colloq scrap, dust-up, Brit scrum: There was a brief
skirmish when the troops met a band of partisans.


--v. 2 fight, clash, struggle, battle, tussle, clash: At the
edge of the convoy a destroyer skirmished with a submarine.

sky n. 1 heaven(s), skies, arch or vault of heaven, firmament,
(wild) blue (yonder), ether, Archaic or literary welkin,
empyrean, azure: The dour, overcast sky gave the bleak moor a
chilling sense of foreboding. 2 to the skies. overly,
excessively, extravagantly, fulsomely, profusely, inordinately,
highly: If I praise him to the skies people will get the idea
that I benefit from his success.

19.7 slab...
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slab n. slice, wedge, piece, hunk, chunk, tranche, Colloq Brit
wodge: The keeper threw a large slab of meat into the lion's
cage.


slack adj. 1 remiss, careless, indolent, negligent, lax, lazy, idle,
neglectful, delinquent, inattentive, otiose, dilatory,
cunctatory, laggard, easygoing, slothful, sluggish, lethargic,
shiftless, do-nothing, fain‚ant, Colloq asleep at the switch or
the wheel, asleep on the job: Production has fallen off because
the workers are getting slack. 2 loose, flabby, flaccid, soft,
limp, baggy, drooping, droopy, bagging, sagging, floppy: The
flag hung down, slack in the still air.

--v. 3 Often, slack or slacken off or up. a let go, let run,
let loose, release, slacken, loose, loosen, relax, ease (out or
off), let up (on): Slack off the stern line a bit. b slow
(down or up), delay, reduce speed, tire, decline, decrease,
diminish, moderate, abate, weaken: Barnes could not keep up his

terrific pace and is beginning to slack off. Business has
slackened off since Christmas. 4 neglect, shirk, Colloq Brit
skive (off), US goof off, Chiefly military gold-brick, Taboo
slang US fuck the dog: Don't let the foreman find you slacking.


--n. 5 lull, pause, inactivity, cut-back, lessening, reduction,
abatement, drop-off, downturn, diminution, decline, fall-off,
decrease, dwindling: How do you compensate for the slack in
sales of ski equipment during the summer? 6 room, looseness,
slackness, play, give: There's too much slack in that mooring
line.

slacker n. shirker, loafer, idler, Slang Brit skiver, Military
scrimshanker, US gold brick, goof-off: We have tight deadlines
to meet, so there is no room for slackers on the team.

slake v. satisfy, quench, gratify, allay, assuage, ease, relieve:
Nothing would slake my thirst better right now than a pint of
ice-cold lager.


slam v. 1 shut, fling closed, bang: Gillian said that she hated
encyclopedias, and slammed the door in the salesman's face. 2
crash, smash, smack, dash, ram, bang, slap: Not looking where
he was going, Newland slammed his car into a street lamp. 3
criticize, attack, vilify, pillory, run down, disparage,
denigrate, denounce, put down, flay, pounce on or upon, Colloq
shoot down, pan, Chiefly Brit slate: The critics slammed his
play because of the way it portrayed women.


slander n. 1 defamation (of character), calumny, obloquy,
misrepresentation, slur, vilification; libel: He spread lies
about me and I am suing him for slander.

--v. 2 defame, calumniate, disparage, slur, traduce, malign,
smear, vilify, decry; libel: He must be stopped from slandering
people and ruining their reputations.

slanderous
adj. defamatory, calumnious, disparaging, smear, deprecatory,
depreciative, discrediting, decrying; libellous: I understand
that she made some slanderous remarks about your relationship
with your ex-wife.

slant n. 1 angle, viewpoint, (point of) view, standpoint, approach,
twist, idea, aspect, attitude: The article reflects a new slant
on why governments are sometimes out of touch with the
electorate. 2 bias, prejudice, partiality, one-sidedness, turn,
bent: Carla's reporting has a feminist slant which occasionally
distorts the facts. 3 slope, incline, tilt, ramp, gradient,
pitch, lean, leaning, deflection, angle, rake, cant, camber: A
window sill normally has an outward slant. The road has a slant
downwards to the right on right-hand curves.


--v. 4 tilt, angle, incline, pitch, cant, slope, bend, lean,
list, tip, bevel, shelve: The land slants downwards near the
lake. Notice how his writing slants upwards at the ends of the
lines. Cut the edges to slant outwards. 5 bend, distort,
deviate, twist, warp, colour, weight, bias: The editor slanted
the story to put the minister in a favourable light.

slap v. 1 smack, cuff, whack, rap; spank; Colloq clout, wallop: He
said something extremely rude so she slapped him. 2 flap, slat,
whip, beat, bat: Can't you stop that blind from slapping in the
wind? 3 fling, toss, splash, hurl, throw, sling: If you slap
some paint on it, no one will know the difference.

--n. 4 smack, blow, cuff, whack, rap, Colloq clout, wallop: He
got a hard slap on the cheek for using foul language. 5 Often,
slap in the face. reprimand, reproof, rebuff, criticism,
censure, rebuke, shot, thrust, attack, put-down, insult,
offence, smack in the eye: The speaker's reference to Anne's
paper as 'trivial' was a severe slap in the face.


--adv. 6 slap on. exactly, directly, precisely, straight,
point-blank, right, squarely, plumb, smack, bang: As usual,
Barry's comments were slap on the mark.


slash v. 1 cut, gash, hack, score, slit, knife, lacerate; wound;
scar: The guide slashed away at the undergrowth with his
machete. 2 lash, whip, scourge, flog, beat, horsewhip, flail,
flagellate, flay, lambaste, thrash, beat: In those days, a
convicted felon was beaten and slashed in front of a crowd in
the market-place. 3 cut, reduce, decrease, drop, mark down,
trim, lower: Prices were slashed to clear out last season's
styles.

--n. 4 cut, gash, incision, slit, slice, gouge, rent, rip,
score, laceration: There is a slash in each sleeve that reveals
the colourful fabric underneath. 5 cut, reduction, decrease,
mark-down: The department stores continued their price slashes
to the end of January.

slattern n. slut, tramp, sloven, trollop, hussy, wanton, whore,
prostitute, harlot, streetwalker, lady of the evening, woman of
ill repute, loose or fallen woman, trottoise, Colloq call-girl,
pro, Slang tart, hooker, hustler, US roundheels, bimbo: His
reputation will not be enhanced if he associates with slatterns.

slaughter n. 1 butchery, butchering, Rare abattage: Most of the cattle
were sent for slaughter. 2 massacre, killing, bloodshed, blood
bath, murder, homicide, manslaughter, carnage, extermination,
execution, liquidation, slaying, blood-letting, butchery,
pogrom, genocide, mass murder or execution or extermination,
sacrifice, hecatomb: 1930 to 1945 saw the slaughter of millions
in Europe and the Far East.


--v. 3 butcher, kill, murder, slay, execute, exterminate,
massacre, put to the sword, put to death, liquidate, destroy:
How many more must be slaughtered before war is made obsolete?
4 defeat, beat, win (out) over, vanquish, overcome, overwhelm,
smash, crush, thrash, destroy, rout, upset, trounce, Colloq
clobber: Our school soccer team slaughtered the visitors 10--0.

slave n. 1 lackey or lacquey, scullion, serf, slave-girl, slaveling,
odalisque or odalisk, bondservant, bondslave, bondsman or
bondman, bondswoman or bondwoman, bondmaid, vassal, Derogatory
chiefly Brit skivvy, Archaic esne, helot, hierodule, Colloq Brit
slavey: In ancient times, captured peoples and those of lower
social status were kept as slaves. 2 drudge, workhorse, hack,
grind, toiler, labourer, Chiefly Brit fag, dogsbody, Colloq US
gofer: Susan was a slave to her job for years, only to be
sacked without a pension by the new owners.

--v. 3 labour, toil, moil, grind, grub, drudge, sweat, burn the
midnight oil, lucubrate, work one's fingers to the bone, work
like a Trojan or a horse, Brit skivvy: He was slaving over an
essay that was due the following morning.

slaverฐ v. 1 drool, salivate, slobber, drivel, dribble, spit, Dialect

slabber: The wolf opened its slavering jaws.

--n. 2 drool, saliva, drivel, dribble, spit, spittle, Dialect
slabber: The slaver formed on his lips as he raged on. 3
nonsense, drivel, rubbish, twaddle, piffle: The slaver spewed
forth by the critics set her teeth on edge.

slaver n. 1 slave ship, slave-trader: Conditions were so bad aboard
the slavers that many of the poor souls died before reaching
their destination. 2 blackbirder, slave-trader; White slaver,
pimp, panderer: He was ashamed that his grandfather had been a
South Sea slaver.

slavery n. 1 enslavement, bondage, thraldom, thrall, enthralment,
servitude, serfdom, vassalage, yoke; subjugation, captivity,
Historical US peculiar institution: All of those ancient
cultures that we venerate practised slavery. 2 slave-trade,
blackbirding: No one ever mentions that the family fortune had
been made from slavery. 3 toil, moil, drudgery, travail, grind,
strain, (hard) labour: She remembered the years of slavery she
had spent at the kitchen sink.

sleazy adj. 1 unsubstantial or insubstantial, flimsy, slight, shabby,
poor, gimcrack, jerry-built, tawdry, cheap, tatty, ramshackle,
rickety, slipshod, Colloq US chintzy: Her garish dress was made
from some sleazy synthetic material. 2 disreputable, low-class,
low-grade, squalid, dirty, base, seedy, sordid, contemptible,
trashy, run-down, mean, cheap, Colloq crummy, slummy, Slang
crappy, cheesy: He was lying low in a sleazy hotel while the
police searched for him.

sleek adj. 1 smooth, slick, velvety, lustrous, shiny, shining,
glossy, silky, silken: The seals' sleek fur glistened in the
sunlight. 2 graceful, trim, streamlined: For her birthday
Edmund gave her a sleek convertible. 3 suave, unctuous, slimy,
fawning, oily, specious, hypocritical, Chiefly Brit smarmy: His
explanations sounded plausible enough, but we soon found out
what a sleek rogue he really was.


sleep v. 1 doze, (take a) nap, catnap, rest, repose, slumber, drowse,
drop or nod off, be in the land of Nod, be in the arms of
Morpheus, snore, Colloq snooze, saw wood, catch or log a few
zees (Z's), take or have a zizz, catch forty winks: I was so

tired, I slept for a full ten hours.

--n. 2 nap, doze, slumber, rest, siesta, Colloq forty winks,
snooze, zizz, beauty sleep: As she grew older, she found she
needed less sleep.

sleepless adj. 1 restless, wakeful, insomniac, disturbed: Your mother
and I spent a sleepless night worrying about you. 2 alert,
watchful, vigilant, unsleeping: Mark's wife kept a sleepless
vigil at his bedside.

sleepwalking
n. 1 noctambulism, somnambulism, noctambulation,
somnambulation: Because of his sleepwalking, he had to be
strapped in at night.

--adj. 2 noctambulant, somnambulant: Proper drugs will control
her sleepwalking activities.


sleepy adj. 1 drowsy, somnolent, tired, nodding, dozy, lethargic,
torpid, slumberous, sluggish, oscitant; weary, fatigued,
exhausted, Colloq dead on one's feet, (knocked) out, beat, US
and Canadian pooped: All that exercise has made me sleepy. 2
boring, inactive, dull, quiet, soporific, slow, sluggish: He
grew up in a sleepy little village in the Outer Hebrides.

slender adj. 1 slim, lean, willowy, sylphlike, svelte, lissom or
lissome, lithe, graceful, snake-hipped, thin, spare, slight,
lanky: By exercising regularly, she has retained her slender
figure. 2 slim, narrow, slight, poor, unlikely, small, little,
scanty, remote, meagre, weak, feeble: Prospects for a quick
recovery of the stock market are slender. 3 slim, slight,
little, scanty, inadequate, insufficient, insignificant,
trifling: The evidence against the defendant was too slender
for a conviction.

sleuth n. detective, (private) detective, (private) investigator, US
P.I., Colloq private eye, Sherlock, snoop, Brit tec or 'tec, US
hawkshaw, Slang US dick, shamus, US and Canadian gumshoe:
Dissatisfied with the progress of the police, we hired a private
sleuth to investigate the theft.

slice n. 1 slab, piece, rasher, collop, shaving, layer, Cookery

scallop, escalope, scaloppine (pl. of scaloppina) or scaloppini
(pl.): May I have another slice of ham? 2 portion, piece,
part, wedge, share, sliver, helping: He wants to make certain
he gets his slice of the pie. 3 spatula; slicer: The Cabots
gave us a silver fish slice for a wedding present.

--v. 4 cut, carve, divide: They watched their mother slicing
bread for sandwiches.


slick adj. 1 smooth, sleek, glossy, silky, silken, shiny, shining,
glassy, slippery: His slick hair looked as if it had been
greased. 2 smooth, urbane, suave, smooth-spoken, glib, smug,
plausible; sycophantic, unctuous, Colloq smarmy: Thomas was a
slick operator and managed to worm his way into a position of
power. 3 smooth, clever, skilful, adroit, dexterous,
professional, ingenious, imaginative, inventive, creative,
Colloq neat: The performance was slick and well-rehearsed. 4
superficial, shallow, meretricious, specious, glib: They have
made a lot of money publishing slick magazines for the yuppy
market.

--v. 5 Often, slick down. smooth, plaster down, grease, oil:
He likes his hair slicked down to look like Valentino's.


slicker n. 1 confidence man or woman, cheat, swindler, mountebank,
Colloq con man, city slicker: That slicker she met in Paris
tricked Harriet out of a lot of money before he disappeared. 2
oilskin (raincoat): Best wear your slicker if you're going out
in this storm, James.


slide v. 1 glide, slip; coast, skim, glissade, skate, plane, skid,
toboggan, slither: The drawer slid smoothly out on its runners.
Terry came sliding down the icy hill, arms and legs flailing. 2
creep, steal, slip, slink, move: My contact slid into the seat
beside me and slipped me a note. 3 decline, decrease, drop,
fall: Shares slid to an all-time low on this morning's market.
4 let slide. forget, ignore, neglect, gloss or pass over, pay no
heed or mind (to): When Mr Bartlett borrowed my lawnmower, I
let the matter slide till he began to think of it as his own,
and offered to lend it to me!

--n. 5 landslide, earth-slip, avalanche, mud-slide: A dozen
houses were destroyed in the slides caused by the recent

torrential rains.

slight adj. 1 small, little, minor, negligible, unlikely,
insignificant, inconsequential: There is always a slight chance
that you might be wrong, you know. 2 trifling, tiny, slender,
minute, infinitesimal; trace, perceptible: He didn't attach the
slightest importance to the rumours that were going round. You'd
best wash it again, as there is still a slight odour of garlic.
3 small, short, petite, thin, slim, slender, delicate,
diminutive, tiny, miniature, bantam, wee, pocket, pocket-sized,
US vest-pocket, Colloq pint-sized: Charlotte's slight build
seems totally unaffected by the amount she eats. 4 insubstantial
or unsubstantial, weak, feeble, delicate, dainty, frail,
unstable, fragile, flimsy, lightly made or built, precarious,
inadequate, rickety, insecure: This table is too slight to
support the computer and the printer. His arguments were far
too slight to carry conviction.

--v. 5 disregard, ignore, disdain, scorn, snub, rebuff, cut,
disrespect, cold-shoulder: He thought she had slighted him
deliberately at the dance. 6 insult, offend, affront, mortify,
diminish, minimize, depreciate, disparage: Siobhan felt
slighted by Harry's inattention.


--n. 7 insult, affront, slur, indignity, outrage, offence,
disrespect: It is hard to understand why she tolerates his
persistent slights. 8 inattention, neglect, disregard,
indifference, snub, cold shoulder, coldness, ill-treatment:
Perhaps she misinterprets his obsessive occupation in his work
as a slight to her.

slightly adv. a little, somewhat, to a certain or slight or minor extent
or degree or measure, marginally: Yes, I do feel slightly
better, thank you.


slim adj. 1 See slender, 1, above. 2 See slender, 2, 3, above.

--v. 3 reduce, lose or shed weight, diet, Chiefly US
slenderize: I really must slim if I am to fit into my summer
clothes.

slimy adj. 1 oozy, slippery, mucky, squashy, squishy, viscous,
sticky, gluey, mucilaginous, uliginous, glutinous, mucous,

clammy, mushy, US squushy or squooshy, Colloq gooey, gunky, US
gloppy: He had cleverly buried the bag of diamonds in a mass of
slimy waste where no one would want to look. 2 slippery,
unctuous, obsequious, sycophantic, toadying, servile, creeping,
grovelling, abject, Colloq smarmy: I don't mind his trying to
sell me insurance, but why does he have to be so slimy about it?

sling v. 1 toss, throw, cast, propel, hurl, shy, fling, fire, shoot,
pitch, let fly, launch, heave, lob, Colloq chuck: He slung his
briefcase onto the desk and flopped into a chair.

--n. 2 slingshot, catapult, trebuchet or trebucket: It is said
that David slew Goliath with a stone from his sling. 3 support,
strap, band; belt: The doctor ordered him to keep his sprained
arm in a sling for a few days. The military rifles are supplied
with leather slings.

slink v. sneak, creep, steal, prowl, skulk: The dog slunk out of the
room with its tail between its legs.


slipฐ v. 1 slide, skid, glide, slither: Waxing the runners helps the
sleigh slip along more easily. 2 stumble, lose one's footing or
balance, miss one's footing, trip; fall, tumble: Mother slipped
on the ice but luckily didn't fall down. 3 Often, slip up. err,
blunder, make a mistake, miscalculate, go wrong, botch (up),
Slang screw up: He slipped up again by failing to give you your
telephone messages. 4 let slip. reveal, divulge, blurt out,
leak, let out, disclose, expose, Colloq come out with, blab: He
accidentally let slip the news that you were back in town. 5
slip away or by. pass, elapse, vanish, go by: The hours just
slipped away when I was with Irena. 6 slip away or off or out.
escape, disappear, leave, vanish, steal, go or run away or off
or out, break away, get away, give (someone) the slip; sneak
away or off or out: After the speech, he slipped away before we
could interview him. 7 slip in. enter, get in, sneak in; put
in: A field mouse slipped in past the wire netting. I managed
to slip in my suggestion before the meeting was adjourned.

--n. 8 blunder, error, mistake, fault, oversight, slip of the
tongue or pen, inadvertence, indiscretion, impropriety,
transgression, peccadillo, faux pas, Colloq slip-up, Chiefly US
blooper, Slang Brit boob, bloomer: She made so many slips in
the letter that she had to retype it.


slip n. 1 piece, scrap, strip, sliver; paper, note, chit, permit,
permission, pass, document: I'll put my phone number on this
slip of paper. To go on the outing, each child will have to
bring in a slip signed by a parent. 2 shoot, scion, cutting,
sprig, twig, sprout, runner, offshoot: After the slip is
inserted, the branch must be bandaged up firmly.

slippery adj. 1 slick, sleek, slimy, icy, glassy, smooth, greasy, oily,
lubricated, Colloq skiddy: Be careful! Those stairs can be
slippery when they're wet. 2 evasive, devious, shifty,
unreliable, undependable, questionable, untrustworthy,
dishonest, treacherous, disloyal, perfidious, slick, crafty,
sly, foxy, cunning, tricky, sneaky, false, reptilian, faithless,
Colloq shady: I have dealt with some very slippery characters
over the years, but this one is downright evil.

slipshod adj. careless, slovenly, slapdash, haphazard, messy, untidy,
disorganized, lax, unorganized, Colloq sloppy: We refused to
pay the bill because of the slipshod way they did the repairs.

slit v. 1 split, cut, slash, gash, knife, slice: The bark of the
log is first slit OBopen, then carefully peeled back.


--n. 2 split, cut, gash, incision, fissure, groove, slash,
cleft, aperture, opening: Off-stage, the rest of the actors
were watching the audience through a slit in the curtain.

slither v. slide, worm, snake, slip, slink, glide, skitter, creep,
crawl: After regarding me for a moment, the cobra turned and
slithered away.

sliver n. fragment, piece, shard, shred, splinter, slip, shaving,
paring, flake, chip, bit, scrap, snippet, snip: Two weeks
later, we were still finding tiny slivers of glass from the
broken vase.

slob n. oaf, boor, pig, lout, churl, yahoo, Slang Brit yob, yobbo,
Chiefly US galoot or galloot, Slobbovian: He was a complete
slob - he never tidied his room, and hardly ever washed.

slogan n. war cry, battle-cry, rallying cry, catchword, watchword;
motto: The magazine's slogan was 'If you love words, you'll

love Word '.

slope v. 1 incline, decline, ascend, descend, rise, fall, dip, sink,
drop (off), angle, slant, pitch, tilt, tip: The lawn slopes
downwards from the house, then upwards towards that grove of
trees.

--n. 2 incline, decline, ascent, descent, acclivity, declivity,
rise, fall, ramp, dip, sink, drop, angle, slant, pitch, tilt,
rake, tip, camber, cant, grade, bevel, hill, bank, mount,
gradient, US grade, upgrade, downgrade: Sheep can be seen
grazing on the grassy slopes.

sloppy adj. 1 messy, dirty, slovenly, careless, slipshod, untidy,
disordered, disorderly; draggle-tailed, bedraggled, dishevelled,
unkempt, dowdy, frumpish, shabby, scruffy, Colloq US grungy:
She is certainly a sloppy housekeeper. John's teacher complained
about his sloppy work. 2 wet, slushy, watery, soggy, soppy,
sopping, sodden, sloshy, muddy, rainy: The roads were sloppy
after all the rain. You're lucky you don't have to go out in
this sloppy weather. 3 sentimental, gushy, gushing, mawkish,
maudlin, mushy, over-emotional, Colloq slushy, Brit wet, soppy:
She starts to cry whenever she watches a sloppy film on TV.


slot n. 1 groove, fissure, notch, slit, opening, hollow, depression,
channel, sulcus: Each of these pieces fits into its own slot.
Drop a coin in the slot and watch what happens. 2 opening,
position, vacancy, job, place, assignment, niche, space, spot,
pigeon-hole: We filled that slot in the sales department. They
scheduled the new programme into the half-hour slot after the
six o'clock news.

--v. 3 groove, fissure, notch, slit, hollow out: We slotted
the stanchions to accommodate the shelf brackets. 4 assign,
schedule, place, position, pigeon-hole, fit: Can we slot this
interview into the documentary on China?

sloth n. idleness, laziness, indolence, slothfulness, inertia,
apathy, indifference, accidie, torpor, faineance, pococurantism,
torpidity, sluggishness, languor, languidness, lethargy, phlegm,
Rare hebetude: The maharajahs lived a life of sloth and luxury
at the expense of their poverty-stricken subjects.

slothful adj. idle, lazy, indolent, apathetic, indifferent, torpid,
inert, pococurante, slack, lax, shiftless, fain‚ant, inactive,
do-nothing, sluggish, sluggard(ly), slow, laggard, languorous,
languid, lethargic, lackadaisical, phlegmatic, hebetudinous:
One cannot pursue a slothful attitude and expect to get anywhere
in life.

slouch v. 1 droop, sag, stoop, loll, slump, hunch: Sit up straight
and stop slouching.


--n. 2 stoop, sag, droop, slump, hunch: He seems to have
developed a slouch from the burden of his responsibilities. 3
Usually, no slouch. sloven, loafer, sluggard, laggard, loafer,
idler, malingerer, lazybones: Nellie is certainly no slouch
when it comes to exercising to keep fit.

slow adj. 1 lagging, laggard, dawdling, sluggish, sluggard(ly),
slow-moving, leaden, ponderous, unhurried, plodding, snail-like,
tortoise-like, torpid, leaden-footed, creeping, crawling;
deliberate, slow-paced, leisurely, gradual, easy, relaxed, lax,
lackadaisical, lazy, US lallygagging or lollygagging: They
walked at a slow pace back to the house. Philip has become a
little slower in his old age. 2 gradual, progressive, moderate,
perceptible, almost imperceptible, measurable: The church
elders have noted a slow decline in moral standards. 3
unhurried, slow-moving, slow-paced: The slow funeral cortege
crept through the streets. 4 behindhand, unpunctual: I missed
the train because my watch is five minutes slow. 5 late, tardy,
behindhand, dilatory, delayed, unpunctual: You were so slow in
getting here that everyone has gone. 6 slack, inactive, quiet,
sluggish, unproductive: Business is always a bit slow after the
holidays. 7 dense, dull, slow-witted, dull-witted, obtuse,
backward, bovine, dim, dim-witted, stupid, unresponsive,
blockish, cloddish, unintelligent, doltish, simple, stolid,
unimaginative, Boeotian, Colloq slow on the uptake, thick, dumb:
I'm afraid I'm a bit slow when it comes to particle physics. 8
conservative, unprogressive, old-fashioned, out of date,
backward, old-fogyish or old-fogeyish, behind the times, Colloq
square, not with it, past it, US out of it: The council has
been rather slow in realizing the needs of the community. 9
boring, dull, tiresome, ennuyant, tedious, dead, sleepy,
somnolent, torpid, soporific, wearisome, dry-as-dust,
uninteresting, monotonous, tame, uneventful, humdrum, Colloq

ho-hum, dead, Brit dead-and-alive: This town becomes really
slow in the autumn, till the tourists reappear in the spring. 10
reluctant, not quick, unwilling, hesitant, disinclined, averse,
loath or loth, indisposed: Even when provoked, Cassie tends to
be slow to anger.

--adv. 11 slowly, unhurriedly, cautiously, carefully,
circumspectly: He failed his test because he drove too slow.
12 behindhand, tardily, late, unpunctually: All the trains seem
to be running a bit slow tonight. 13 slowly, easy, leisurely,
easily: They told him to take things slower or he'd have
another heart attack.

--v. 14 Often, slow down or up. slack or slacken off, reduce
speed, hold back, put on the brakes, take it easy: You'd better
slow down before you come to Deadman's Hill. 15 relax, take it
easy, Colloq ease up: The doctor suggested that at my age I
ought to slow down a little.


sludge n. muck, mire, ooze, mud, slime, dregs, silt, residue,
precipitate, Colloq goo: The mechanic said that there was a lot
of sludge in the engine.

sluggishness
n. sloth, laziness, slothfulness, languor, lassitude, lethargy,
languidness, laggardness, torpor, phlegm, lifelessness,
stagnation, shiftlessness, pococurantism, faineance, accidie,
Rare hebetude: A few days' golfing in Scotland will help to
shake off the sluggishness of your Caribbean holiday.


slum n. Often, slums. ghetto, warren, shanty town, US skid row or
Skid Road: Many very famous men emerged from the slums of the
Lower East Side in New York.


slump n. 1 dip, trough, depreciation, decline, downturn, downslide,
recession, depression, falling-off, fall-off, fall, drop,
plunge, descent, crash, collapse, failure; nosedive, tailspin:
A slump in the housing market was one of the early signs of the
impending recession. The market went into a slump this morning
from which it barely recovered before closing.

--v. 2 decline, slip, recede, fall (off), drop, plunge,
descend, sink, crash, collapse, dive, plummet, take or go into a

nosedive or tailspin: Prices on the stock market slumped
following announcement of a rise in interest rates. 3 See
slouch, 1, above.


slur n. 1 smear, insult, calumny, aspersion, affront, stigma, stain,
blot, spot, (black) mark, discredit, insinuation, innuendo,
imputation, slander, libel, slight, Colloq put-down: She
resents any slur on her husband's character.


--v. 2 mumble, misarticulate, garble, stutter, lisp: Some
people nowadays slur their speech so badly that one can hardly
understand them. 3 slur over. gloss over, pass over, disregard,
give short shrift to, ignore: The eulogies at the memorial
service slurred over his faults and focused on his
accomplishments.

sly adj. 1 cunning, artful, crafty, clever, wily, guileful,
underhand(ed), deceitful, treacherous, foxy, scheming, plotting,
designing, conniving, furtive, shrewd, sneaky, stealthy,
insidious, devious, disingenuous, tricky, shifty, sharp, canny,
Colloq shady: It was devilishly sly of him to manoeuvre you
into paying for his party. 2 impish, elfish, roguish,
mischievous, puckish, devilish, scampish, naughty, arch,
waggish: Even as he was flirting with Allison he was giving
Antonia sly, conspiratorial winks.

--n. 3 on the sly. slyly or slily, quietly, surreptitiously,
covertly, stealthily, furtively, sneakily, underhandedly,
clandestinely, Colloq on the q.t. or Q.T., on the side:
Although her parents had forbidden her to see him again, Antonia
continued to meet Kevin on the sly.

19.8 small...
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small adj. 1 little, tiny, short, diminutive, petite, mignon(ne),
wee, teeny, elfin, Lilliputian, midget, miniature, minute,
minuscule, baby, bantam, pocket(-sized), mini; undersized,
immature, young, under age; Colloq pint-sized, US peewee: She
was once small enough to fit into a size 7. When I was very
small, my father took me to my first cricket match. 2 slight,
secondary, insignificant, trivial, inconsequential, lesser,

puny, negligible, minor, trifling, unimportant, paltry,
nugatory: The opinions of other people were not of the smallest
importance to him. 3 unimaginative, shallow, unoriginal,
mundane, everyday, limited, unprofound, uninspired, commonplace,
matter-of-fact, flat, two-dimensional: With their small minds
they were incapable of fully appreciating the scope of the
project. 4 skimpy, niggardly, stingy, uncharitable, ungenerous,
scanty, meagre, cheap, petty, parsimonious, grudging, stinting,
selfish, miserly, tight, tight-fisted, close-fisted, close;
poor, insignificant, inadequate, insufficient, unsatisfactory,
negligible, trifling, humble, small-scale, modest,
unpretentious, Colloq piddling, measly: With all your money, it
was very small of you not to contribute more to the scholarship
fund. We all thought their cheque was too small. 5
insignificant, limited, negligible, trifling, tiny; little,
minor, diminished, reduced, slight: Only a small number of
people came to the opening night. It was small consolation to be
told that he had come a good second. 6 feel small. feel
embarrassed or ashamed or shamed or humiliated or foolish, feel
discomfited or disconcerted or uncomfortable, feel mortified or
chagrined, Colloq feel put down: Doreen always managed to make
some remark that made Andrew feel small.

small-minded
adj. small, petty, selfish, stingy, grudging, niggardly,
ungenerous, mean, narrow-minded, narrow, close-minded,
uncharitable, hidebound, rigid, intolerant, unimaginative,
short-sighted, near-sighted, myopic: Charging members of staff
for local telephone calls seems rather small-minded.


small-time
adj. small, small-scale, unimportant, petty, piddling, minor,
insignificant, trifling, trivial: In less than ten years he
succeeded in building a small-time used-car business into a
national chain.

smart adj. 1 intelligent, clever, bright, brilliant, quick-witted,
sharp, acute, astute, capable, adept, apt, quick, ingenious:
Emily is one of the smartest children in the class. 2 canny,
perspicacious, perceptive, percipient, discerning,
knowledgeable, au fait, well-educated, well-read, erudite,
learned, well-versed, aware, shrewd, streetwise, Slang hip,
tuned in, US savvy: Brendan is smart enough to avoid trouble.

3 elegant, chic, fashionable, stylish, modish, … la mode,
well-groomed, trim, neat, dapper, spruce, soign‚(e), Colloq
snappy, natty: You must admit that both Della and Paul are
smart dressers. 4 pert, pointed, saucy, witty, nimble-witted,
poignant, trenchant, effective: I wish he would stop making
smart remarks when I am trying to explain something. 5 brisk,
vigorous, animated, active, energetic, spirited, lively; quick,
alert, jaunty, perky, breezy: The enemy launched a smart
counter-attack at dawn. He set off down the road at a smart
pace. 6 quick, swift, stiff, smarting, stinging, sharp, severe:
The mugger gave him a smart blow on the back of the neck.

--v. 7 sting, hurt, pinch, pain, ache, tingle, prickle, burn,
throb, stab, pierce: The antiseptic may smart a bit when it is
put on the cut. The smoky atmosphere made her eyes smart.

--n. 8 injury, harm, pain, pang, twinge, affliction, suffering,
smarting: For years he silently endured the smart of his
colleagues' ridicule.


smear v. 1 daub, rub, anoint, spread, cover, coat, wipe, plaster,
bedaub; besmirch, dirty, smudge, stain, soil, begrime: The baby
smeared ice-cream all over his face. The car windows were
smeared with dirt from the road. 2 blacken, besmirch, soil,
sully, calumniate, slander, discredit, tarnish, defile, vilify,
scandalize, stigmatize, Colloq drag through the mud:
Politicians regularly smear their opponents with all sorts of
accusations.


--n. 3 smudge, daub, stain, splodge or chiefly US splotch,
blot, taint, spot: These outrageous lies constitute a smear on
my good reputation. There was a smear of blood on his collar. 4
slander, scandal, libel, vilification, mud-slinging, defamation,
calumny, aspersion, reflection: The article contains several
smears on the character of an MP.

smell n. 1 odour, scent, aroma, perfume, fragrance, bouquet, breath,
whiff: Don't you love the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the
morning? 2 stink, stench, fetor or foetor, fetidness, mephitis,
effluvium, Colloq Brit pong: The smell from the rotting garbage
was overpowering.

--v. 3 scent, sniff, Colloq get a whiff of: The moment I smelt

that perfume I knew that Nicole had been there. 4 stink, reek,
Colloq Brit pong, hum: The milk had gone off and smelled to
high heaven.


smelly adj. malodorous, evil-smelling, foul-smelling, foul, mephitic,
fetid, putrid, reeky, stinking, noisome, rank, offensive,
miasmic or miasmatic or miasmatical or miasmal, odoriferous,
rancid, high, gamy, Slang Brit whiffy: She hid the diamond in a
washing basket full of smelly clothes.


smile v. 1 grin, beam: He smiled and said he was pleased to meet me.

--n. 2 grin: Georgina bestowed on me a sweet, wistful smile.


smirk n. 1 leer, sneer, grin, grimace, simpering smile: Wipe that
conceited smirk off your face.

--v. 2 sneer, grimace, leer: Instead of saying, 'I told you
so', he just stood there smirking.


smitten adj. 1 affected, afflicted, beset, stricken, troubled,
distressed, burdened, crushed, plagued, haunted, worried,
bothered, vexed: Offers of help for the smitten town came
pouring in. 2 captivated, enthralled, struck, bewitched,
enchanted, beguiled, charmed, enraptured, infatuated, enamoured,
ensorcelled, swept off one's feet, Colloq bowled over, gaga:
Anthea met some rock star and was totally smitten. They were so
smitten by the beauty of the island that they returned every
year.


smooth adj. 1 regular, even, flush, flat, level, plane, unruffled,
unbroken, unwrinkled, undisturbed, tranquil, peaceful, calm,
serene, glassy: A light breeze rose to ripple the smooth
surface of Alan's martini. 2 slick, sleek, shiny, glossy,
glassy, mirror-like, uniform, polished, burnished; silky,
silken, velvety, satiny: Optical mirrors for telescopes must be
as smooth as modern technology can made them. He ran his fingers
over the smooth fabric. 3 unobstructed, easy, effortless, free,
uncluttered, even, orderly, well-ordered, uneventful, flowing,
fluent, unconstrained, uninterrupted: There were no obstacles
in the way of a smooth return to normal operations. The road to
ruin is short and smooth. 4 hairless, bald, bare, naked,
clean-shaven, smooth-shaven, depilated, glabrous: His smooth

pate shone in the moonlight. 5 soothing, mellow, pleasant,
bland, mild, soft: That is a very smooth whisky indeed. 6
suave, slick, slippery, unctuous, silken, silky, glib, urbane,
soign‚(e), agreeable, winning, plausible, facile, nonchalant,
courtly, eloquent, honey-tongued, smooth-spoken, persuasive,
oily, slimy, syrupy, Colloq chiefly Brit smarmy: With his quick
understanding and smooth manner, Edward was a very successful
salesman. 7 sweet, dulcet, pear-shaped, mellow, well-modulated,
silver-tongued: The smooth tones of his serenade wafted through
the evening air. 8 slick, scheming, conniving, crafty, shrewd,
cunning, tricky, shifty, sly, foxy, Machiavellian,
sophistic(al), plausible, credible, believable, Colloq cagey:
Robinson came up with a very smooth plan to bilk wealthy widows
out of their money.


--v. 9 Often, smooth out or away. flatten, even, level, iron,
press, mangle, calender: Please smooth the wrinkles out of this
shirt so that I can wear it tonight. 10 prepare, lay, pave,
ease, ready, clear, open, prime, lubricate, facilitate: What is
your policy for smoothing the way for employees joining the
firm? 11 sand, plane, polish, buff, burnish: The wood is
smoothed to a glassy finish before being used for the cabinets.
12 Often, smooth over. ameliorate, assuage, allay, calm, gloss
over, minimize, mitigate, lessen, soothe, reduce, temper,
mollify, smoothen, soften, palliate, appease: An otherwise
uncomfortable situation was smoothed over by her quiet words.

smother v. 1 suffocate, stifle, choke, asphyxiate; throttle, strangle,
snuff (out), kill: He was accused of trying to smother his wife
with a pillow. 2 be suffocated or stifled or asphyxiated, be
choked or strangled, be killed: The infant apparently smothered
in the blanket. 3 overwhelm, overcome, blanket, inundate,
cover, shower; envelop, wrap, enshroud, surround: The children
crowded round and smothered her with kisses. The banquet table
was smothered in white roses. 4 repress, subdue, suppress,
conceal, hide, keep or hold back, cover up, mask, choke back or
down, check; stifle, muffle, blanket, blank out: He managed to
smother his grief and put on a brave face. Our whispers were
smothered by the noise of the hi-fi. 5 extinguish, put out,
snuff out: The foam from the fire extinguisher smothered the
blaze in a few moments.

smoulder v. burn; seethe, simmer, chafe, rage, fume, foam, boil, stew,

fester, Colloq get hot under the collar, get (all) steamed up,
see red, US do a slow burn, get (all) burnt up: The fire
continued to smoulder, then flared up again a week later. He
has been smouldering ever since his wife confessed she was going
out with another man.

smug adj. self-satisfied, complacent, holier-than-thou,
self-important, overconfident, conceited: She is a bit too smug
about the security of her job and might get a nasty shock some
day soon.

19.9 snack...
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snack n. 1 bite, nibble, morsel, titbit or chiefly US tidbit,
refreshment(s), Brit elevenses, Colloq nosh: Have a little
snack or you'll be hungry later.


--v. 2 bite, nibble, Colloq nosh: He gained all that weight
just from snacking between meals.

snag n. 1 hitch, catch, problem, (stumbling) block, stricture,
bottleneck, complication, obstacle, impediment, obstruction,
hindrance, difficulty, US hang-up: A snag developed that
prevented my keeping my promise to you.

--v. 2 catch, tear, rip: He snagged his new jacket on a nail.


snake n. 1 reptile, serpent, ophidian, viper: A specialist in snakes
is called a herpetologist. 2 snake in the grass, traitor,
turncoat, Judas, quisling, betrayer, double-crosser, informer,
rat, US Benedict Arnold, Slang chiefly US and Canadian fink,
ratfink: Eventually they caught the snake who was giving away
their plans to the enemy.

--v. 3 slither, glide, creep, crawl, worm: To avoid being
seen, he snaked along on his stomach for a few yards. 4 twist,
wind, curve, bend, turn, zigzag, worm, wander, loop, crook,
meander: The road snakes through the jungle for 50 miles or
more.

snap v. 1 break (off), separate, crack; cleave, split, fracture,

give way, part: The wind snapped off tree branches like
matchsticks. The back legs of the chair snapped in two as she
sat on it. 2 click; pop; crack: The door snapped shut. 3
Often, snap at. a bite (at), nip, gnash or snatch at: The
postman ran down the street, the dog snapping at his heels. b
attack, lunge at, lash out (at), snarl at, growl (at), bark
(at), be brusque or short or curt (with), Colloq jump down
(someone's) throat, fly off the handle (at): Robin is in a bad
mood today, snapping at everyone. 4 Usually, snap up or US also
off. grab (up), snatch (up), seize, pluck, pounce on or upon,
make off with, take (away), capture, catch, get, secure: The
people who arrived early at the sale had snapped up all the
bargains. 5 shoot, snapshot, photograph, click, catch: He
always has his camera with him so that he can snap anything
interesting. 6 snap one's fingers at. disdain, scorn, flout,
dismiss, contemn, disregard, ignore, defy, mock, deride, thumb
one's nose at, Brit cock a snook at: He merely snapped his
fingers at the dangers when I mentioned them. 7 snap out of it.
recover, come round or around, revive, awaken, wake up, perk up,
liven up, cheer up; get a grip or (a) hold on or of oneself,
pull oneself together, (re)gain control of oneself: I was
feeling very blue yesterday but managed to snap out of it.

--n. 8 crack, crackle, pop, click: The lid shut with a snap.
9 spell, period, interval, wave: During that cold snap we
thought we were in for a terrible winter. 10 catch, spring
catch, (snap-)fastener, fastening, clasp: Do you want snaps or
buttons sewn on this shirt? 11 energy, vigour, animation,
liveliness, vitality, bounce, alertness, sprightliness, ‚lan,
dash, sparkle, verve, Colloq zip, zing, get-up-and-go, pep,
pizazz: Granny certainly has a lot of snap left in her. 12
easy job, Slang picnic, US and Canadian breeze: There had been
no need for her to worry, for the exam turned out to be a snap.


--adj. 13 abrupt, sudden, precipitate, hurried, hasty,
incautious, rash, unpremeditated, unplanned, not
well-thought-out, quick, instantaneous, instant: This is too
important a matter for a snap decision.


snappish adj. 1 short-tempered, testy, petulant, peevish, irritable,
prickly, touchy, irascible, quick to anger, quick-tempered,
hot-tempered, waspish, Brit snappy, US on a short string or
tether: He fancies that being snappish goes with his 'artistic'

temperament. 2 curt, short, abrupt, brusque, curmudgeonly,
cantankerous, sharp, cross, grouchy, gruff, cranky, crusty,
crabby, crabbed, acid, tart, acerbic, churlish, dyspeptic,
choleric, splenetic, ill-humoured, ill-tempered, temperamental,
moody, Brit snappy: Grandad tended to be snappish when he
became impatient with our lack of experience.

snappy adj. 1 quick, sharp, brisk, smart, crisp, lively, rapid,
speedy: If you want to come with us, you'd better make it
snappy. 2 fashionable, chic, sharp, smart, stylish, dapper,
modish, Colloq natty, Brit trendy: Your new friend is a very
snappy dresser, isn't he?

snare n. 1 trap, net, springe, noose, gin: They had caught only a
pigeon in the snare.

--v. 2 trap, catch, entrap, seize, capture, ensnare: Using a
different bait, William snared some partridges.


snarlฐ v. 1 growl; snap: I admit I found three snarling Dobermans a
bit off-putting. The clerk snarled at me when I asked for a
form.

--n. 2 growl: With a snarl the dog leapt at his throat.


snarl v. 1 Often, snarl up. tangle, entangle, complicate, confuse,
scramble, muddle, twist, mix or mess up, Colloq ball up, screw
up: This situation is so snarled up that we'll never straighten
it out. 2 tangle, entangle, knot, twist, ravel, jam, kink: The
rope won't feed through the pulley because it's all snarled.

--n. 3 tangle, entanglement, complexity, snag, problem,
difficulty, complication, muddle, mess, predicament, fix,
quandary, dilemma, Colloq snarl-up, tight spot, pickle: The
situation was full of snarls and problems. 4 jungle, maze,
labyrinth, knot: The drain was clogged by a snarl of hair.

snatch v. 1 grab, grasp, seize, clasp, clutch, pluck, take (hold of),
catch, lay hold of, wrest, latch on to, capture, snap up, win,
get, lay or get one's hands on: The thief snatched her purse
and ran away. One must snatch every available opportunity for
happiness. 2 Chiefly US kidnap, abduct: They snatched the kid
and are holding him for ransom. 3 save, rescue, deliver,

remove: At the very last moment, we were snatched from the jaws
of death.

--n. 4 grab, clutch, grasp: He made a snatch for her necklace,
but she managed to duck out of the way. 5 scrap, bit, fragment,
snippet, segment, morsel, specimen, sample: We were able to
hear only brief snatches of their conversation through the
closed door.


sneak v. 1 lurk, slink, steal, creep, skulk, cower, lurk, pad, prowl,
sidle, Colloq pussyfoot: We caught Francis sneaking about the
house last night.

--n. 2 informer, Colloq tattle-tale, Brit grass, Slang
stool-pigeon, snitch, Brit and Australian nark, US stoolie,
Chiefly US and Canadian fink, ratfink, US shoo-fly: Frank
picked up a little money acting as a sneak for the police.

sneaking adj. 1 persistent, lingering, lurking, nagging, worrying,
worrisome, niggling, intuitive, deep-rooted, deep-seated, Slang
gut: She had a sneaking suspicion that Stephen was a police
informer. 2 innate, intuitive, inherent, private, secret,
suppressed, hidden, unexpressed, undeclared, unvoiced, unavowed,
unconfessed, unrevealed, unadmitted, undivulged, undisclosed,
covert: I have a sneaking sympathy with the underdog.

sneaky adj. underhand(ed), devious, furtive, sly, slippery,
disingenuous, deceitful, dishonest, unscrupulous, shifty: He
took a sneaky look at his friend's homework before starting his
own.

sneer v. 1 smirk, curl one's lip, sniff: Don't sneer - you might be
the next to lose your job. 2 scorn, disdain, despise, contemn,
turn up one's nose (at), sniff (at), jeer (at), laugh (at),
deride, mock, ridicule; underrate; Colloq sneeze at, Slang
knock: They sneered at her ambition to become a serious
athlete.

--n. 3 scorn, jeer, disdain, contempt, derision, mockery,
ridicule; sneering, jeering: Barry endured his classmates'
sneers without a word.

sneeze v. 1 sternutate: I was about to sneeze, so I grabbed a tissue.

2 sneeze at. See sneer, 2, above.

--n. 3 sternutation; sneezing: The sneeze is an involuntary
convulsive action.


snicker v. 1 snigger, chuckle, giggle, titter, laugh up one's sleeve,
mock, scorn, laugh (at), jeer (at): It was embarrassing when
the audience began to snicker at the ineptitude of the juggler.


--n. 2 snigger, chuckle, giggle, titter: The villain gave a
little snicker when he thought he had her in his clutches.

sniff n. 1 whiff, breath, odour, scent: I got a sniff of her perfume
as she walked by. 2 hint, spirit, feeling, suggestion: There
is the sniff of spring in the air.

--v. 3 smell, snuffle, snuff: Why is your dog always sniffing
at my shoes? 4 sniff (at). See sneer, 2, above.


snip v. 1 nip, clip, crop, cut, lop, prune, dock: When the blossoms
begin to fade, snip them off.

--n. 2 cut, slit, gash, slash, incision, nick: We could watch
the audience through a small snip in the curtain. 3 bit, scrap,
shred, snippet, fragment, cutting, clipping, remnant, morsel:
You are welcome to the leftover snips of fabric. 4 snips.
scissors, shears, tinsnips: This duct can be cut with the
snips.


snipe v. Usually, snipe at. shoot at, fire at; attack, criticize,
deride, find fault with, carp at, pick apart: Newby has been
sniping at the organization for years and we simply ignore him.

snivel v. sniffle, snuffle, blubber, whimper, whine, mewl, pule; cry,
Colloq Brit whinge: I'll buy some of your matches, little girl,
but only if you stop snivelling.

snobbery n. snobbism, snobbishness, pretentiousness, pretension,
hauteur, haughtiness, superciliousness, condescension,
loftiness, contemptuousness, presumptuousness, lordliness,
disdainfulness, disdain, pompousness, pomposity, affectation,
inflatedness, self-importance, conceit, vainness, vanity,
narcissism, self-admiration, self-centredness, egotism,

smugness, Colloq uppishness, uppitiness, snootiness, snottiness:
It is commonplace to criticize the nouveau riche for their
snobbery.


snobbish adj. condescending, superior, patronizing, arrogant, haughty,
lordly, lofty, putting on airs, disdainful, supercilious,
contemptuous, pretentious, smug, scornful, self-important,
affected, conceited, egotistic(al), vain, self-satisfied,
complacent, pompous, Colloq snooty, snotty, highfalutin or
hifalutin, on one's high horse, uppity, hoity-toity, high and
mighty, stuck-up, Brit uppish, Chiefly US high-hat, Slang Brit
toffee-nosed: Since he got his knighthood, Cathcart has become
so snobbish he'll have nothing to do with us.


snoop v. 1 pry, spy, interfere, meddle, intrude, butt in(to), Colloq
stick or poke one's nose; be nosy, nose around or about: He
couldn't stop snooping into other people's affairs.

--n. 2 busybody, Paul Pry, meddler, spy, intruder, snooper,
peeper; private detective or investigator; Colloq Nosy Parker,
US buttinsky or buttinski; private eye, US shamus: There was a
snoop here today, asking a lot of personal questions.

snug adj. cosy, comfortable, intimate, relaxing, restful, warm,
sheltered, friendly, easy, homely, casual, Colloq comfy: Curled
up on the sofa, Chris looks as snug as a bug in a rug.

snuggle v. cuddle, snug down, nestle, nuzzle: The puppies snuggled up
close to their mother for warmth and protection.


19.10 soak...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



soak v. 1 drench, saturate, wet, immerse, souse, douse or dowse,
bathe, steep, inundate, ret: You'd better let the tablecloth
soak for a while to get out those wine stains. 2 soak up.
absorb, take in, sponge up; assimilate, learn: The parched
earth soaked up the water like a sponge. Let me just lie here
and soak up some sunshine. She spent years soaking up the
culture of the Cameroons.

--n. 3 alcoholic, drunkard, drunk, dipsomaniac, drinker,

tippler, toper, sot, Slang sponge, souse, boozer, US dip, lush,
juicer: You'll never get a straight answer out of that old
soak.


soaking n. 1 drenching, wetting, dousing or dowsing, immersing,
saturating: We got a thorough soaking when we were caught in
the storm.

--adj. 2 wet, sopping, drenched, dripping, saturated, soaked,
wringing wet, streaming, sodden, waterlogged: Take off your
soaking clothes and sit by the fire in this robe.

soar v. 1 rise, fly, hover, float, hang: The glider soared over the
hills, catching every updraught. 2 rise, increase, escalate,
climb, spiral upwards, shoot up or upwards, rocket, sky-rocket:
To counteract inflation, interest rates began to soar.

sob v. cry, weep, blubber, shed tears, snivel, whimper, sniff,
snuffle, pule, wail, moan, boohoo, mewl, pule, bawl, howl, yowl:
The poor, lonely child sobbed quietly.

sober adj. 1 teetotal, temperate, US dry, Colloq on the (water-)
wagon: Because he was driving, he stayed sober at the party
while everyone else got drunk. 2 serious, solemn, earnest,
dispassionate, unruffled, unflustered, unexcited, unperturbed,
steady, sedate, staid, composed, dignified, cool, calm, serene,
tranquil, collected, cool-headed, level-headed, sane, balanced,
practical, realistic, rational, clear-headed, Slang together:
We invited you because we respect your sober judgement. 3
sedate, sombre, plain, simple, subdued, quiet, repressed,
dreary, dark, drab, colourless, neutral: At the funeral the
widow wore a sober black costume.

--v. 4 sober up. detoxify, recover, Colloq dry out: When she
finally sobered up she awoke to find herself in custody.

sobriety n. 1 teetotalism, abstemiousness, abstention, abstinence,
non-indulgence, temperance: Since taking the pledge, Oscar has
been a model of sobriety. 2 seriousness, soberness, solemnity,
staidness, gravity, temperateness, sedateness, formality,
dignity: They made him promise to do nothing to upset the
sobriety of the memorial service.

so-called adj. 1 styled, self-styled, designated, soi-disant, called,
professed: They found themselves fighting for Kolchak, the
so-called supreme ruler of all the Russias. 2 alleged,
pretended, supposed, ostensible; misnamed, misdesignated;
suspect: She bought it through the so-called Honest Used Car
Dealers Association.

sociable adj. friendly, affable, approachable, social, gregarious,
outgoing, extrovert(ed) or extravert(ed), companionable,
accessible, amiable, amicable, genial, congenial, convivial,
warm, cordial, neighbourly, hail-fellow-well-met, Colloq chummy,
cosy: The people in this area are quite sociable, and we get
together often.


social adj. 1 communal, community, common, collective, group, public,
popular, societal: In many New England towns, the business of
government is a social activity. Crime is a social, not an
individual problem. 2 sexual, sexually transmitted, venereal:
The clinic was established specifically to deal with social
diseases. 3 See sociable, above.

socialize v. mix, get together, fraternize, keep company, go out, get
out; associate: They haven't had much time for socializing
since the birth of their baby.


society n. 1 fellowship, brotherhood, association, intercourse,
companionship, company, camaraderie, friendship: Few people can
be happy for long without the society of others. 2 mankind,
people, the public: I fear that Bob is not yet ready to mingle
with society again. Do you believe that society demands too
much? 3 culture, civilization, community, way of life, world;
organization, system: The hunting society was replaced largely
by the agricultural some 10,000 years ago. 4 high society, haut
monde, beau monde, upper classes, polite society, ‚lite, gentry,
Colloq upper crust: The purpose of the debutante ball is to
introduce young ladies of about 18 to society. 5 organization,
club, association, circle, league, institute, academy, alliance,
guild, group, fraternity, sorority, brotherhood, sisterhood,
fellowship, union, consociation, sodality, Verein, bund or Bund:
The society, founded to advance and support linguistic
scholarship, is now 100 years old.

soft adj. 1 yielding, cushiony, plushy, spongy, squeezable,

compressible, squashy, squashable, flexible, plastic, pliable,
pliant, supple, flexile, flexuous, unstarched: This mattress is
much too soft for my back. 2 easy, comfortable, undemanding,
Colloq cushy: His uncle got him a soft job at the Labour
Ministry. 3 gentle, mild, balmy, pleasant, moderate, warm,
halcyon, springlike, summery, restful, tranquil, relaxing, lazy:
Alexandra was looking forward to a week in the soft Caribbean
climate. 4 subdued, toned or turned down, muted, low, quiet,
melodious, mellifluous or mellifluent, mellow, gentle, faint,
softened, soothing, smooth: Riley thought she might succumb to
the influences of the wine and the soft music and lights. 5
easygoing, tolerant, kind, compassionate, gentle, merciful,
lenient, indulgent, permissive, liberal, lax, easy, docile,
tame, submissive, deferential, benign, tender-hearted,
sympathetic, kind-hearted, kind: Some believe that the jailers
were too soft with the criminals. His parents were far too
soft. 6 Usually, soft in the head. foolish, silly, simple,
Colloq chiefly Brit daft, US off: Kevin must have gone a bit
soft in the head if he thinks that Clara still loves him. 7
depressed, declining, in decline, in recession, slow,
unprofitable, borderline, questionable, weak: Owing to the
stormy, cold summer, the resort business has been soft this
year. 8 downy, silky, silken, satiny, furry, fluffy, feathery,
fleecy, fuzzy, velvety, smooth (as a baby's bottom): The wool
from the lambs is much softer. 9 pastel, pale, delicate, fine,
subdued, light, matte or matt, quiet, diffuse(d), soothing: He
wanted the bedroom painted in soft shades of greenish blue. 10
harmless, non-addictive: Some consider cannabis a soft drug.
11 fuzzy, woolly, blurred, blurry, foggy, diffuse(d): The soft
focus photos of the wedding looked very romantic. 12 weak,
feeble, frail, effete, delicate, non-physical, non-muscular,
puny, flabby, out of training or condition or shape, pampered;
namby-pamby, effeminate, unmanly, unmanful, Colloq sissified,
sissy: He had been out of the marines for so long they thought
he had gone soft. 13 easy, luxurious, pampered, rich, opulent,
plush, posh, Colloq ritzy, swank(y): Since selling his
business, Aubrey Quinton has been living the soft life on the
Costa del Sol.


soften v. 1 Often, soften up. melt, affect, mollify, mellow, palliate,
soothe, relax, appease: Nothing would soften the heart of that
cruel tyrant. 2 mitigate, assuage, diminish, moderate, reduce,
cushion, lessen, weaken, allay, ease, lighten, abate, temper,

relieve: Can't you think of some way to soften the blow of such
bad news? 3 muffle, deaden, damp, soft-pedal, lower, still,
quiet, tone down, lessen, diminish, lighten, turn down, quell,
Chiefly Brit quieten: Try to soften the high notes and bring up
the bass. 4 give in, succumb, surrender, yield, agree, consent,
concur, assent, give way, relax, ease (up), let up: The
committee finally softened and allowed the park to be used for
games.


soft-hearted
adj. tender-hearted, compassionate, tender, warm-hearted,
sentimental, charitable, generous, giving, sympathetic,
indulgent, kind, kind-hearted, responsive: Alison is quite
soft-hearted when it comes to animal causes and contributed
willingly.

soilฐ v. 1 dirty, stain, begrime, muddy, smear, spot: His shirts
were returned by the laundry still soiled. 2 pollute,
contaminate, sully, defile, foul, befoul, tarnish, besmirch,
disgrace, muddy, smear, blacken; blot: The scandal soiled his
previously spotless reputation.

--n. 3 dirt, filth, muck, mire, mud, sludge, dregs, refuse;
excrement, waste (matter): The soil is carried away by these
pipes into the main sewer.

soil n. earth, loam, dirt, ground, turf, humus; clay: The men who
dug the swimming-pool took away the soil from the pit.


sojourn n. 1 stay, stop, stopover, visit, rest, holiday, vacation: We
had a very pleasant sojourn in Toronto on our way home.

--v. 2 stay, stop (over), visit, rest, holiday, vacation,
tarry: Next year we plan to sojourn in Bermuda for a while.


solace n. 1 comfort, consolation, condolence, relief, balm, support,
help, succour; reassurance, cheer: The children brought her
solace in her bereavement.


--v. 2 comfort, console, condole, support, help, succour,
soothe, allay, alleviate, ameliorate, mitigate, assuage,
relieve; cheer (up), reassure, hearten: There was little to
solace James's misery.


soldier n. 1 serviceman, servicewoman, recruit, fighter, infantryman,
foot-soldier, trooper, warrior, military man, man-at-arms, Brit
Tommy (Atkins), US enlisted man or woman, Colloq Brit squaddie,
US GI or G.I. (Joe), Old-fashioned (WWI) doughboy: Enemy
soldiers had been reconnoitring our position during the night. 2
fighter, stalwart, supporter, militant: He has been a soldier
in the fight against poverty all his life.


--v. 3 serve (in the army): In his family the men have been
soldiering for generations. 4 soldier on. continue, persist,
persevere, endure, drive, keep going, keep on or at, grind,
drudge: Despite the set-backs, they soldiered on to complete
the project in time.


sole adj. lone, only, singular, unique, solitary; particular,
exclusive, individual, personal: As Susan is the sole surviving
heir, she has the right to sell the house if she wishes.


solecism n. error, slip, impropriety, fault, breach, violation, lapse,
mistake, misusage, incongruity, inconsistency, barbarism,
blunder, gaffe, bungle, fumble, gaucherie, faux pas, botch or
botch-up, Colloq boo-boo, US flub, Slang boner, Brit boob,
bloomer, Chiefly US and Canadian blooper: Solecisms in his
writing include failure of subject and verb to agree.

solemn adj. 1 serious, sober, reserved, grave, earnest, sedate, staid,
taciturn; morose, morbid, mirthless, unsmiling, gloomy, sombre,
grim; glum, long-faced, saturnine: We observed a moment of
solemn silence in memory of our fallen comrades. They knew from
their father's solemn expression that something was wrong. 2
ceremonial, ritualistic, liturgical, religious, ecclesiastical,
holy, divine, sacred, hallowed, sacramental, reverential,
devotional: We attended a solemn service to celebrate the
return of the hostages. 3 ceremonious, ritual, formal,
dignified, stately, grand, august, imposing, impressive,
awe-inspiring, awesome, important, momentous: The Trobriand
islanders regarded the rights of passage as most solemn.


solemnity n. solemnness, gravity, seriousness, soberness, reserve,
sedateness, taciturnity, staidness, earnestness, impressiveness,
grandeur, importance, momentousness, consequence: All who
attended the service were affected by the solemnity of the

lighting of the eternal flame.

solicit v. 1 entreat, beseech, ask (for), implore, petition, importune,
appeal for or to, call on or upon, beg, supplicate, pray, crave:
He has solicited my help on more than one occasion. 2 accost,
approach, entice, lure, pander to, Slang hustle: You can't go
out in that neighbourhood without being solicited.

solicitor n. lawyer, attorney, US counselor-at-law: I have turned the
matter over to my solicitor.

solicitous
adj. 1 concerned, caring, considerate, uneasy, troubled,
anxious, apprehensive, worried: She seemed genuinely solicitous
over the state of my health. 2 eager, earnest, zealous, keen,
anxious, desirous, ardent, avid: She seems sincerely solicitous
to please the firm's customers.

solicitude
n. concern, consideration, regard, disquiet, disquietude,
uneasiness, anxiety, apprehension, worry, nervousness, fear,
fearfulness, alarm: As she had not yet made him her sole heir,
his solicitude over her health was understandable.


solid adj. 1 three-dimensional, cubic: The perspective drawing is a
representation of a solid object. 2 filled (in or up), packed,
jammed, crowded, teeming, congested, crammed, swarming,
compressed, concentrated, Colloq chock-a-block, jam-packed,
chock-full: By the time I arrived, the gallery was solid with
people. 3 compact, firm, hard, stable; unshakeable or
unshakable, unshaky, substantial, concrete, sturdy, sound,
stout, strong: The vessel floated through the air before coming
to rest on solid ground. His theories rest on a solid
foundation. 4 consistent, homogeneous, uniform, unalloyed,
unmixed, pure, continuous, unbroken, real, authentic, true,
genuine, 24-carat, unadulterated, Slang honest-to-God: This
mountain seems to be solid iron all the way through. John gave
me a solid gold necklace for my birthday. 5 law-abiding,
upstanding, upright, decent, stout, substantial, powerful,
reliable, regular, steady, steadfast, stalwart, straight,
estimable, sure, trusty, trustworthy, true-blue, worthy,
dependable, sober: Mr Hart is one of the solid citizens of this
town. He has always been a solid defender of the underdog. 6

steady, stable, stalwart, dependable, sturdy, strong,
substantial, sound, firm, well-built, well-constructed,
well-made, tough, durable, rugged, stout: That chair is not
solid enough for you to stand on. 7 cogent, sound, concrete,
weighty, proved, provable, valid, reasonable, sensible,
rational, sober, well-founded, authoritative, indisputable,
incontrovertible, irrefutable, incontestable, good, powerful,
potent, forceful, convincing, persuasive: He presents a solid
argument for a sales tax. 8 firm, downright, vigorous, telling,
effective, forceful, potent, powerful, mighty, dynamic,
thorough, through-and-through, intensive: Jan struck a solid
blow against the supporters of abortion. 9 See solvent, 1,
below. 10 entire, complete, whole, continuous; uninterrupted,
undivided, unbroken, unrelieved, blank, windowless: I had to
wait at the dentist's for a solid hour. Around the park they
erected a solid wall.

solidarity
n. unity, unanimity, unification, accord, concord, concordance,
harmony, concurrence, like-mindedness, agreement, mutuality,
single-mindedness, singleness (of purpose), community of
interest, esprit de corps, camaraderie, comradeship, sodality,
Solidarnosˆ'cˆ': It was through solidarity, not the pursuit of
individual interest, that freedom was achieved.


solidify v. 1 harden, freeze, set, cake, compact, compress, crystallize;
jell or gel, clot, congeal, coagulate, thicken, Technical
inspissate; sublime: The lava flowed round the bodies of those
who died and solidified, preserving them in their final
attitudes. 2 consolidate, unite, unify, pull or draw together:
Studying the speeches of politicians enables me to solidify my
own views.

solitary adj. 1 lone, single, sole, individual; unattended, solo,
companionless, friendless, lonesome, lonely, unsocial,
cloistered, secluded, reclusive, separate, eremitic(al),
hermitic(al), remote, withdrawn, distant, out-of-the-way,
unfrequented, desolate: There is not a solitary exception to
the rule. Flora's solitary style of living allows her to
concentrate on her writing. There is a solitary little inn where
we go for weekends.

--n. 2 solitary confinement: The prisoner has been in solitary

for striking a guard.

solitude n. 1 solitariness, aloneness, isolation, seclusion, privacy:
Peter enjoys the solitude of living on an island. 2 loneliness,
remoteness; emptiness, wilderness: How long could one person
survive in the solitude of interstellar space?

solo adv. 1 alone, unaccompanied, on one's own: Jack flew solo for
the first time yesterday.


--adj. 2 individual, unaccompanied, solitary: Let Eugene play
the solo trombone part.

solution n. 1 solving, working or figuring out, discovery, finding out,
unravelling, explication, deciphering, decipherment,
elucidation, revelation, clarification, explanation; answer,
key: The solution of the problem should be left up to the
experts. Several solutions have been found through computer
analysis. 2 settlement, settling, resolution, result, denouement
or d‚nouement, outcome, conclusion: It seems unlikely that we
shall be able to bring this matter to a solution in a one-day
meeting. 3 mixture, blend, compound, infusion; liquid, fluid;
Technical emulsion, suspension, colloid or colloidal solution or
colloidal suspension: After mixing the powder with water, use
the solution to bathe the wound. 4 dissolving, dissolution,
mixing, mixture: The solution of these ingredients in alcohol
was first accomplished in ancient times.

solve v. work or figure out, unravel, disentangle, untangle, clarify,
clear up, make plain or clear, interpret, explicate, decipher,
crack, explain, elucidate, reveal, answer, resolve: Oedipus'
problems began in earnest when he solved the Riddle of the
Sphinx.


solvent adj. creditworthy, (financially) sound, solid, reliable;
debt-free; profitable: The auditors rate the business as
solvent.

sombre adj. 1 gloomy, morose, lugubrious, funereal, morbid, louring or
lowering, melancholy, sad, dismal, unhappy, cheerless, joyless,
serious, sober, doleful, dolorous, mournful, depressed,
depressing, grave, grim, grim-faced, grim-visaged, Literary
melancholic, darksome: Despite his sombre appearance, Sid was

one of the funniest men I've ever met. 2 dark, gloomy,
foreboding, bleak, depressing, shadowy, murky, leaden, grey,
black, dismal, dreary, overcast, dusky, dim, dingy, darkling,
dull, subfusc or subfuscous: The sombre sky set the mood for
the proceedings that were to follow. 3 staid, sedate, sober,
solemn, dark, dull, subfusc: A young person like you ought to
dress in less sombre colours.

somebody pron. 1 one, someone, some person: There must be somebody who
will take you to the dance.

--n. 2 personage, celebrity, dignitary, VIP, luminary, notable,
star, superstar, Colloq hotshot, bigwig, big wheel, big gun, big
noise, big White Chief, big Daddy, big Chief, big-timer; hot
stuff; Old-fashioned big cheese; US Mr Big: He must be a
somebody to merit such treatment.

somehow adv. someway, in one way or another, in some way, somehow or
other, by hook or by crook, by fair means or foul, Colloq come
hell or high water: Somehow, we have to get into the vault for
those papers.

sometime adj. 1 former, erstwhile, past, recent, one-time, quondam:
Crawford was a sometime student of the occult.


--adv. 2 at some time or other, someday, one day, any time, on
a future occasion, when or if the opportunity arises, soon, by
and by, one of these days: Come up and see me sometime. 3
sooner or later, in (due) time, in the fullness of time, in the
long run, one fine day, Un bel di, eventually, when all is said
and done, before long, before you know it: You can be sure that
the tax man will find out about it sometime.

sometimes adv. occasionally, on occasion, (every) now and then, now and
again, off and on, at times, from time to time, every so often,
(every) once in a while: Sometimes Ambrose used to visit his
grandchildren twice a week.

somewhat adv. rather, quite, relatively, more or less, moderately,
pretty, fairly, to some or a certain extent or degree or
measure, slightly, a bit, a little, Colloq sort of, kind of:
Ingrid was somewhat put out by my refusal.

song n. 1 tune, air, melody, ditty, number: Together, they wrote
some of the most popular songs of this century. 2 for a song.
cheaply, inexpensively, at a bargain price: That old book you
wanted went for a song at the auction. 3 (old) song and dance.
a fuss, to-do, commotion, bother, ado, Colloq flap, performance,
Brit kerfuffle: I cannot see why they made such a song and
dance of telling us they couldn't come. b evasion, tale,
prevarication, (long) story, (long) explanation: To excuse his
absence he gave me the old song and dance about his grandmother
being ill.

soon adv. 1 before long, presently, ere long; in the near future,
any minute (now), before you know it, in good time, in a little
while, in a minute or a moment, momentarily, shortly, anon, in a
second, Colloq in a jiffy: Soon another year will have passed.
The doctor will be with you soon. 2 quickly, speedily, at once,
promptly, immediately, directly, without delay, straightway,
straight away, right away, forthwith, in short order, on the
double, in two shakes (of a lamb's tail), in a wink, tout de
suite, without delay, Colloq pronto, US and Canadian
lickety-split: If he doesn't come soon, dinner will be spoilt.
3 quickly, speedily, promptly, swiftly: I'll be there as soon
as I can. 4 willingly, lief, gladly, happily, readily: I'd
just as soon be left alone, if you don't mind. 5 sooner or
later. at some time or other, some time, one day, in time, in
due course, eventually, ultimately, in the end, when all is said
and done, at the end of the day, in the last or final analysis,
at bottom: Don't worry, she'll come home sooner or later.
Sooner or later they will have to yield.


soothing adj. 1 relaxing, restful, serene, peaceful, pacifying, calm,
calming, quiet, soft, quieting: I put on some soothing music
and offered her a cocktail. 2 mollifying, comforting,
palliative, lenitive, demulcent, balsamic, emollient: The
doctor prescribed a soothing ointment to relieve the pain.

sophistic adj. sophistical, specious, fallacious, deceptive,
hypocritical, false, unsound, baseless, groundless,
casuistic(al), Jesuitic(al), captious, misleading, bogus, sham,
untenable: The politicians advanced their usual sophistic
arguments for continuing a war that no one wanted to support.

sophisticated

adj. 1 cultivated, cultured, refined, experienced, worldly,
cosmopolitan, polished, elegant, urbane, worldly-wise,
knowledgeable, knowing, suave, soign‚(e), blas‚, chichi, slick,
Slang hip or hep, cool, with it: The Gordons mix with a pretty
sophisticated crowd. 2 advanced, complex, complicated,
intricate, elaborate, subtle, refined, multifaceted: The
desk-top computers of today are much more sophisticated than
most older main-frame systems.


sophistication
n. 1 worldliness, urbanity, culture, refinement, knowledge,
knowledgeability, cosmopolitanism, polish, elegance, poise,
suavity or suavit‚, savoir faire, savoir vivre, finesse,
discrimination, discernment, awareness, taste, tastefulness,
style: They want him on the board of directors of the museum
because he lends it sophistication. 2 complexity, intricacy,
subtlety, refinement: There is a staggering amount of
sophistication built into modern integrated circuits.


sorcerer n. sorceress, magus, necromancer, wizard, witch, warlock,
enchanter, enchantress, magician, thaumaturgist, shaman,
witch-doctor, medicine man: The law demanded death for the
sorcerers and for those who dealt with them.


sorcery n. witchcraft, enchantment, sortilege, necromancy, wizardry,
(black or white) magic, shamanism, black art, diabolism: Once
Vera works her sorcery on you, you obey her every whim.

sordid adj. 1 base, vile, corrupt, low, ignoble, debased, degraded,
abased, mean, ignominious, dishonourable, despicable,
disreputable, shabby, shameful, scurvy, rotten, execrable: He
forced his family to do the most sordid things to raise money.
2 avaricious, greedy, grasping, mercenary, piggish, hoggish,
selfish, rapacious, money-grubbing, stingy, parsimonious: His
most sordid plan was to pretend he was collecting money for the
handicapped. 3 dirty, foul, filthy, squalid, unclean, untidy,
mean, slummy, seamy, seedy, wretched, unsanitary, insanitary,
offensive, defiled, polluted, fetid, feculent, mucky, maggoty,
putrid, fly-blown, slimy: The conditions of some of the homes
the social workers visit are indescribably sordid. 4 wretched,
miserable, poor, poverty-stricken, down-and-out, impoverished,
ramshackle, hovel-like, tumbledown, dingy, seamy, seedy, slummy,
deteriorated, sleazy, back-alley: When he first came to town,

he lived in a sordid shack lent him by a farmer.

sore adj. 1 painful, sensitive, tender, raw, angry, burning,
stinging, smarting, hurting; irritated, inflamed, chafed: My
finger is still sore round the cut. 2 sensitive, delicate,
tender, embarrassing, awkward, ticklish, touchy, thorny,
prickly: Failing to complete medical school is a sore point
with her. 3 dire, serious, acute, extreme, critical, urgent,
pressing, desperate: He is in sore need of some good advice. 4
angry, angered, annoyed, irritated, vexed, irked, upset, Colloq
peeved: Don't get sore at me because you got low marks in your
exams. 5 painful, troublesome, grievous, aggrieved,
distressing, distressful, harrowing, severe, agonizing, bitter,
fierce, burdensome, onerous, heavy, oppressive: Melanie's
marital troubles proved a sore trial for her friends. 6 sore
straits. difficulty, trouble, distress, danger, dangerous or
precarious condition: The business is in sore straits, I fear.

--n. 7 injury, damage, swelling, rawness, infection,
inflammation, bruise, abrasion, cut, laceration, scrape, burn,
canker, ulcer: If that sore on your arm doesn't heal, you'd
better see a doctor.

sorrow n. 1 sadness, heartbreak, grief, unhappiness, dolour, misery,
woe, anguish, distress, suffering, torment, agony, wretchedness,
heartache, desolation, desolateness: How can one deal with the
sorrow of the loss of a child? 2 affliction, trouble, trial,
tribulation, misfortune, hardship, adversity, bad or hard luck,
cares, pressure, strain, travail: It is unbelievable that
anyone could survive a life filled with such sorrow.

--v. 3 grieve, lament, mourn, regret, keen, bemoan, agonize,
moan, bewail: She is sorrowing over the loss of her nephew.


sorrowful adj. 1 sad, unhappy, regretful, sorry, depressed, dejected,
crestfallen, chap-fallen, gloomy, downcast, blue, dispirited,
melancholy, in the doldrums, wretched, woebegone, miserable,
heartsick, disheartened, piteous, heavy-hearted, broken-hearted,
rueful, woeful, tearful, disconsolate, inconsolable,
grief-stricken, Colloq down in the mouth, down in the dumps:
The entire family was sorrowful to learn of Carriston's death.
2 distressing, lamentable, doleful, unfortunate, bitter,
distressful, troublous, grievous, unlucky, hapless, afflictive:

What a sorrowful life some of those miners' families have led!

sorry adj. 1 regretful, penitent, remorseful, contrite,
conscience-stricken, guilt-ridden, repentant, apologetic,
penitential: I am sorry if I offended you. 2 abject,
miserable, depressing, wretched, pitiful, pitiable, pathetic,
deplorable, stark, grim, sordid, dismal, base, star-crossed,
ill-starred: Crackham has led a rather sorry life, most of it
as a vagrant. Agnes again made a sorry spectacle of herself at
the Christmas party. 3 See sorrowful, 1, above: I was indeed
sorry to learn that you are moving away, Peggy.

sort n. 1 kind, variety, type, class, classification, group,
category, brand, make, mark, stamp, description, mould, stripe,
ilk, feather, kidney, character, nature; manner, species: A
1928 Alfa-Romeo coup‚ is not exactly the right sort of car for a
family. Lewis is a person of a different sort. What sort of
person is he? 2 kind, type, manner: This sort of behaviour must
stop. 3 species, genus, family, phylum, subgenus, subspecies,
race, breed, strain, stock, kind, variety, type: Aberdeen Angus
is a better sort of beef for steaks. 4 person, individual, lot;
thing: He is not really such a bad sort. 5 of sorts. of a
sort, of a mediocre or passable or admissible or not (too) bad
or fair or sufficiently good or adequate or undistinguished or
indifferent kind or quality or proficiency: Yes, one might say
that he is a violinist of sorts. 6 out of sorts. not oneself,
not up to snuff, unwell, ailing, indisposed, (slightly) ill,
low, Colloq off one's feed, under the weather: He is out of
sorts after last night's revelries. 7 sort of. See somewhat,
above.

--v. 8 assort, classify, file, order, rank, grade, class,
categorize, separate, divide, combine, merge, arrange, organize,
systemize, systematize, catalogue, group, sort out: Sort these
names into alphabetical order. 9 describe, characterize,
categorize, cast, throw, combine, mould, type: I did not enjoy
being sorted together with thieves and murderers. 10 sort out.
a organize, set or put straight, straighten out, resolve, tidy
(up), clarify, clear up, solve; decide: Someone will have to
sort out how we are to proceed. b choose, select, separate,
divide: Sort out all the books that you want to keep from those
to be donated to the library.

so so adj. mediocre, all right, average, undistinguished, passable,
not (too) bad or good, adequate, fair (to middling), middling,
indifferent, ordinary, tolerable, comme ci, comme ‡a, modest:
Sabrina, whose singing is just so so, will never be a star.


soul n. 1 (vital) spirit or force, being, (inner or true) self,
essence, psyche, heart, mind, intellect, reason, anima: He
finally surrendered, body and soul. 2 person, individual, man,
woman, mortal, (human) being: I won't tell a soul about our
conversation. What a sweet old soul she is! 3 incarnation,
embodiment, personification, typification, essence,
quintessence: You can count on me as the soul of discretion. 4
emotion, feeling, sentiment, sincerity, fervour, ardour, warmth,
dynamism, vivacity, energy, spirit, vitality, force: Alice puts
a lot of soul into her singing, and that comes across to the
audience.

soulful adj. sincere, deep, profound, moving, emotional, warm, ardent,
intense, fervent, expressive: The lovers exchanged soulful
looks.

soundฐ n. 1 tone; noise; din; cacophony; report: This piano has a
tinny sound. We could hear the sound of laughter from below. I
heard nothing over the sound of the crowd. Sounds of gunfire
echoed in the valley. 2 ring, tone, impression, characteristic,
quality, effect, aspect, look: I didn't like the sound of that
remark. 3 hearing, range, earshot: Anyone within the sound of
his voice could tell that he was angry.


--v. 4 resound, reverberate, echo, resonate: The noises sound
very close. 5 seem, appear, look; strike one, give one the
impression or feeling or sense (that); resemble, sound or seem
or look like: It sounds as if you don't want to come to my
party. That sounds like Russian to me. 6 ring, (be) activate(d),
(be) set or touch(ed) off, signal: Anyone walking into the room
sounds the alarm. The alarm sounds when the beam is broken. 7
Sometimes, sound out. articulate, pronounce, enunciate, utter;
voice, vocalize: I was taught to speak clearly, to sound each
consonant and vowel. 8 Sometimes, sound out or off. shout
(out), cry out, yell (out): Sound out those numbers loud and
clear! 9 sound off. vituperate, complain, bluster, grumble,
Slang bitch: Today Mr Morrison was again sounding off about the
service in the caf‚.


sound adj. 1 undamaged, uninjured, whole, unmarred, in good condition
or shape, intact, unimpaired, unscathed: When the vase was sold
to you it was sound. 2 healthy, hale (and hearty), fit (as a
fiddle), robust, vigorous, blooming, rosy, ruddy: Old Tom is as
sound as ever. 3 firm, solid, substantial, strong, sturdy,
tough, rugged, durable, well-built, well-constructed,
dependable: A business, like a building, must be built on sound
foundations if it is to last. 4 sane, balanced, normal,
rational, wholesome, reasoning, reasonable, clear-headed, lucid,
right-minded, responsible, practical, prudent, politic, wise,
sensible, logical, common-sense, commonsensical, astute,
far-sighted, perceptive, perspicacious, percipient; valid, good,
judicious, reliable, useful: As Juvenal said, 'Mens sana in
corpore sano,' or 'A sound mind in a sound body'. My old teacher
gave me a lot of sound advice. 5 safe, secure, good,
conservative, non-speculative, solid, riskless; profitable: Are
you sure that utilities are a sound investment now? 6 unbroken,
uninterrupted, undisturbed, untroubled, peaceful, deep: I drank
the potion and at once fell into a sound sleep.

soundฐ v. 1 Often, sound out. plumb, probe, test, check (out or into),
fathom, inquire or enquire of, question, poll, canvass,
investigate, examine, survey: Sound out the membership on their
feelings about increasing the dues. 2 dive, plunge, submerge:
The great whale sounded, almost taking the tiny boat down with
it.

sound4 n. inlet, strait(s), fiord or fjord, bight, (sea) loch, bay,
arm of the sea, cove, Scots firth: The breeze freshened as we
sailed across the Sound of Mull.

sour adj. 1 acid, acidic, tart, vinegary, lemony, acidulous or
acidulent, acidulated, acescent, acerbic: This apple has a
pleasant, slightly sour taste. Do you like sour dill pickles? 2
turned, bad, (gone) off, fermented, curdled, rancid, spoilt or
spoiled: If the food is sour, throw it away. 3 disagreeable,
unpleasant, distasteful, bad, nasty, bitter, terrible: The poor
service and facilities made the entire holiday a very sour
experience. 4 acrimonious, bitter, embittered, unpleasant,
churlish, ill-natured, ill-tempered, bad-tempered, crusty,
curmudgeonly, crabbed, crabby, grouchy, cross, cranky, testy,
petulant, impatient, abrupt, nasty, curt, caustic, brusque,

peevish, snappish, edgy, sullen, morose, gloomy, discontented:
The waitress's sour expression matched her sour disposition.

--v. 5 turn, spoil, curdle, go bad or off, ferment: Milk sours
quickly in this climate if you don't refrigerate it. 6
embitter, acerbate, disenchant, exasperate, vex, Colloq peeve:
Being forced to practise for hours when a child was what soured
my enjoyment of playing the piano.


source n. 1 fountain-head, well-spring, origin, provenance,
provenience, inception, start, outset, beginning, root(s),
commencement, rise: We set out to find the source of the Blue
Nile. The mineral bauxite is the source of aluminium. 2
originator, author, creator, begetter: Who is credited as the
source of this quotation? 3 authority, documentation;
informant, Colloq horse's mouth: To verify the information, go
to the source.

sovereign n. 1 monarch, ruler, emperor, empress, king, queen, prince,
princess, potentate, chief, master, mistress, shah, sultan;
Akund (of Swat), Gaekwar (of Baroda), Nizam (of Hyderabad),
Mehtar (of Chitral), Nucifrage of Nuremberg, Sheikh of Araby,
Colloq supremo: She is the sovereign and must be obeyed.


--adj. 2 supreme, paramount, highest, principal, foremost,
greatest, predominant, dominant, ranking, leading, chief,
superior, pre-eminent, ruling, regnant, reigning, governing,
all-powerful, absolute, unlimited: The first-born of the
monarch is vested with sovereign authority upon the monarch's
death. 3 royal, regal, majestic, noble, lordly, aristocratic,
kingly, queenly: He was hailed as the sovereign ruler of all
the islands.

sovereignty
n. suzerainty, hegemony, dominion, rule, pre-eminence, power,
jurisdiction, authority, leadership, command, sway, supremacy,
ascendancy, primacy: Anyone who doubted his sovereignty was
seized and thrown into a dungeon.


sow v. seed, disseminate, broadcast, plant: The grand vizier sowed
the seeds of dissension amongst the subjects of the caliph.

19.11 space...

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space n. 1 spaciousness, room, place, expanse, elbow-room, leeway,
margin, latitude, play: There was no space for another desk. 2
blank: When the spaces are filled in, the puzzle is done. 3
interval, lapse, period, time, hiatus, lacuna, span, while,
duration, extent, spell, stretch, pause, wait, intermission,
gap, break, interruption: After a short space we were home
again. 4 accommodation, seat, berth, room, place: Luckily, I
got the last available space on the plane.

--v. 5 arrange, organize, array, set out, align, range, order,
rank, lay out, measure (out): Space the trees about eight feet
apart.

spacious adj. vast, large, extensive, enormous, wide, broad, commodious,
ample, expansive, roomy, huge, sizeable, large, capacious,
great, immense, outsize(d), voluminous, oversize(d): The house
was more spacious than it looked from the outside. Siberia
offers spacious territory, ripe for habitation over the next
century.

span n. 1 bridge, link, stretch, overpass, Chiefly Brit flyover: We
drove across the entire span in less than five minutes. 2
course, extent, interval, stretch, period, time, term, spell:
In the short span of six hours we had crossed the Atlantic.

--v. 3 cross, stretch over, reach over, extend over, go over,
bridge: A rude bridge spans the river at Lexington. Their lives
spanned more than a century.

spank v. slap, smack, put or take over one's knee, thrash, paddle;
chastise, punish, castigate; Colloq wallop, tan (someone's)
hide, paddywhack, whack, give (someone) a (good) licking or
hiding: In those days when you misbehaved you were spanked.

spanking adj. 1 spic and span, smart, bright, snappy, gleaming,
brand-new, fine, remarkable, outstanding, big, large, great:
You ought to see Jim Trowbridge's spanking new yacht. 2 brisk,
lively, crisp, bracing, fresh, freshening, rattling, strong,
invigorating, blustery: A spanking breeze blew up from the
west. 3 quick, rapid, swift, lively, snappy, fast, smart,

energetic, vigorous, brisk: The pony drew the dogcart at a
spanking pace.

sparฐ n. Nautical mast, yard, yard-arm, boom, boomkin, gaff, jigger,
mizen, Colloq stick, pole: The first gusts of the storm tore
the remaining canvas from the spars.

spar v. 1 fight, box, exchange blows; shadow-box: He was once the
champion's sparring partner. 2 dispute, argue, bicker,
squabble, wrangle, bandy words, have words; fight, Colloq scrap:
I have better things to do than spar with you over breakfast
every day.

spare adj. 1 extra, surplus, supernumerary, auxiliary, supplementary,
additional; odd, leftover; in reserve, in addition: We got a
puncture, so Dad stopped and put on the spare wheel. Give them
the spare room. Have you a spare cigarette? 2 unoccupied,
leftover, leisure, free, surplus, extra; not spoken for: Her
demanding job left her very little spare time. 3 thin, skinny,
scrawny, cadaverous, gaunt, raw-boned, meagre, gangling,
lank(y), wiry, slim, slender; all skin and bones: The spare,
ragged figure crouched in the shadows, his hand outstretched in
supplication. 4 See sparing, below. 5 meagre, frugal, small,
skimpy, modest, scanty: Their meals were spare but wholesome.


--v. 6 save, rescue, deliver, redeem: Bill spared me from a
fate worse than death. Spare me the embarrassment of having to
ask for my money back. 7 pardon, let go, release, have mercy on,
let off, free, liberate: At the last moment, the judge spared
him. 8 allow, relinquish, let go (of), give, award, bestow, let
have, donate, part with, give, yield: She decided she could
spare a couple of pounds for the disaster appeal. Buddy, can you
spare a dime? 9 avoid, dispense with, manage or do without, give
up, forgo, forsake, surrender, sacrifice: We spared a great
deal of trouble by settling the dispute. Spare the rod and spoil
the child.

sparing adj. 1 thrifty, saving, frugal, spare, careful, prudent,
parsimonious, economical, penurious, mean; penny-pinching,
stingy, niggardly, miserly, close, close-fisted, cheap, Colloq
tight, tight-fisted, Brit mingy: As sparing in his praise as he
was in his purse, General Waller rarely complimented his troops.
2 See sparse, 2 below.


spark n. 1 scintilla, flicker, glimmer, glint, sparkle, speck, hint,
suggestion, vestige, atom, whit, jot (or tittle), iota: As long
as a spark of life remained in his body he fought for freedom
and justice.

--v. 2 Often, spark off. set or touch off, ignite, kindle,
enkindle, electrify, animate, trigger, energize, galvanize,
activate, excite, stimulate, set in motion, bring about, start
(up), begin, initiate, inspire, inspirit, provoke, precipitate:
Was there any single factor that sparked the Renaissance?

sparkle v. 1 glitter, scintillate, glint, flicker, shine, twinkle,
wink, blink, glimmer, flash, coruscate, blaze, burn, flame: The
setting sun sparkled on the sea. Brian's eyes sparkled with an
inner fire. 2 effervesce, fizz, bubble: We ordered a jeroboam
of sparkling Burgundy.

--n. 3 glitter, scintillation, twinkle, coruscation, dazzle,
spark, gleam, brightness, brilliance, radiance: I fear that the
sparkle has gone out of her smile. 4 vivacity, liveliness,
fire, brightness, wittiness, effervescence, ebullience,
excitement, animation, vigour, energy, spirit, cheer, joy,
light-heartedness, ‚lan, zeal, gusto, dash, life, gaiety, cheer,
cheerfulness; certain something; Colloq vim, zip, zing, pizazz,
oomph: It is easy to see that she gets her sparkle from her
mother.

sparse adj. 1 thin (on the ground), few (and far between), meagre,
scanty, (widely) dispersed or scattered, spread out, spotty, in
short supply, scarce: Tourists are sparse in Scotland in
January. Sparse blooms appeared on the rose-bushes this year. 2
little, limited, meagre, scant, sparing, inappreciable, not
much, insignificant: Sparse use was made of the new tennis
court because of the rain.

Spartan adj. austere, strict, severe, harsh, hard, stern, rigorous,
rigid, ascetic, stringent, controlled, disciplined,
self-denying, abstinent, abstemious: He gave up all luxuries
and today lives a Spartan life in the forest.

spasm n. 1 convulsion, throe, fit, twitch, paroxysm: Deprived of his
medication, Brian might go into spasms. 2 fit, seizure,

convulsion, paroxysm, spell, outburst, burst, eruption: After
that, every time he said 'furniture', the crowd went into spasms
of laughter.


spasmodic adj. 1 spasmodical, paroxysmal, convulsive, jerky, jerking,
sudden, Technical spastic: John was quite uneasy, unaware that
Cynthia's spasmodic winking was due to a tic. 2 fitful,
irregular, intermittent, arrhythmic, random, interrupted,
sporadic, erratic, occasional, periodic, unsustained,
discontinuous, pulsating, cyclic(al), broken: Spasmodic peals
of thunder shook the house.

spate n. flood, inundation, onrush, onset, rush, deluge, outpouring,
outflow, outflowing, flow: What did I say to provoke that spate
of foul language?

spatter v. splash, splatter, speckle, bespatter, spray, dabble, daub,
bedaub, sprinkle, besprinkle, Brit splodge, US splotch: When
she dropped the pan the grease spattered all over my new white
flannels.

spawn v. give birth to, yield, bear, bring forth, breed, beget,
create, father, sire, produce, generate, engender, give rise to,
bring about, cause: Donald's arrogance over his wealth spawned
a great deal of resentment.

speak v. 1 talk, converse, discourse: We were not allowed to speak
during lessons. 2 talk to, converse or discourse with, address,
say (something or) anything to: She was speaking quietly to the
children. That is no way to speak to your elders. 3 talk,
communicate in, discourse or converse in, communicate in, utter
in, articulate in, use: Can you really speak Chinese? 4
express, utter, say, state, tell, pronounce, enunciate, voice;
articulate, make known, communicate, reveal, indicate: He is
speaking the truth. 5 symbolize, betoken, signify, communicate,
convey, indicate: Her refusal to return your love-letters
speaks volumes. 6 so to speak. as it were, in a manner of
speaking, figuratively or metaphorically (speaking): When it
comes to employee benefits, the boss is Scrooge himself, so to
speak. 7 speak for. a support, uphold, defend, stand up for,
plead for, make a plea for, recommend, Colloq stick up for: Be
quiet and let Simon speak for himself. b act on or in behalf
of, act for, represent, act as agent for: He is speaking for

the whole staff when he expresses worries about the cuts. c
demand, require, beg, request, ask for: The situation speaks
urgently for an effective drug rehabilitation programme. 8 speak
for itself. be self-evident, be obvious, be significant: The
fact that both your son and the ring are missing speaks for
itself. 9 speak of. mention, advert to, allude to, refer to,
make reference to, comment on, speak or talk about: I begged
you not to speak of her again in my presence. 10 speak on.
discuss, address, discourse upon or on, speak to, treat (of),
deal with, examine, touch upon or on: In his presentation Dr
Andrews spoke on the role of natural predators in pest control.
11 speak out or up. a talk (more) loudly or clearly, make
oneself heard: I cannot hear you unless you speak up a bit. b
talk freely or unreservedly, express one's opinion, speak one's
mind, declare, come out, state one's position, take a stand: I
heard a mother of ten speak out against birth control. 12 speak
to. a reprove, scold, reprimand, rebuke, admonish, warn,
lecture: After his father spoke to him, Nicholas stopped
staying out so late. b be meaningful to, appeal to, influence,
affect, touch: Constance's poetry effectively speaks to the
heart. c accost, address, talk to, Formal apostrophize: I have
to speak to the teacher after class. d See 10, above. 13
spoken for. reserved, engaged, bespoke, set aside, accounted
for, chosen, selected: I'm afraid that the purple dress has
already been spoken for, madam.

speaker n. orator, lecturer; keynoter; rabble-rouser, demagogue, Colloq
tub-thumper, spieler: It was my function to introduce the
speaker.


spearhead v. 1 launch, initiate, lead (the way), take the initiative,
pioneer, blaze the trail, break the ice, take the lead, be in
the van or vanguard: He spearheaded medical research into
arthritis.


--n. 2 vanguard, advance guard, van, forefront, cutting edge:
They claim to be the spearhead of space technology.

special adj. 1 particular, specific, exceptional, uncommon, especial,
rare, unusual, out of the ordinary, extraordinary, different,
unorthodox, unconventional, unique, precise, individual,
singular, distinctive, specialized, certain, remarkable,
inimitable, idiosyncratic, curious, peculiar, odd, strange,

bizarre, weird, one of a kind; distinguished, notable,
noteworthy: They have a special way of communicating with each
other. I bought something very special for your birthday. A
special relationship sprang up between us. 2 significant,
important, momentous, earth-shaking, memorable, red-letter;
gala, festive, celebratory: The fifth of September is a special
day in our family. 3 pointed, concerted, deliberate,
particular, extra, determined: After I had made a special
effort to get there, nobody was home. 4 exclusive, express,
individual, extra: Send the packet by special messenger. 5
dear, intimate, particular, good, close, bosom, staunch, loyal,
faithful, devoted, steadfast; dearest, best, closest; esteemed,
valued: I wasn't aware that John Spencer was a special friend
of yours. 6 prime, primary, major, prominent, paramount: I
shouldn't attach any special importance to her demands.

--n. 7 See speciality, 2 below.

specialist
n. expert, authority, professional, master, connoisseur,
maestro, artiste, artist, adept: Pierre Legrand is a specialist
in matching antique furniture finishes. Such work requires
specialist knowledge.


speciality
n. 1 expertise, talent, genius, gift, skill, aptitude, trade,
craft, accomplishment, ability, strength, forte, strong point,
capability, adeptness, art, sphere, field, area, subject,
concentration, specialization, m‚tier, Chiefly US and Canadian
specialty, Colloq bag, thing, cup of tea, baby, claim to fame:
Dr Mann's speciality is tropical diseases. 2 piŠce de
r‚sistance, sp‚cialit‚ de la maison, special, Chiefly US and
Canadian specialty, US blueplate special: Today's speciality is
calves' brains au beurre noir.


specially adv. especially, particularly, custom, expressly, exclusively:
I had this suit specially made for me.

specific adj. 1 definite, precise, exact, particular, explicit, express,
unambiguous, definitive, clear-cut, unequivocal, (well-)defined,
determined, specified, individual, peculiar, certain, limited,
indicated, predetermined, established, spelt or spelled out,
delineated, set, distinct, fixed, circumscribed, restricted:

Each part has its specific function. 2 Often, specific to.
characteristic (of), unique to, individual (to), sui generis,
proper (to), typical (of), peculiar to, identified with,
personal (to), discrete (to), special (to), associated with:
The disease is specific to one area only. Are these problems
group-specific?

specification
n. 1 identification, identifying, description, describing,
particularization, particularizing, specifying, naming: The
police were relying on a specification of the ringleaders by an
informer. 2 itemization, itemizing, list, listing, check-list,
inventory, list of particulars, detail, enumeration: When can
you let me have the specifications for the new building? 3
requirement, qualification, condition, restriction, stipulation,
consideration: The specification called for green marble and no
substitute.

specify v. particularize, enumerate, itemize, name, denominate, list,
indicate, mention, identify, cite, define, detail, stipulate,
spell out, set out or forth, individualize, be specific about,
delineate, determine, disambiguate, establish: You must specify
the source of each quotation.


specimen n. sample, example, instance, exemplar, representative,
representation; illustration, case (in point), type, model,
pattern: This is a specimen taken from the Pre-Cambrian strata.
Using this as a specimen, can you reproduce the entire fabric?


specious adj. deceptive, superficial, casuistic, ostensible, misleading,
apparent, seeming, fallacious, sophistic(al), plausible, likely,
conceivable, possible, supposed, purported, presumed,
presumable, alleged, so-called: The candidate affected a
specious show of liberality merely to attract votes. Do not be
misled by specious reasoning.

speck n. spot, dot, fleck, mote, speckle, mark, bit, particle; crumb,
iota, jot (or tittle), whit, atom, molecule, touch, hint,
suggestion, suspicion, tinge, modicum, amount, grain, smidgen or
smidgin: There's a speck of soot on your collar. Is there a
speck of truth in what she says about you?

speckled adj. spotted, mottled, dotted, sprinkled, flecked, stippled,

dapple(d), freckled, brindle(d); discoloured, spattered,
bespattered: I can see by looking at it that it's a speckled
trout.


spectacle n. 1 show, display, sight, performance, event, presentation,
exhibition, exhibit, exposition, demonstration, extravaganza,
marvel, wonder, sensation: Instead of criticizing everything in
life, why not just sit back and enjoy the spectacle? 2 fool,
laughing-stock, curiosity: Joan makes a spectacle of herself by
her solo dancing when she gets a little tipsy. 3 spectacles.
eyeglasses, glasses, Colloq specs: He wears spectacles only for
reading.

spectator n. witness, eyewitness, observer, viewer, onlooker, looker-on,
watcher, beholder: There were more spectators than participants
at the spring dance.

spectral adj. ghostly, ghostlike, phantom, eerie, wraithlike,
incorporeal, unearthly, supernatural, weird, Colloq spooky: I
could have sworn there was a spectral figure, dressed in white,
standing near the window.

spectre n. 1 ghost, phantom, wraith, apparition, vision, spirit, shade,
revenant, Doppelg„nger, chimera, Colloq spook, bogeyman or
bogyman: Each year the spectre appeared to her on Christmas
Eve. 2 image, vision, (mental) picture: Again the horrible
spectre of war and pestilence arose.

speculate v. 1 Often, speculate on or upon or about or over. reflect (on
or about or over), consider, muse (on or about or over),
meditate (on or over or about), contemplate (on or about),
cogitate (on or about), think (about or over or on), ponder
(over or about), mull over, chew on or over, ruminate (on or
over or about), wonder (about), deliberate (over or on or
about), weigh, judge, evaluate, theorize (on or about),
conjecture (on or about), postulate, hypothesize: I have been
speculating about whether I should take a holiday in the
Algarve. Why not go and enjoy yourself instead of speculating on
the world's injustices? 2 gamble, wager, take a chance, Colloq
have a flutter, play the market, take a plunge: She is too
conservative to speculate in the stock market.

speculation

n. 1 conjecture, guess, hypothesis, theory, guesswork,
postulation, surmise, supposition, opinion: My speculations
have often proved true. Both the steady-state and the big-bang
theories of the origins of the universe are pure speculation. 2
thinking, rumination, cogitation, reflection, meditation,
contemplation, consideration, cerebration, pondering, wondering,
deliberation, evaluation: All serious philosophers engage in
idle speculation. 3 gambling, gamble, wagering, wager, taking
(a) chance(s) or risk(s), chance-taking: Her speculation on the
market paid off handsomely.

speculative
adj. 1 intellectual, ideational, abstract, cogitative,
notional, theoretical, hypothetical, conjectural, suppositional,
supposititious or suppositious, suppositive, rational,
ratiocinative, ideal, idealized, idealistic, unrealistic,
unpractical, impractical, analytical: Frank's theories about
climate change were entirely speculative and substantially
wrong. 2 risky, hazardous, uncertain, unreliable, untrustworthy,
doubtful, dubious, untested, unproven, unproved, Colloq iffy,
chancy, Slang dicey: You ought to invest your money in less
speculative enterprises.

speech n. 1 speaking, talking, articulation, diction, language,
expression, enunciation, elocution, speech pattern;
communication: His speech is marred by a lisp. Martha studied
speech at a well-known drama school. 2 oration, address,
lecture, talk, discourse, disquisition, sermon, homily; tirade,
harangue, philippic; (sales) pitch, line, song and dance; Colloq
spiel, blast: Her speech left her audience awed with her
knowledge of the subject. When the householder opens the door,
you launch into your speech about the encyclopedia. 3 dialect,
idiolect, jargon, parlance, idiom, fa‡on de parler, language,
tongue, Colloq lingo: English speech varieties range from Scots
to Cockney to Texan to Jamaican.

speechless
adj. 1 mute, dumb, voiceless: He was speechless and in shock
for two days following the accident. They claim to speak for
animals who are, of course, speechless themselves. 2 dumbfounded
or dumfounded, dumbstruck or dumbstricken, wordless, struck
dumb, tongue-tied, thunderstruck, shocked, dazed, inarticulate,
paralysed, nonplussed, Slang Brit gobsmacked: He was speechless

with fury to find his car missing.

speed n. 1 rapidity, fleetness, quickness, speediness, swiftness,
velocity, dispatch or despatch, hurry, hurriedness, haste,
hastiness, celerity, alacrity, expeditiousness, expedition,
briskness, promptness, timeliness; suddenness, precipitateness,
precipitousness, abruptness: We reached a speed of Mach 2. What
is the speed of your new computer? The speed of her reactions
will be recorded during the experiment.


--v. 2 Often, speed up. accelerate, move, expedite, forward,
advance, facilitate, boost, further, promote, help, assist, aid,
Colloq give a leg up: He vowed to do anything he could to speed
the troops' return from the battlefield. 3 hasten, make haste,
hurry, rush, charge, dart, bolt, shoot, run, race, sprint, fly,
streak, scurry, tear, hustle, scramble, scamper, career, bowl
along, go or fly like the wind, Colloq go hell for leather, go
like a bat out of hell, belt along, step on it, put one's foot
down, zip, zoom, skedaddle, go like a shot, US hightail it, step
on the gas, go like greased lightning, make tracks, Slang US
burn rubber: Where the road is straight, cars speed along at up
to 120 miles per hour.

speedy adj. 1 quick, rapid, swift, brisk, expeditious, fast,
immediate, prompt: What happened to the form of justice under
which the accused were guaranteed a speedy trial? 2 hasty,
precipitate, precipitous, hurried, summary: Some of the
townspeople favoured the wrong kind of speedy justice - by
lynching. 3 fleet, nimble, wing-footed, winged, fast, quick,
rapid, swift: Carol is one of the speediest sprinters on our
team.

spellฐ n. 1 period, interval, time, term, season; stint, turn, run,
course, shift, tour (of duty), watch, round: We had a spell of
bad weather. Each of us had a spell at the tiller during the
crossing.

--v. 2 relieve, replace, substitute for, take over for or from:
After 36 hours of uninterrupted duty, I needed someone to spell
me for a while.

spell n. 1 enchantment, allure, charm, magic, witchcraft, witchery,
fascination, captivation, enthralment: She had them all under

her spell. 2 incantation, formula, charm: The priest uttered
some spell and I found myself unable to move. 3 attraction,
lure, allure, appeal, draw, pull, magnetism, fascination,
influence, mesmerism, hypnotic effect: We were drawn ever
onward by the spell of the jungle.

spellฐ v. 1 augur, portend, presage, promise, hold promise of,
signify, point to, indicate, omen, bode, look like, amount to,
mean: Harry's conviction will spell the end of his career as a
bank robber. 2 spell out. specify, delineate, make clear or
plain or explicit, clarify, elucidate: She despises you - I
can't spell it out for you more plainly than that.

spellbinding
adj. fascinating, enchanting, enthralling, captivating,
enrapturing, bewitching, mesmerizing, charming, overpowering:
The preacher put on one of his most spellbinding performances.

spend v. 1 pay out, disburse, expend, lay out, Colloq fork out, dish
out, shell out, Brit splash out: That man spends more for a
suit than you earn in a year. 2 squander, throw away, fritter
away, waste, go through, splurge, lavish, dissipate: He spends
money as if it's going out of style. 3 devote, allot, assign,
invest, put in, pass: If you don't spend more time with the
children they'll forget they have a father.

spendthrift
n. 1 profligate, wastrel, (big) spender, squanderer, prodigal:
Because her nephew is such a spendthrift, she put his
inheritance in a trust fund.

--adj. 2 wasteful, free-spending, prodigal, profligate,
squandering, extravagant, improvident: The chancellor's
spendthrift budget will increase inflation.


spent adj. 1 drained, exhausted, prostrate, tired, fatigued, fagged
out, weary, wearied, worn out, Colloq (dead) beat, done in, done
for, all in, dog-tired, played out, burnt- or burned-out, used
up, Brit knackered, done up, US pooped: He was totally spent
after sitting in the airport all night during the storm. 2
exhausted, used up, emptied, gone, expended, finished, fini,
consumed, depleted: At 70, he was wrong to feel that his life
was spent.


spew v. Often, spew forth or out or up. belch (up or out or forth),
vomit (up or forth), regurgitate, spit up or out, spout,
discharge, emit, eject, send forth, spurt, gush, throw up or
out, disgorge, Slang puke: The volcano spewed forth lava for
six days and nights.

sphere n. 1 globe, orb, globule, spherule; drop, droplet, bubble:
Flotation is provided by thousands of hollow plastic spheres. 2
society, class, level, caste, rank, domain, walk of life,
station, stratum, position: They did not belong to the same
social sphere. 3 area, field, province, subject, discipline,
range, speciality or US specialty, forte, Colloq bailiwick,
territory, department, thing, bag: Are Gregorian chants within
Stanley's sphere of interest?

spherical adj. spheric, globular, round, ball-shaped, ball-like,
globelike, globe-shaped, globose or globous, globoid,
globate(d), spheroid(al): They chose simple, spherical
lampshades for the sitting-room.

spice n. 1 condiment, relish, seasoning, flavour(ing); herb: Much of
the purpose of early explorers was to search for spices. 2
zest, spiciness, piquancy, tang, pungency, bite, sharpness,
poignancy, gusto, excitement, seasoning, dash, ‚lan, colour,
life, vigour, interest, stimulation, stimulant, spirit, Colloq
vim, zip, pep, kick, pizazz, punch, ginger, pepper: A holiday
in the Bahamas will add a little spice to our lives.


--v. 3 season, flavour: Highly spiced food does not agree with
many people. 4 Often, spice up. enliven, inspirit, stimulate,
invigorate: The proprietor felt that the new editor should try
to spice up the magazine.


spicy adj. 1 zesty, zestful, piquant, tangy, (well-)spiced,
(well-)seasoned, hot, peppery, sharp, pungent, snappy, biting,
full-bodied, aromatic, savoury, flavoursome, flavourful: This
curry is a little too spicy for my taste. 2 off colour,
indelicate, suggestive, risqu‚, improper, indecent, indecorous,
ribald, racy, bawdy, unseemly, offensive, titillating, sexy,
Colloq hot: This magazine often publishes spicy nude photos. 3
scandalous, sensational, outrageous, notorious, revealing,
revelatory, intimate: She likes to read about the spicy

goings-on in Hollywood.

spike n. 1 skewer, stake, prong, treenail, nail, peg, picket, pin,
pike, spine: To subdue a vampire, drive a wooden spike through
its heart.

--v. 2 impale, stab, stick, spear, pierce, spit, lance: He was
spiked through the thigh by a bayonet. 3 disable, thwart,
nullify, disarm, block, frustrate, foil, void, balk, check,
cancel, annul: Our plans for the picnic were spiked by the
weather. 4 strengthen; drug, poison, Slang slip in a Mickey
(Finn): I passed out because my drink was spiked.

spill v. 1 pour (out or over), overflow, slop or run or brim over:
The milk spilt all over the floor. 2 waste, throw out, lose:
Don't cry over spilt milk. 3 spill the beans. reveal or tell or
disclose or divulge all or everything, blab, tattle, let the cat
out of the bag, confess, Slang squeal, be a stool-pigeon or
stoolie, spill one's guts, sing (like a canary), Brit blow the
gaff: Finnegan spilled the beans to the cops.

--n. 4 outpouring, flood, leak, leakage: Don't tell me there's
been another oil spill! 5 fall, tumble, accident, Colloq
cropper, header: Crutchley had a nasty spill at the third fence
in the Grand National.

spin v. 1 revolve, turn, rotate, gyrate, twirl, whirl, twist, reel,
pirouette, pivot: The car spun out of control on the ice. Fred
spun Ginger around the dance floor. 2 invent, concoct, make up,
devise, produce, fabricate; weave, relate, retail, recount,
narrate, tell, unfold: Each night, father would spin a new
chapter in the yarn of the vagabond princess. 3 be dizzy, suffer
vertigo, swim, whirl, be giddy: My head was spinning from so
much attention by the media. 4 spin off. separate, derive: The
manufacturer spun off two new companies specializing in parts
and service. 5 spin out. prolong, protract, drag or draw out,
stretch out, perpetuate, continue, extend, keep alive, keep
going: The case was spun out for years in the courts.


--n. 6 whirl, whirling, twirl, twirling, turn, turning,
gyration, reel, pirouette, revolution, revolving, rotation,
rotating: He puts a spin on the ball when he throws it. Is the
spin of all planets in the same direction? 7 drive, whirl,

joyride, ride, tour, excursion, outing, jaunt: On Sunday
afternoons we sometimes went for a spin in the car.

spine n. 1 backbone, spinal column, vertebrae: He can't stand up
straight - he has curvature of the spine. 2 thorn, needle,
barb, spike, spur, prong, quill, ray, barbel, bristle, prickle,
Technical barbule, spicule or spiculum or spicula: The surface
of the sea urchin is covered with needle-like spines.


spineless adj. 1 Technical invertebrate: There are more species of
spineless creatures than those with internal backbones. 2 weak,
feeble, flabby, irresolute, weak-willed, indecisive,
ineffectual, ineffective, impotent, powerless: After her reign,
any king would appear spineless. 3 cowardly, dastardly,
pusillanimous, timorous, lily-livered, white-livered, craven,
fearful, timid, spiritless, squeamish, Colloq yellow,
chicken-hearted, chicken, yellow-bellied, wimpish: She said you
were spineless because you refused to go into the lions' cage.


spiral n. 1 helix, coil, corkscrew, screw, scroll; whorl, volute,
turn, curl: In earlier Greek motifs, the spiral is commoner
than the rectangular fret.

--adj. 2 helical, coiled, screw, corkscrew, cochlear or
cochleate; scrolled, volute(d), whorled: A spiral staircase is
attractive and space-saving, but hard to use.

spire n. 1 column, tower, belfry; steeple, flŠche: The spire of the
church was repeatedly struck by lightning that night. 2 top,
pinnacle, apex, peak, summit, acme, tip, crest, crown, vertex:
We climbed till we stood on the highest spire above the valley.

spirit n. 1 anima, breath, life, vitality, vital spirit, pneuma, soul,
consciousness, psyche, self, heart, essence: Though past
eighty, Mr Wilkins has a great deal of spirit. Even though she
is gone, Annabel's spirit is still with us. 2 character,
temperament, temper, persona, disposition, mind, will,
will-power, attitude, bent, inclination, energy, ardour, desire,
impetus, drive, urge, eagerness, zest, zeal, zealousness, fire,
passion(s), enthusiasm, motivation, mettle, resolution, resolve,
intention, enterprise: We have always admired the spirit of the
early pioneers. Bill has shown a lot of the right spirit. 3
zest, pungency, piquancy, warmth, fire, animation, life,

liveliness, vivacity, vivaciousness, panache, ‚lan, dash, spice,
Colloq sauce, pepper: He needs to put more spirit into his
sales presentation. 4 See spectre, 1, above. 5 bravery,
courage, grit, backbone, valour, pluck, daring,
stout-heartedness, manfulness, manliness, gameness,
resoluteness, will, will-power, Colloq vim, spunk,
get-up-and-go, (right) stuff, guts, US sand: Johnston has the
spirit to be a marine. 6 meaning, sense, tenor, signification,
purport, intent, intention, purpose, aim, implication, message,
essence, quintessence, core, heart, meat, pith, substance,
marrow: The spirit of the agreement is different from the way
the lawyers worded the contract. Is it in keeping with the
spirit of the law? 7 attitude, principle, thought, idea,
inspiration, notion, feeling, inclination, impulse: Christmas
is associated with the spirit of giving. 8 Often, spirits.
temper, mood, sentiments, feelings, cheer, humour, frame of
mind; morale: I hope he took my criticism in good spirit. You
seem to be in pretty good spirits today. My spirits are quite
low. 9 spirits. a feelings, mood, temper, sentiments; morale,
esprit de corps, team spirit: Spirits were high at the annual
boat races. b alcohol, liquor, whisky, strong drink, Colloq
booze, fire-water, Slang chiefly US and Canadian hooch or
hootch: It is illegal to sell spirits to minors.


--v. 10 spirit away or off. abduct, make off or away with,
carry off, transport, take away, kidnap, steal (off or away
with), whisk away, abscond with; make disappear: A thief
spirited away a painting from the exhibition. She was spirited
away by a band of elves.


spirited adj. lively, sprightly, energetic, vigorous, animated,
sparkling, dynamic, buoyant, effervescent, vivacious, ardent,
mettlesome: The horse I chose was a bit too spirited. The
barrister presented a spirited defence for his client. The 1970s
saw spirited revivals of art nouveau and art deco styles.

spiritual adj. 1 sacred, ecclesiastic(al), churchly, clerical, priestly,
devotional, holy, divine, sacerdotal, religious, non-secular:
Father Craig was in charge of the spiritual aspects of our
lives. 2 non-material, incorporeal, psychic(al), mental,
psychological, inner: Spiritual needs are less easily satisfied
than physical needs.

spit v. 1 expectorate; dribble, salivate, drool, slaver, sputter,
splutter; discharge, spew (forth), eject: Spitting is
forbidden. Don't you hate people who spit when they talk? The
volcano spat huge boulders into the sky. 2 spitting image or
spit and image. twin, duplicate, clone, image, counterpart,
likeness, copy: She is the spitting image of her mother.

--n. 3 spittle, saliva, drool, Technical sputum: A large
gobbet of spit clung to his beard.


spite n. 1 spitefulness, maliciousness, malice, malevolence,
malignity, ill will, venom, spleen, rancour, animosity, gall
(and wormwood), resentment, bitterness, hostility, antagonism,
hatred, hate, Colloq bitchiness: Just out of spite, Marian saw
to it that he didn't get the job. 2 in spite of. despite,
notwithstanding, regardless of, ignoring, in defiance of: In
spite of his efforts to be helpful, she despises him.

--v. 3 annoy, irritate, vex, upset, disconcert, offend,
provoke, discomfit, pique, put out, hurt, injure, wound, Colloq
peeve, get under (someone's) skin, needle, US do a number on:
He would cut off his nose to spite his face. He told her he was
happy only to spite her for having divorced him.


spiteful adj. rancorous, bitter, acrimonious, malevolent, malicious,
venomous, hateful, invidious, hostile, antagonistic, unfriendly,
unforgiving, retaliative or retaliatory, punitive, retributive
or retributory: Cutting off Colin's allowance because he forgot
your birthday was a spiteful thing to do.


splash v. 1 spatter, bespatter, splatter, shower, spray, sprinkle,
besprinkle, Brit splodge or US also splotch; mottle, spot: The
painters splashed paint all over the floor. My freshly washed
car was soon splashed with mud again. 2 blazon, spread, plaster:
Was that your picture splashed across the front page of
yesterday's paper?

--n. 3 spatter, spray, splatter, sprinkle, spot, stain, smear,
smudge, Brit splodge or US also splotch: There's a splash of
tomato sauce on the tablecloth. 4 impression, show, uproar,
ado, brouhaha, sensation, commotion, excitement, US foofaraw,
Colloq to-do: After all the advance publicity, he was sure to
make a big splash in the theatre.


splendid adj. 1 splendorous, magnificent, resplendent, dazzling,
gorgeous, showy, dashing, marvellous, spectacular, grand,
glorious, lavish, ornate, sumptuous, majestic, brilliant,
extraordinary, exceptional, superb, supreme, imposing,
impressive, awe-inspiring, awesome, lush, plush, rich,
luxurious, Colloq splendiferous, posh, swank(y), ritzy: The
mausoleum built by Shah Jehan for his wife was far more splendid
than his own palace. 2 impressive, marvellous, brilliant,
eminent, prominent, superior, noteworthy, notable, celebrated,
illustrious, famous, distinguished, exemplary, remarkable,
admirable, conspicuous, outstanding, sublime, striking,
extraordinary, successful, admirable, meritorious, creditable:
His splendid victory at Waterloo was the climax of his military
career. 3 excellent, superior, pre-eminent, fine, marvellous,
extraordinary, exceptional, unbelievable, incredible,
first-class, unequalled, unsurpassed, fabulous, peerless,
matchless, nonpareil, superlative, praiseworthy, laudable, Brit
brilliant, Colloq great, colossal, supercolossal, stupendous,
fab, fantastic, super, smashing, A1 or A-1 or A-one, tiptop,
capital, Brit brill, Slang far-out, way-out, dandy, cool, keen,
US solid, out of sight, fantabulous, boss, neat, major: Bill is
a splendid dancer.


splendour n. 1 magnificence, grandeur, brilliance, display, radiance,
resplendence, sumptuousness, stateliness, majesty, panoply,
spectacle, show, glory, pomp, gorgeousness, dazzle, refulgence,
beauty, splendidness, exquisiteness, luxuriousness, richness,
lavishness, luxury, Colloq swankiness, poshness, swank,
ritziness: There was nothing to match the splendour of the
court of Louis XIV. 2 brilliance, shine, lustre, light,
effulgence, brightness, glitter, dazzle, refulgence, luminosity,
luminousness, gloss: The splendour of the city's golden domes
was reflected in the setting sun.


splice v. 1 join, unite, marry, bind, conjoin; knit, entwine,
intertwine, braid, plait, twist, interlace: After the two rope
ends are spliced together, they should be seized with marline.


--n. 2 joining, union, splicing, joint, connection or Brit
connexion, tie, bond, binding, fastening, linking, linkage: A
proper splice will probably be stronger than the single cable.

splinter n. 1 sliver, fragment, piece; scrap, shard, shred, chip: A
splinter of glass is stuck in my finger.

--v. 2 shatter, break, fragment, split, disintegrate, smash to
smithereens: The lamp hit the floor and splintered into a
million pieces.

split v. 1 Often, split up or apart. divide, separate, cleave, cut or
chop apart, cut or chop in two, pull or tear apart, rend, break
or snap apart or in two, break up, come apart, rupture,
partition, detach, become detached; bisect, dichotomize: He
split the log with one blow of his axe. The ship split apart on
the reef. The party may split on the tax issue. 2 Often, split
up. divorce, separate, go separate ways, break up, part company:
After 30 years, the Hitchcocks have decided to split up. 3
Often, split up. branch, fork, diverge, separate: The road
splits to pass round the pond. 4 Often, split up. divide (up),
apportion, deal out, dole out, distribute, allot, share or
parcel out, carve up: Why don't we split the dinner bill five
ways? 5 burst, crack or break up, fall apart or about, Slang
bust: I laughed so much I thought I'd split! 6 leave, depart,
go, Slang take a (run-out) powder, take it on the lam, beat it,
scram, skedaddle: When they heard the sirens of the police
cars, they split.


--n. 7 crack, cleft, fissure, chink, cranny, slit, slot,
crevice, groove, furrow, channel, sulcus; gap, hiatus, lacuna,
opening, separation, division, chasm; rift, break, rupture,
fracture; slash, gash, tear, rip, rent: The edges of the
tectonic plates mark splits in the earth's crust. Pressure
caused the splits in these plaster columns. I had to borrow a
tablecloth to cover up the split in my trousers. 8 division,
dichotomy, schism, breach, rupture, partition, disunion,
discord; break, separation: Don't you think that the issue will
cause a split within the party?

--adj. 9 divided, separated; halved, bisected, cleft; cut,
broken, fractured: The result was a split vote along party
lines. Their first containers were of split bamboo.


splurge n. 1 display, show, ostentatiousness, extravagance, indulgence,
access, splash, burst, outburst, spree: In his final splurge he
bet everything on the number 14.


--v. 2 Often, splurge on. squander or dissipate or waste or
burn (up) or throw away money (on), show off or flaunt one's
money, Slang blow everything (on): Victor splurged on toys for
the children.

spoil v. 1 ruin, destroy, wreck, queer, mess up, upset, demolish,
harm, damage, Colloq kill: You really spoiled everything by
telling Mum about my pet frog. Spare the rod and spoil the
child. 2 damage, mar, injure, harm, deface, disfigure, scar,
blemish: The painting was spoiled by some fanatic who slashed
it. 3 baby, mollycoddle, coddle, indulge, pamper, dote on,
spoonfeed, Rare cocker: Barbara really spoils her family
terribly by indulging their every whim. 4 turn, go off or bad,
curdle, moulder, decay, decompose, become addle(d), rot,
putrefy, mildew: The milk will spoil if not refrigerated. 5 be
spoiling for. itch (for or after), yearn (for), be eager (for),
be keen (for), look for, be bent on, be desirous of, crave, be
after: If you give Tom a drink he'll be spoiling for a fight.
Oh, I thought he was always spoiling for a fight.

--n. 6 spoils. loot, booty, plunder, pillage, prizes, pickings,
Slang swag, take, goods, boodle: The Nazis took the paintings
as spoils of war.


spoilsport
n. killjoy, damper, dog in the manger, Colloq wet blanket, US
party pooper: Some spoilsport tipped off Jane about her
surprise birthday party.


spoken adj. 1 oral, vocal, verbal, viva voce: My spoken commentary
was recorded for later broadcast. He has an excellent command of
spoken French. 2 spoken for. See speak, 13, above.


sponsor n. 1 backer, supporter, promoter, angel, patron, Maecenas,
subsidizer: Make a contribution and we will list you as a
sponsor of the games. 2 (radio or television) advertiser: The
American broadcasting catch-phrase 'A word from our sponsor' is
not to be taken literally.


--v. 3 back, support, promote, fund, patronize, subsidize,
finance, underwrite: Hughes agreed to sponsor a campaign to
clean up the environment.


spontaneous
adj. 1 unannounced, unpremeditated, unplanned, impromptu,
extemporaneous, extempore, unprepared, unrehearsed, offhand, ad
lib, spur-of-the-moment, Colloq off the cuff: Miss Malkin's
spontaneous speech could not have been better had it been
written out. 2 natural, unforced, unbidden, instinctive,
instinctual, unconscious, reflex, automatic, mechanical,
immediate, offhand, unguarded, unthinking, unwitting,
involuntary, impetuous, impulsive, Slang knee-jerk: How could
you doubt the sincerity of such an outburst of spontaneous
affection? My spontaneous reaction is to beg you not to take up
sky-diving.


sporadic adj. occasional, intermittent, random, irregular, uneven,
erratic, chance, unexpected; spasmodic(al), fitful,
periodic(al): There has been sporadic unrest in that area of
the city.


sport n. 1 recreation, diversion, pastime, amusement, entertainment,
play, distraction, relaxation, divertissement, pleasure,
enjoyment, fun: I fish for sport, not to earn a living. 2
jest, humour, fun, mockery: They often call him rude names, but
only in sport. 3 make sport of. tease, deride, make a
laughing-stock (of), (hold up to) ridicule, make a fool of: She
doesn't like it when you make sport of her husband.

--v. 4 frolic, gambol, cavort, romp, caper, play, frisk, lark,
rollick, skip about: These octogenarians are sporting about
like young foals. 5 show off, exhibit, flaunt, display, wear:
Keith arrived, sporting the latest in Italian footwear.

sportive adj. frisky, gambolling, cavorting, frolicking, romping,
capering, rollicking, sprightly, coltish, spirited, frolicsome,
buoyant, gamesome, gay, kittenish, merry, playful, gleeful,
light-hearted, blithe, prankish, waggish: He watched a sportive
group of children playing hide-and-seek.

sportsmanship
n. fair play, sportsmanliness, fairness, honourableness,
honesty, honour, probity, scrupulousness, integrity,
uprightness, justice, justness: Good sportsmanship requires
that the loser congratulate the winner.


sporty adj. informal, casual; stylish, chic, smart, trendy,
fashionable, modish, … la mode, up to date, showy, rakish,
Colloq swank(y), loud, Slang classy, swell, flashy, snazzy,
sharp, US and Canadian spiffy: He came to dinner wearing sporty
clothes. Yes, I suppose you might call Fred a sporty dresser.

spot n. 1 mark, patch, speck, blot, blotch, blemish, speckle, fleck,
particle, mote, macula, smudge, stain, stigma, discoloration,
Brit splodge or US also splotch: There's a spot of ink on your
shirt. 2 site, place, locale, location, locality, scene,
setting, section, area, neighbourhood, quarter: The Coopers
picked out a lovely spot to build their new house. 3 morsel,
bit, bite, Colloq smidgen or smidgin: Let's stop in here for a
spot of tea. 4 predicament, situation, quandary, mess: John
said he was in a bit of a spot, and needed to borrow œ20 until
the end of the week. 5 spots. eruptions, pimples, acne,
pustules, blackheads, comedos or comedones, whiteheads; boils,
blains, wens; pock-marks; Old-fashioned US and Canadian hickeys:
Teenagers often get spots.

--v. 6 see, catch sight of, glimpse, discern, identify, pick
out, distinguish, single out, detect, sight, recognize, make
out, descry: I think I spotted Molly in the crowd. 7 mark,
stain, fleck, speckle, spray, splash, spatter, bespatter, sully,
soil, dirty, taint, besmirch, smudge: The car's shiny new
paintwork was spotted with mud.

spotless adj. 1 immaculate, clean, gleaming, shiny, polished, unspotted,
spick and span: The floor is so spotless you could eat off it.
2 pure, unsullied, unassailable, flawless, faultless,
untarnished, blameless, irreproachable: Samantha has a spotless
reputation.


spotlight n. 1 arc light, searchlight, US pin spotlight, Colloq US (pin)
spot: I couldn't see the audience with the spotlight shining in
my eyes. 2 focus (of attention), limelight, public eye: How
does it feel to have been in the spotlight most of your life,
Miss Hallward?


--v. 3 light (up), illuminate, focus (light) upon or on, shine
or shed or throw or cast light upon or on, emphasize, highlight,
draw attention to, feature, give prominence to, stress,

accentuate, accent, point up, underscore, underline, point up:
The students held a sit-in to spotlight the cuts in their
grants.


spotty adj. 1 spotted, dotted, speckled, freckled, flecked, blotched,
blotchy, stained, marked, pied, piebald, brindle(d), skewbald,
mottled, motley, dapple(d), macular, foxed; soiled, dirty; Brit
splodgy, splodged or US also splotchy, splotched: Pages of some
old books are spotty with brown stains. 2 pimply, pimpled,
blotched, blotchy, acned, pock-marked, pocky, bad, Scots plouky
or plooky: Ian used to have a spotty complexion, but it's clear
now. 3 patchy, irregular, uneven, erratic, sporadic,
capricious, fitful: Radio reception in our area is spotty
during electrical storms.


spout v. 1 discharge, emit, squirt, spurt, jet, shoot, gush, erupt,
spew (up or out or forth), spit, eject, disgorge, vomit (up or
forth), pour (out or forth), flow, stream: Steam spouts from
many vents in Iceland. The water came spouting out of the hose
and drenched me. 2 ramble on, rant, rave, carry on, pontificate,
orate, declaim, hold forth, maunder (on), witter on, hold forth,
expatiate, speechify, talk, Colloq go on, Brit rabbit on:
Harry, as usual, was spouting about his golf handicap.


--n. 3 waterspout, gargoyle, downspout, duct, drain, outlet,
conduit: The rainwater drains into the gutters, then into the
spouts. 4 up the spout. gone, lost, destroyed, beyond hope or
recovery, to be written off or abandoned: Our dream of finding
the treasure was now up the spout.


sprawl v. 1 spread (out), stretch (out), straddle, ramble, meander,
wander, straggle, branch out: Greater Los Angeles sprawls over
a huge area of some 450 square miles. 2 spread out, stretch out,
loll, lounge, slouch, slump, recline, lie about or around: A
dozen guests were sprawled on blankets at the beach party.

--n. 3 spread, stretch, expansion, extension: Some suburbs of
large cities have been swallowed up in urban sprawl.


sprayฐ v. 1 sprinkle, spatter, scatter, shower, disperse, diffuse,
atomize, spread: Try to spray the insecticide evenly over the
plants.

--n. 2 shower, sprinkling, drizzle, mist, sprinkle, spindrift
or spoondrift: The strong wind carried the spray from the
whitecaps right up into the streets of the town. 3 atomizer,
sprayer, sprinkler, vaporizer, aerosol: Richard bought me a
cologne spray for Mother's Day.

spray n. flower or floral arrangement, nosegay, posy, bouquet, sprig,
branch, bough: The scores of tiny roses were interspersed with
sprays of baby's-breath.


spread v. 1 Often, spread out. diffuse, distribute, disperse,
disseminate, broadcast, sow, scatter, strew, shed, dispel,
dissipate: Spread the mulch as evenly as possible to a depth of
several inches. 2 Often, spread about or around. broadcast,
publicize, make known, bruit about, air, televise, circulate,
publish, distribute, disseminate, trumpet, announce, pronounce,
promulgate, advertise, enounce, make public, tell the world,
herald, repeat, recite: Start spreading the news: I'm leaving
today. 3 Often, spread out. unfold, draw out, display, stretch
out, open out, extend, lay out, fan out, unroll, unfurl: Please
spread the cloth on the table. 4 Often, spread out. stretch
(out), extend, protract, prolong, drag out, distribute,
disperse: The bank said I could spread the payments over twenty
years. 5 Often, spread out. stretch, extend, separate, put
apart or out, part: He spread his arms and Lorna rushed into
them. 6 grow, develop, increase, broaden, expand, extend,
widen, enlarge, mushroom, proliferate, sprawl, branch out;
metastasize: To meet the demand for the pies, bakeries began to
spread throughout the country. The cancer, unchecked, was bound
to spread. 7 smear, apply, smooth, put, rub, cover, layer,
plaster, plate, coat, wash, glaze, paint, varnish, overlay,
overspread; cloak, mantle, swaddle, wrap, blanket: I was
careful to spread the paint evenly, avoiding streaks. When the
cake has cooled, spread the chocolate icing over it.


--n. 8 spreading, extension, extending, expansion, expanding,
enlargement, enlarging, development, developing, increase,
increasing, proliferation, proliferating, broadening, growth,
widening, mushrooming, dispersion, dispersal, dispersing,
dissemination, disseminating, distribution, distributing,
dispensation, dispensing: The spread of the disease is
uncontrolled. One of the functions of a university is to
encourage the spread of knowledge. 9 extent, expanse, area,

span, sweep, vastness, stretch, reach, breadth, depth, size,
dimensions, compass, limits, bounds, boundary or boundaries: As
our craft accelerated past the moon, we were awed by the spread
of empty space that lay before us. 10 range, extent, scope,
span, difference: There was too much of a spread between the
cost and the selling price. 11 feast, banquet, meal, dinner,
repast, barbecue; table; Colloq feed: I have never seen a
spread like the one laid on for the returning champions. 12
butter, margarine, jam, jelly, preserve, conserve, confiture,
paste, US old-fashioned oleo: What kind of spread do you like
on your toast? 13 ranch, landholding, holding, property, place,
plantation, farm, homestead, place: His spread in Texas
eventually amounted to 10,000 acres. 14 bedspread, counterpane,
coverlet, bed-cover, cover, quilt, eiderdown, duvet, afghan, US
comforter, US and Canadian throw: Leave the spread off the bed,
Carlotta, as I want to take a nap.

spree n. frolic, romp, lark, outing, escapade, revel, wild party,
fling, debauch, orgy, bacchanalia; drinking-bout, carousal,
Colloq bender, binge, jag: Bruce has gone off on another of his
sprees.

sprightly adj. lively, chipper, spry, vivacious, cheerful, gay, brisk,
animated, sportive, active, alert, nimble, agile, energetic,
jaunty, perky, playful, spirited: She is quite sprightly for a
grandmother of 78.

spring v. 1 leap, bound, jump, hop, vault, dart, fly, bounce: He
sprang to his feet when she came into the room. When Tom came to
the stream, he sprang over it. The leprechaun sprang out from
behind a tree. 2 arise, appear, grow, come up, rise, come into
being or existence, be born, emerge, sprout, shoot up, burst
forth: Where the dragon's teeth were sown, an entire army
sprang up. 3 Often, spring up or from. originate, begin, start,
evolve; proceed from, stem from, descend from, derive from, come
from, develop from: He learned how the practice of scratching
the head in perplexity had sprung up. I wondered where the term
horse latitudes sprang from. 4 start or begin or experience or
cause to occur or appear or happen suddenly or unexpectedly,
broach, pop, introduce or divulge or reveal or disclose suddenly
or unexpectedly: The canoe sprang a leak and started to sink.
He likes to spring trick questions at candidates in an
interview. 5 spring for. pay for, treat (someone) to, assume the

expense(s) of: If you go to a place I choose, I'll spring for
dinner.

--n. 6 leap, bound, jump, hop, vault, bounce, skip: In one
spring the cat cleared the garden wall and was off. 7
bounciness, bounce, resiliency, resilience, springiness,
buoyancy, elasticity, sprightliness, airiness, flexibility:
Despite her age, there's still a lot of spring in her step. 8
source, fount, fountain-head, well-spring, well, origin,
beginning, root: From what secret spring does his understanding
arise? 9 springtime, Eastertide, Maytime: At 35, James is
still in the spring of life.

--adj. 10 vernal: We exulted in the spring sunshine.


sprout v. bud, germinate, come up, arise, begin, bloom, blossom,
flower: With this warm weather, everything in my garden is
beginning to sprout.


spruce adj. 1 neat, dapper, smart, trim, well turned out,
well-groomed, elegant, Colloq natty: Peter Thornton turned up
for dinner looking as spruce as can be.

--v. 2 spruce up. tidy (up), neaten (up), primp, clean (up),
straighten out or up, smarten (up), titivate or tittivate: Some
people are coming to dinner, so first spruce up your room and
then spruce yourself up.

spunk n. nerve, courage, pluck, spirit, gameness, resolve,
resolution, mettle, heart, grit, spunkiness, backbone, marrow,
Colloq guts, gumption, Brit bottle, US sand: Frances has shown
she has tremendous spunk to have got this far despite her
handicap.


spur n. 1 goad, prod, urging, impulse, incitement, instigation,
prompting, pressure, stimulus, stimulation, incentive,
provocation, inducement, encouragement, motive, motivation: The
company paid the workers a bonus for each piece they completed
as a spur to productivity. 2 projection, prong, spike, spine,
gaff, barb, quill, tine, barbel, barbule, process: The hook has
a spur that prevents the fish from disengaging. 3 on the spur
of the moment. impetuously, impulsively, unthinkingly,
unpremeditatedly, impromptu, on the spot; rashly, thoughtlessly,

recklessly, hastily, brashly, incautiously, unexpectedly,
suddenly: On the spur of the moment, we decided to fly to Cap
d'Antibes for the weekend.


--v. 4 goad, prod, urge, egg on, impel, incite, prompt, press,
push, pressure or Brit pressurize, stimulate, drive, provoke,
induce, encourage, motivate, excite, animate: The sales force
are spurred on by the huge bonuses the company offers.


spurious adj. false, counterfeit, sham, fake, fraudulent, bogus, mock,
imitation, simulated, unauthentic, ungenuine, forged, feigned,
pretended, deceitful, meretricious, contrived, factitious,
artificial, ersatz, synthetic, Colloq pseudo, phoney or US also
phony: His brother was jailed for peddling spurious Egyptian
burial artefacts to archaeologists.

spurn v. reject, disdain, scorn, contemn, despise, rebuff, repudiate,
refuse, sneer at, snub, brush off, turn down, turn one's back on
or upon, look down on or upon, Colloq cold-shoulder, turn one's
nose up at, sneeze at: Judith spurned her father's offer of a
loan.

spurt n. 1 burst, access, effort, outbreak, spell, interval, spate,
moment, instant: With a sudden spurt of speed he caught up with
me. 2 increase, advance, acceleration, rise, improvement:
After a brief spurt in business in January, everything stopped.

--v. 3 gush, spew, squirt, jet, shoot, erupt, burst, surge:
The minute the plumber left, water began spurting out of the
drain again.

spy n. 1 double agent, foreign agent, secret(-service) agent,
intelligence agent, undercover agent, mole, fifth-columnist, CIA
man or woman or agent, MI5 or MI6 man or woman or agent;
informer, informant, Colloq mole, Slang stool-pigeon, stoolie,
fink, ratfink: In those days, everyone was a spy and you could
trust no one.

--v. 2 Usually, spy on or upon. follow, shadow, trail, watch,
observe, reconnoitre, keep under surveillance, US surveil,
Colloq tail, check out, case: Why should anyone from a foreign
government be spying on my mother? 3 espy, glimpse, spot, catch
sight or a glimpse of, descry, note, notice, see, discern: I

spied him getting into a yellow convertible.

spying n. espionage, undercover work, secret service; detection,
intelligence, surveillance: Virtually every government engages
in spying.

19.12 squad...
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squad n. unit, team, band, company, crew, force, troop, cadre, gang,
section, group, squadron, platoon, party: They decided to call
in the drugs squad. Has the work squad returned to base yet?


square adj. 1 equilateral, quadrangular, rectangular, right-angled,
quadrilateral, four-sided, cubic, cubed, six-sided, boxy: She
bought a work of art consisting of three square pieces of red
plastic on a mauve ground. He keeps trying to put square pegs
into round holes. 2 equal, on a par, even, on equal terms,
settled, balanced: With this payment, our accounts are now all
square. 3 even, true, exact, straight, accurate, precise,
correct: Make sure that the corners are perfectly square. 4
honourable, upright, honest, straightforward, fair (and square),
decent, ethical, open, (open and) above-board, right, (right
and) proper, clean, just, equitable, Colloq on the level, on the
up and up: I have never had anything but square dealings with
Fred Latham. 5 healthful, healthy, nutritious, substantial,
solid, full, generous, satisfying, filling, unstinting: You
could always count on three square meals a day when staying at
Auntie Maisie's. 6 na‹ve, innocent; bourgeois, conservative,
conventional, unsophisticated, provincial, old-fashioned,
conformist, strait-laced, unimaginative, predictable, Colloq
antediluvian, uptight, out of it, not with it, not in the know,
not hip or hep, unhip, stuffy, behind the times, straight, US
L-7: We were at the age when anyone over 25 was considered
square.

--n. 7 rectilinear figure, rectangle; cube, block: He took a
square of wood and quickly carved it into the shape of a duck. 8
plaza, piazza, place, park, (village) green, market-place,
market (square), agora, quadrangle: We like to sit on the
benches in the square outside my house and chat with the
neighbours. 9 bourgeois, conservative, conformist,

traditionalist, (old) fogy or fogey, die-hard; outsider; Colloq
stuffed shirt, fuddy-duddy, US longhair, L-7, Slang US nerd,
dweeb: My parents did not understand me - they were real old
squares.


--v. 10 stiffen, throw back, straighten (up), tense: I squared
my shoulders and prepared for the worst. 11 Usually, square
with. meet, match (with), conform to or with, obey, correspond
to or with, tally with, accord with, agree with, reconcile with
or to: These activities do not square with the plans set out by
the directors. 12 adapt, adjust, change, modify, harmonize,
accommodate, arrange, comply with, fit: Ronald was unable to
square his beliefs with what they were teaching him at the
seminary. 13 settle, arrange, come to terms, patch up, clear up,
satisfy, fix: Don't worry about the customs officials - I'll
square it with them later on.

squawk v. 1 cackle, screech, shriek, yell, yowl, whoop, hoot, scream,
call, cry: The parrot kept squawking 'Where is the treasure?
Where is the treasure?' 2 complain, grumble, whine, grouse,
protest, object, (make a) fuss, yap, yowl, Slang bellyache,
bitch, kick, beef, gripe, kick up a fuss: Oh, stop squawking
and get on with your work!


--n. 3 complaint, grouse, grumble, protest, Colloq kick, beef,
gripe: If you have a squawk, take it up with the sergeant.

squeamish adj. 1 dainty, delicate, prudish, punctilious, demanding,
critical, exacting, difficult, fussy, scrupulous, fastidious,
meticulous, painstaking, finicky or finical, Colloq persnickety
or pernickety, fuddy-duddy: The museum directors were too
squeamish to put on an exhibition of nudes. 2 nauseous,
qualmish, easily disgusted or revolted or nauseated: Sam was
too squeamish to watch open-heart surgery on the TV.


squeeze v. 1 press, compress, compact, crush, squash, wring, pinch,
nip, grip, tweak: Each morning Anne squeezes an orange to make
fresh juice for Edgar. Everyone knows that squeezing the nose
between the thumb and forefinger means that something smells. 2
extract, wrest, exact, extort, milk, wrench, pry (out), tear,
Colloq bleed: It is doubtful that they will be able to squeeze
a contribution out of old Scrooge. 3 milk, Colloq shake down,
bleed, lean on, put the screws to, put the squeeze on, twist

(someone's) arm, US put the arm on: You'll have to squeeze
Fletcher if you want to get paid. 4 ram, jam, pack, stuff,
cram, crowd, force, press, wedge: We were squeezed into the
train so tightly that I could hardly breathe. 5 clasp, clench,
embrace, hug, hold, enfold, fold, clutch, Archaic clip: She
squeezed him close as they bade goodbye. 6 squeeze through or
by. get through or by, pass, (barely) succeed, Colloq squeak
through or by, (barely) make it: He managed to squeeze through
the exam with a pass mark, but it was touch-and-go.


--n. 7 clasp, embrace, hug, clutch, Colloq clinch: She gave me
a little squeeze to signal her affection. 8 pressure: I was
beginning to feel the squeeze between inflation and high
interest rates. 9 crush, jam, crowd, squash, press: There was
such a squeeze of people at the sale that I couldn't get in. 10
girlfriend, mistress, sweetheart, Colloq sweetie, Slang moll,
broad, Archaic doxy: Willie showed up with his current squeeze.
11 put the squeeze on. press, bring pressure to bear on, urge,
influence, Brit pressurize, US pressure: The bank was beginning
to put the squeeze on me to repay my overdraft.

squelch v. 1 suppress, subdue, put down, quell, quash, defeat,
overcome, outdo, humiliate, Colloq shoot or slap down, take down
a peg (or two), take the wind out of (someone's) sails, settle
(someone's) hash: The slightest sign of disapproval from No‰l
was enough to squelch the most arrogant toady.

--n. 2 riposte, retort, comeback, quip, sally, gibe or jibe,
barb, Colloq wisecrack, put-down: One of the best squelches was
when Oscar Wilde said, referring to a bon mot, 'I wish I'd said
that', to which Whistler said, 'You will, Oscar. You will.'

squire v. 1 escort, accompany, conduct, go with, take; convoy: Who
will squire my sisters to the prince's ball?


--n. 2 esquire, gentleman, landowner, landholder, landed
proprietor: The old squire held his head high among the county
aristocracy.


squirm v. wriggle, writhe, twist, flounder, shift, fidget, be (very)
uncomfortable, agonize, Colloq sweat: The boy squirmed under
the stern gaze of the headmaster.

19.13 stab...
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stab v. 1 stick, puncture, prick, lance, jab, pierce, run through,
impale, gore, transfix, knife, bayonet, skewer, spike, spit,
spear, pin; plunge, poke, thrust: In the melee, George was
stabbed in the arm. It is said that she stabbed a fork into his
hand. 2 stab in the back. harm, betray, sell out, double-cross,
give the Judas kiss, play false with: As soon as he had left,
they stabbed him in the back by phoning the authorities.

--n. 3 puncture, jab, thrust, (stab-)wound: The coroner's
office reported that the body had six stabs in the abdomen. 4
attempt, try, essay; guess, conjecture: Even if you are wrong,
you lose nothing by making a stab at the right answer. 5 pang,
twinge, pain, ache, hurt, stitch: Doctor, I get a terrible stab
of pain in my side when I turn that way. 6 stab in the back.
treachery, betrayal, double-cross, Judas kiss, kiss of death,
duplicity: Informing on someone to the tax inspector is a
really nasty stab in the back.

stability n. 1 steadiness, solidity, firmness, soundness, sturdiness,
strength: These flimsy structures are not known for their
stability. 2 steadfastness, constancy, dependability,
reliability, tenacity, resolve, resoluteness, perseverance,
determination, persistence, durability, lasting quality,
solidity, permanence: The stability of the government was in
doubt as the crisis continued.


stable adj. 1 steady, solid, firm, sound, sturdy, strong, durable,
well-founded, fast, sure, established, deep-rooted, stout: The
building is designed to remain stable even in a severe
earthquake. 2 lasting, enduring, long-lasting, long-standing,
secure, steadfast, steady, strong, unchanging, unchanged,
unchangeable, unalterable, fixed, invariable, unwavering,
immutable, permanent: A stable relationship has existed between
our countries for generations. The relationship you and I enjoy
has remained stable all our lives. 3 sane, (well-)balanced,
responsible, reasonable, sensible, competent, accountable: He
seemed a nice, stable young man, and nobody would have guessed
that he had a drugs habit.

stack n. 1 pile, heap, mound, mass, accumulation, hill, mountain,
store, stock, bank, deposit, supply, stockpile, hoard, load,
bundle, bale, Colloq US and Canadian stash: This stack of paper
ought to be enough to last through the next printing. 2
haystack, cock, haycock, rick, rickle, hayrick, Brit clamp: The
stacks were covered with a tarpaulin before it started to rain.
3 collection, aggregation, accumulation, agglomeration,
amassment, mass, load, pack, amount, abundance, plenty,
profusion, volume, array, sea, throng, multitude, swarm, host,
number, quantity, pile-up: We have a huge stack of orders to
process this morning. 4 smokestack, chimney, chimney-stack,
funnel; Building soil stack: They built the stack very tall to
carry the fumes away from the town below. 5 blow one's stack.
anger, become angry, become furious or infuriated, rage, rant,
lose one's temper, Slang blow or lose one's cool, get hot under
the collar, blow one's top: The boss will blow his stack if we
miss the deadline.

--v. 6 Often, stack up. pile (up), heap, accumulate, amass,
store, stock, stockpile, hoard, collect, aggregate, agglomerate,
Colloq stash (away), squirrel away: Stack those boxes neatly in
the corner. Has he stacked up enough points to qualify? 7 stack
up. a make sense, add up, agree, jibe, be verifiable, Colloq
check out: The ledgers don't stack up with the cheque-book. The
two sets of figures simply don't stack up. b compare, measure
up, hold a candle to, be on a par (with), be as good as: He
could never stack up to Olivier.

stadium n. arena, ground, amphitheatre, hippodrome, coliseum or
colosseum, circus: The new football stadium can accommodate
60,000 spectators.

staff n. 1 stick, pole, standard, baton, rod, pikestaff, pike, stake,
cane, stave, shaft, alpenstock, shillelagh, club, truncheon,
mace, crook, crozier, sceptre, wand, caduceus: Carrying the
ceremonial staff and dressed in full regalia, the officer
impressively opened the royal court proceedings. 2 personnel,
employees, help, workforce, crew, team, organization: Before we
introduced computers, we had a staff of fifty doing nothing but
filing.

stage n. 1 position, situation, grade, level, stratum, tier, echelon,
step, station, place, point, spot, juncture, division, phase,

lap; status, condition: We have to reach the third stage before
going on to the fourth. 2 platform, dais, podium; rostrum:
After the performance, the audience threw flowers onto the
stage. 3 the stage. show business, the theatre, the boards, the
footlights, Broadway, Chiefly Brit the West End; acting,
Thespianism; Colloq showbiz: That first burst of applause
decided her to make the stage her career.

--v. 4 put on, produce, present, mount, exhibit: If we can't
get the theatre, why don't we stage the show in Mr Kimble's
barn? 5 put on, contrive, organize, originate, devise, make up,
concoct, fake, trump up, stage-manage, manipulate, manoeuvre:
It seems that the enthusiastic reception given his wife had been
staged solely for his benefit.


stagger v. 1 totter, reel, lurch, teeter, sway, walk unsteadily or
shakily, pitch, rock, wobble: When he staggered in, they
thought he was drunk till they saw the knife in his back. I was
already staggering under the burden of a heavy mortgage and
three children and two elderly parents to care for. 2 surprise,
amaze, astound, astonish, overwhelm, overcome, dumbfound or
dumfound, shock, stupefy, stun, nonplus, floor, confound,
bewilder, startle, jolt, shake (up), take one's breath away,
make one's head swim, take (someone) aback, throw (someone) off
balance, tax, burden, Colloq flabbergast, flummox, bowl over,
Slang blow (someone's) mind: The cost of cleaning up the oil
spill will be staggering. He was staggered by her announcement.
3 alternate, space (out), vary, rearrange, zigzag, US change
off: Working hours will be staggered during the holiday period.
We could strengthen the structure by staggering the positions of
the columns.

stagnant adj. motionless, standing, still, quiet, sluggish, unmoving,
immobile, flat; stale, foul, putrid, putrescent, putrefied,
polluted, dirty, contaminated, filthy: The malarial mosquitoes
thrive in pools of stagnant water in the tropical swamps.

stagnate v. languish, idle, vegetate, deteriorate, degenerate, decline,
go to seed or pot, decay, rust, moulder, decompose, spoil, rot:
He felt he had stagnated in a backwater of civilization for far
too long.

staid adj. sedate, rigid, stiff, prim, dignified, sober, calm,

composed, quiet, restrained, solemn, serious, serious-minded,
grave, sober-sided: One expects a judge to be rather staid in
his behaviour.


stain n. 1 blot, mark, spot, discoloration, blotch, smutch, smirch,
speck, Brit splodge or US also splotch: There's a stain on your
tie. 2 mark, blot (on the escutcheon), stigma, blemish, Brit
blot on one's copybook, Colloq US black eye: His cowardice in
battle was a permanent stain on his reputation. 3 dye, colour,
colouring, tint, tinge, pigment: An indigo stain was used to
bring up certain features in microscopy.

--v. 4 blot, mark, spot, discolour, blotch, speckle, dye,
spatter, splatter, tinge, smudge, smutch, splash: The
tablecloth was stained red from the spilt wine. 5 spoil,
defile, ruin, smirch, besmirch, taint, tarnish, stigmatize,
shame, disgrace, sully, contaminate, soil, corrupt: Her reign
was stained with the blood of the thousands she had tortured and
executed.


stakeฐ n. 1 stick, post, spike, picket, paling, pale, pole, pike,
stave; palisade, pole, upright, pillar, column: They tied the
goat to a stake and hid, waiting for the tiger to catch the
scent. 2 pull up stakes. move (house), resettle, move on,
migrate, emigrate, leave, depart: It was time to pull up stakes
and find a new camp-site.

--v. 3 tether, tie (up), secure, fasten, picket, lash, leash,
hitch, chain: The ponies were staked out in the pasture. 4
Usually, stake out. (a fence (in or off), confine, pen, enclose,
close in or off, hem in, shut in, impound, enclose, cage, wall
in: We hired a man to stake out a large enough area to keep the
horses. b mark off or out, define, delimit, outline, demarcate,
delineate, circumscribe: The pioneers had already staked out
the land they planned to cultivate.

stake n. 1 bet, wager, ante, risk, hazard: If you want to make the
game interesting, you'll have to raise the stakes. 2 investment,
interest, share, involvement, concern: Myra has a considerable
stake in the outcome of the shareholders' meeting. 3 at stake.
at hazard, hazarded, at risk, risked, on the table, in jeopardy,
jeopardized, concerned, involved: Don't take the matter
lightly, as Tom's reputation is at stake.


--v. 4 risk, jeopardize, venture, put (money) on, chance,
hazard, gamble, wager, bet: I had staked my last penny on that
gold-mine.


stale adj. 1 old, past its prime, unfresh, dry, dried-out, hardened,
limp, wilted, withered, flat, sour, turned, (gone) off, mouldy,
musty, spoiled, rotten: All the food is stale because you
failed to wrap it carefully. 2 old, banal, overused,
antiquated, old-fashioned, threadbare, trite, clich‚d,
unoriginal, hackneyed, stereotyped, tired, weary, boring,
tiresome, warmed-over, shop-worn, familiar, stock, well-known,
Colloq hand-me-down, Brit reach-me-down: These comedians come
up with the same old stale jokes year after year.


stalemate n. impasse, deadlock, stand-off, standstill, (dead or full)
stop, tie; check, checkmate, mate; US Mexican stand-off: As
both parties refused to back down, the situation was a
stalemate.


stalkฐ v. follow, dog, haunt, shadow, trail, track (down), hunt
(down), pursue, hound, chase, Colloq tail: The leopard stalked
its prey in complete silence.


stalk n. stem, trunk, cane, main axis, leaf-stalk, shaft, spike: The
leaves cluster at the very top, leaving the entire stalk of the
plant bare.

stallฐ v. 1 stop, halt, die, quit, shut down, fail, cease operating,
come to a standstill, Colloq conk out: My car stalled in the
middle of rush-hour traffic - isn't that typical?

--n. 2 compartment, stand, booth, cubicle, alcove, section,
space, area, slot, enclosure, quarters; counter, table: Several
antiques dealers had hired stalls in the market. 3 shed, pen,
cote, fold, coop, sty, corral, enclosure, cowshed, barn, stable:
The animals belong in their stalls at night.

stall v. 1 delay, dawdle, dilly-dally, dally, loiter, linger,
temporize, equivocate, hesitate, prevaricate, play for time,
waste time, stonewall, be obstructive, put (someone or
something) off; vacillate, dither, hedge, procrastinate; Brit
haver, Colloq beat about the bush, drag one's feet, give

(someone) the run-around: He managed to stall for a while
before handing over the money.

--n. 2 stalling, delay, hedge, hedging, pretext, subterfuge,
wile, trick, ruse, artifice, stratagem, manoeuvre, move,
stonewalling, obstructionism, playing for time, procrastination,
procrastinating, Colloq beating about the bush, run-around,
foot-dragging: Her claim that she was dressing was nothing but
a stall to give her time to hide the pistol.


stalwart adj. 1 robust, stout, strong, mighty, powerful, rugged,
staunch, hardy, sturdy, vigorous, lusty, indomitable, solid,
able-bodied, brawny, sinewy, muscular, fit, healthy, hale, (hale
and) hearty, Colloq husky, hefty, beefy: We shall need a dozen
stalwart men to carry out the raid. 2 redoubtable, intrepid,
undaunted, resolute, firm, determined, unbending, steadfast,
tenacious, unswerving, unwavering, unfaltering, unflinching,
uncompromising, unyielding, persevering, persistent, unflagging,
relentless, tireless, untiring, indefatigable: Although they
lost, their lawyers put up a stalwart defence. 3 brave,
courageous, daring, intrepid, valiant, heroic, manly, manful,
fearless, indomitable, stout-hearted, bold, audacious, game,
red-blooded, plucky, mettlesome, lion-hearted, spirited: These
stalwart knights met at dawn on the battlefield.


--n. 4 supporter, upholder, sustainer, partisan, loyalist,
(party) faithful, trouper, hero, heroine: And most of all I
want to thank those stalwarts who have supported me throughout
this victorious campaign.


stamina n. ruggedness, vigour, vigorousness, (intestinal) fortitude,
robustness, indefatigability, staying power, endurance, energy,
power, might, mettle, (inner) strength, staunchness,
stalwartness, courage, indomitability, Colloq grit, guts,
starch, US stick-to-it-iveness, sand, Taboo slang balls: Even
at the age of 70, she still had the stamina to run in the
marathon.

stammer v. 1 stutter, hesitate, hem and haw, stumble, falter, pause,
Brit hum and haw: Is he stammering from embarrassment or
because he has a speech defect?

--n. 2 stutter: Many young people who have a stammer lose it

when they get out of their teens.

stamp v. 1 trample, bring down one's foot; tread, step, tramp; Colloq
stomp (on): He flew into a rage and stamped on the floor, like
a petulant child. 2 impress, mark, imprint, print, record,
document, register, log; engrave, emboss, inscribe; sign,
initial: That last night in Rio is stamped forever in my
memory. Their passports were stamped at the frontier. 3 brand,
label, mark, tag, term, name, style, identify, categorize,
classify, characterize, designate, denominate, show to be: The
episode on Friday stamped him as someone not to be trifled with.
4 stamp out. eliminate, eradicate, abolish, get rid of,
annihilate, exterminate, kill, snuff out, terminate, end, put an
end to, destroy, put down, put out, extinguish, extirpate;
quell, subdue, suppress, squelch, repress: Something must be
done to stamp out the drug traffic.

--n. 5 mark, sign, hallmark, earmarks, traits, features,
characteristics: Her work bears the stamp of genius. 6 die,
block, punch, seal, matrix, plate, die-stamp, stereotype, mould;
signet(-ring): The stamps for the binding are not quite ready.
7 seal, (trade or service) mark, brand, logo, logotype, symbol,
representation, colophon, imprint, emblem, insigne (singular of
insignia), label, monogram, sign, crest, coat of arms,
escutcheon, cartouche, signature, initials: As it bears his
stamp, it must belong to him. 8 character, kind, sort, make,
fashion, type, cast, mould, grade, style, cut, genre, class,
level, kidney, feather, stripe, classification, species, genus,
variety, description: Men of Randolph's stamp are hard to find
amongst gentlemen and scholars alike.

stampede n. 1 rout, flight, scattering, panic, rush, dash: When the
store opened its doors for its annual sale, we were nearly
trampled in the stampede.


--v. 2 panic, frighten, rush, scatter, rout: Millions of
buffalo were killed by stampeding them off cliffs. 3 rush, run,
race, charge, take to one's heels, flee, take flight: At the
cry of 'Fire!', the audience stampeded for the exits.


stance n. carriage, bearing, deportment; position, posture, attitude,
standpoint, stand, viewpoint, point of view: Legs apart and
arms akimbo, she assumed a defiant stance at the door. Her

stance was that she must protect the children at all costs.

stanch v. staunch, stop, stem, halt, check, arrest, stay, end, cease;
prevent: Apply pressure with a pad to stanch the flow of blood
from the wound.

stand v. 1 rise, arise, get up, Brit be upstanding: We all stood
when the master of ceremonies proposed a toast to McArthur. 2
Sometimes, stand up. a set, place (upright), position, put,
move; up-end: Please stand the cabinet in the corner. b stay,
remain (standing): Just for that you can go and stand in the
corner! 3 endure, survive, tolerate, brook, countenance, face,
confront, last through, abide, allow, accept, take, suffer,
bear, withstand, undergo, experience, cope with, brave, stand or
bear up under, stand for, withstand, stomach, weather, handle,
Colloq put up with: I could not stand another year in the
tropics. She can stand neither hypocrites nor vanilla ice-cream.
4 continue, remain, persist, be or remain in effect or in force,
prevail, obtain, apply, exist: The law will stand as it is till
it is rescinded or modified by the court. 5 stand by. a
support, defend, back, stand or stick up for, stand behind, be
or remain loyal or faithful to, uphold, take the side of, side
with, sympathize with, US go to bat for: No matter what he did,
she always stood by him. b wait (in the wings), stand or wait
or stay or remain on the sidelines, be or stand ready or
available or accessible, be or stand in readiness: Would you
mind standing by in case we need your help? c stick to, adhere
to, support, maintain, persist in, affirm, reaffirm, confirm,
abide by: We shall stand by every word of the agreement. 6
stand down. resign, quit, step aside, withdraw: When it was
revealed that she was taking steroids, she agreed to stand down
from the team. 7 stand for. a symbolize, betoken, represent,
signify, mean, be emblematic of, exemplify, epitomize,
illustrate, typify, refer to, allude to: The initials in P. G.
Wodehouse's name stand for 'Pelham Grenville'. b support,
advocate, favour, sponsor, promote, espouse (the cause of),
subscribe to, back, champion, lend support or one's name to,
second: Norma has always stood for the principles of democratic
freedom. c campaign for, be or present (oneself) as a candidate
for, US stump for, run for: Who will stand for chairman this
year? d See 3, above. 8 stand in. substitute (for), understudy
(for), replace, relieve, double for, take the place of, US and
Canadian pinch-hit (for), Colloq cover for: If you can't get to

the rehearsal, I'll stand in for you. 9 stand out. a be
prominent or conspicuous or noticeable, be notable or
noteworthy: With her green spike hairdo and a safety pin
through her cheek, Kylie really stands out in a crowd. His
farewell speech stands out in my mind as one of his best. b
protrude, project, stick out, jut out, bulge, obtrude, beetle,
overhang, extend: The balcony stands out over the village
square. 10 stand up. a stand, rise, arise, get to one's feet,
get up: The boys had been taught to stand up when a woman
entered the room. b endure, last, wear (well), survive: Today's
products, with their built-in obsolescence, don't stand up to
long use. c jilt, break or fail to keep an appointment with:
After waiting for two hours, he realized that he had been stood
up. 11 stand up for. support, defend, take the side of, side
with, champion, uphold, Colloq stick up for: I shall never
forget how you stood up for me when they accused me of cheating.
12 stand up to. a confront, brave, challenge, encounter,
dispute, question, resist, defy, withstand: He's a coward when
it comes to standing up to authority. b resist, defy,
withstand, endure, outlast, last through, suffer: This material
will stand up to years of abuse.

--n. 13 position, attitude, stance, posture, policy,
philosophy, point of view, viewpoint, standpoint, belief,
opinion, sentiment, feeling, line: I disagree completely with
the Chancellor's stand on the economy. 14 defence, resistance,
effort: This campaign will be our last stand in trying to
retrieve some of the market we lost. 15 stop, stopover, halt,
stay; performance, show: We do some one-night stands in the
country before returning to Manchester. 16 counter, booth,
stall, table; wagon or Brit waggon, barrow, cart: He sells
fruit from a stand in the street. 17 rack, frame, bracket;
hatstand, coat-rack: This stand is for displaying a china
plate. I left my hat on the stand in your office. 18 staging,
platform, dais, stage, staging, bandstand, summer-house: We
like to go to the stand in the park to hear the band play. 19
copse, grove, wood, thicket, brake, wood, Brit spinney, coppice:
Near the house was a small stand of beeches.


standard n. 1 criterion, measure, benchmark, model, pattern, archetype,
touchstone, yardstick, gauge, guide, guideline, paradigm,
paragon, exemplar, example, sample, type, ideal, beau id‚al,
rule, canon, law, requirement, precept, principle: The metric

system has become the standard in many countries. People resent
having imposed on them the standards of another culture. 2 mean,
average, norm, par, level, rating: With many luxuries now
necessities, the standard of living has improved enormously. The
course was for students of intermediate standard. 3 flag,
banner, ensign, emblem, pennant, burgee, insigne (singular of
insignia), guidon, gonfalon or gonfanon, labarum: The black
knight bore a curiously coloured standard into battle. 4 pole,
post, stanchion, lamppost, column, pillar, support, pedestal,
pier, footing, (upright) bar or rod or timber: The car went out
of control and knocked down two lighting standards.

--adj. 5 accepted, approved, definitive, defined,
authoritative, official, required, regulative, regulatory,
textbook: Must we follow standard procedure? The tests were
conducted according to the standard methods. 6 recognized,
prevailing, prevalent, usual, customary, habitual, orthodox,
set, established, regular, familiar, ordinary, traditional,
classic, stock, typical, normal, staple, conventional,
universal: People in the south usually regard themselves as
speakers of standard English.

standardize
v. regiment, systematize, codify, normalize, homogenize: We
could save money if we standardized the dimensions of the books
we publish.

stand-by n. 1 supporter, defender, backer, upholder, partisan,
sympathizer, adherent, stalwart: His mother had always been his
stand-by against the severity of his father. 2 substitute,
surrogate, replacement, backup, understudy, second, US and
Canadian alternate: They had a second ambulance as a stand-by
in case the first broke down or needed servicing. 3 resource,
support, replacement: I knew I could always count on you as a
stand-by in case I had trouble.

stand-in n. double, substitute, stunt man or woman; surrogate,
replacement, stand-by, backup, understudy, second, US and
Canadian alternate: Any time they had to shoot a dangerous
scene, my stand-in went through the motions.

standing adj. 1 established, set, standard, conventional, customary,
usual, normal, regular, fixed, permanent, continued, continuing,

regular: The club has standing rules concerning use of the
card-room. 2 stagnant, motionless, unmoving, stationary, still,
static: Insects bred in the standing pools of rainwater. 3
continuous, fixed, ongoing, perpetual, unbroken: Michael placed
a standing order for six cases of Beaujolais Nouveau every
November. 4 erect, upright, on one's feet, vertical, unseated:
Please remain standing till the signal is given to be seated.

--n. 5 status, rank, station, position, place, grade, order,
level, stratum: Considering her standing in the party, Mrs
Miller ought to win the nomination easily. 6 eminence,
prominence, repute, reputation: Foster is a surgeon of
considerable standing. 7 Usually, long standing. (considerable)
age or longevity or experience or seniority or duration: Ivan
is an art expert of long standing.

standoffish
adj. aloof, haughty, unsocial, reserved, cool, frosty,
withdrawn, remote, removed, distant, detached, unapproachable,
inaccessible, uncongenial, unfriendly, unsociable; Olympian,
lordly, pompous, Colloq highfalutin or hifalutin, snooty:
Oliver is much too standoffish to deign to come to my party.

standpoint
n. viewpoint, point of view, vantage point, perspective,
position, angle, view: From the standpoint of mice, cats do not
make good pets.

standstill
n. (dead or full) stop, halt: The car came to a standstill
with the front wheels overhanging a cliff.

staple adj. 1 basic, elementary, essential, necessary, requisite,
required, vital, indispensable, critical, fundamental, primary,
principal, main, chief: These people cannot afford even staple
commodities like flour and salt. 2 standard, usual, habitual,
ordinary, customary, prevailing, normal, conventional,
universal: The staple fare on television seems to consist of
old and new sitcoms.


--n. 3 Often, staples. necessities, essentials, basics,
fundamentals: Supermarkets disperse low-cost staples such as
bread, tea, and milk to force shoppers to pass luxury items.

Marital and financial problems are the staples of soap operas.

star n. 1 celestial or heavenly body; evening star, morning star,
falling star, shooting star, comet; nova, supernova: It was a
beautiful clear night and the sky was full of stars. 2
celebrity, personage, dignitary, VIP, name, somebody, luminary,
leading light, leading man or woman or lady, lead, principal,
diva, prima donna, hero, heroine, idol, superstar, Technical
slang top banana, headliner, Colloq big shot, (big) draw, celeb,
big name: Clancy knows many of the big stars personally.

--adj. 3 principal, major, leading, important, celebrated,
famous, famed, prominent, eminent, pre-eminent, distinguished,
brilliant, illustrious, unequalled, peerless, matchless,
incomparable, unrivalled, inimitable, unmatched, unparalleled,
top, foremost: A new local rock band was the star attraction at
the Hippodrome.

--v. 4 feature or be featured; play or act or take the lead or
the leading part or role: He began his career starring in
spaghetti westerns.

stare v. 1 gaze, gape, goggle, gawk, watch, Colloq rubberneck, Slang
Brit gawp: The people were powerless to do anything but stare
as the molten lava engulfed the city.

--n. 2 fixed or blank look; goggle, gaze: The teacher fixed
her with a stare and she blushed with guilt.


stark adv. 1 completely, utterly, unqualifiedly, wholly, absolutely,
entirely, totally, fully, altogether, plainly, obviously,
clearly, certifiably: Is that an elephant on the beach, or am I
going stark staring mad? The children were running around stark
naked.


--adj. 2 plain, simple, Spartan, severe, unembellished,
unadorned, cold, bare, harsh, hard, grim, bald, blunt: The room
looks less stark with curtains. Just give me the stark facts
without all the elaboration. 3 harsh, severe, bleak, austere,
barren, desolate, dreary, grey, depressing, ravaged, empty,
vacant, Literary drear, Colloq US spooky: As day dawned, I
looked out over the stark landscape of the nuclear winter. 4
sheer, complete, utter, absolute, perfect, pure, thorough,

thoroughgoing, arrant, unmitigated, out-and-out, downright,
outright, total, unconditional, unqualified, clear, plain,
evident, obvious, patent, flagrant, gross, rank: They were
shocked by the stark poverty they saw in the rural areas.


start v. 1 Often, start off or up. begin, commence, get (something)
going, get off the ground, originate, initiate, open, set in
motion, activate, embark on; set in motion, turn or switch on,
crank up, Colloq kick off: They started operations at once. I
can't start my car. 2 Often, start off or up or in. arise, come
up, come to be or into being, emerge, crop up, develop, begin,
commence, get under way, originate: How did this situation
start? 3 Often, start off or up or in. go, leave, depart, get
going, move (off or out or on), get under way, set off or out or
forth, Colloq hit the road, get the show on the road: You start
and I'll follow shortly. 4 Often, start in. begin, commence,
get or start the ball rolling, get things under way, be on one's
way, get going: When I went in I found that she had started
without me. 5 jump, flinch, blench, quail, shy, recoil, wince,
shrink, draw back: He started when he saw her suddenly behind
him in the mirror. 6 cause to spring or leap or dart or jump or
bound: Any abrupt movement will start the plovers from cover.
7 establish, found, begin, set up, initiate, institute, create,
father, give birth to, beget: It was her ideas that started the
current trend in mystery novels. 8 bulge, protrude, stick out;
Colloq US bug out: Warping caused these boards to start from
the floor. When he saw what was in his swimming-pool, his eyes
started from their sockets.


--n. 9 beginning, opening, move: This is not very good, but
it's a start. 10 beginning, commencement, opening, outset,
onset, inception, start-up: The start of the race is set for
ten o'clock. 11 beginning(s), inception, birth, initiation,
onset, rise, genesis, creation, emergence, origin: The start of
the blues can be traced to New Orleans. 12 opportunity, chance,
beginning; help, assistance, aid, backing, financing,
sponsorship, encouragement, Colloq break: Her father-in-law
gave her the start she needed in business. 13 head start,
advantage, edge, lead, Colloq (the) jump, US and New Zealand
drop (on someone): Having the inside track gave her a start on
the competition. If he has a ten-minute start, we'll never catch
him. 14 inauguration, opening, beginning, initiation, Colloq
kick-off: When is the start of the salmon fishing season this

year? 15 beginning(s), founding, foundation, establishment,
inception, birth, origin: This company had its start in 1781.

startle v. frighten, surprise, scare, disturb, unsettle, upset,
discompose, make (someone) jump, jolt, jar, dismay, perturb,
stun, take (someone) aback, shock, astound, astonish, Colloq
shake up, give (someone) a turn, US discombobulate: He jumped
out from behind the door and startled me. She was startled when
she was told that she had to leave at once.


startling adj. shocking, terrifying, frightening, astounding,
astonishing, awesome, staggering, jarring, disturbing,
unsettling, upsetting, amazing, surprising: Monica fainted when
told the startling news.


starved adj. 1 starving, (extremely) hungry, famished, ravenous: Harry
came in from the fields, declaring he was starved and ready to
eat a horse. 2 starved or starving for. yearning for, dying for,
hankering for, hungry or hungering for, pining for, longing for,
burning for, craving, thirsting for or after, desirous of,
aching for, Colloq hurting for: I was starved for a pint of
cold lager. 3 starved of. deprived of, in need or want of,
lacking, be reft of: The children seemed starved of affection.


state n. 1 condition(s), circumstance(s), situation, state of
affairs, status, shape, position: He was concerned about the
state of the company's finances. 2 structure, form,
constitution, shape, phase, stage: One does not see iodine in
its gaseous state outside the laboratory. 3 grandeur, pomp,
style, splendour, magnificence, glory, brilliance: The prince
was met at the airport and escorted in state to the palace. 4
nation, country, land, body politic: No longer a colony, it
became an independent state in 1952.


--adj. 5 governmental, government, national, federal: The
State schools in the town had a good reputation. 6 ceremonial,
formal, dignified, stately, solemn, official; royal, regal,
imperial, majestic: We attended a state dinner at the White
House. The Queen travelled in the state coach from Buckingham
Palace to Westminster.

--v. 7 aver, assert, asseverate, declare, affirm, express,
report, articulate, voice, specify, delineate, claim, maintain,

allege, submit, confirm; say, testify, hold, have: He has often
stated his firm belief in democracy. He stated firmly that he
was not in the house on the night of the murder.


stately adj. dignified, august, solemn, distinguished, impressive,
striking, imposing, awesome, grand, lofty, elevated, noble,
majestic, regal, royal, imperial: The stately procession wound
through the streets of the capital.


statement n. assertion, allegation, declaration, expression, report,
account, affirmation, asseveration, averral, announcement,
annunciation, proclamation, utterance, communication,
communiqu‚, disclosure: Your statement is subject to
interpretation. He made a long and detailed statement about the
future of the project.

static adj. 1 immovable, immobile, unmoving, motionless, stationary,
fixed, stagnant, inert, still, unchanging, unchanged,
changeless, unvarying, invariable, constant: The situation
remained static for years. A living language is not static but
dynamic.

--n. 2 interference, noise, atmospherics; difficulty or
difficulties, trouble, problem(s), Colloq flak: With all the
static, I couldn't understand what she was saying. You can
expect some static about being late for your wedding.

station n. 1 place, position, spot, post, site, location: The sentry
is not to leave his station till relieved. 2 position, place,
status, rank, caste, standing, class, level: As a doctor, he
attained a station in life far above that of his father. 3
railway station, train station, passenger station, bus station,
US and Canadian depot: Let's meet in the waiting-room in the
station.


--v. 4 position, place, spot, post, site, locate, assign,
appoint, garrison, install or instal, Colloq billet: He was
stationed in three different places in four years.


stationery
n. writing-paper, letterhead(s), paper and envelopes, writing
implements or supplies; office supplies or equipment: We
consider stationery costs as part of overheads.


statue n. sculpture, figure, figurine, statuette, carving, casting,
model, bronze, image, icon or ikon, effigy, representation;
bust, atlas, caryatid, colossus, figurehead, Biblical graven
image: A statue of Disraeli stands in the market square of
Aylesbury.

statuesque
adj. imposing, impressive, majestic, regal, stately,
magnificent, noble, dignified, august, grand, well-proportioned,
comely, handsome, queenly, Junoesque: Julie's statuesque figure
was well set off by the draped silk gown.

status n. 1 eminence, prominence, pre-eminence, standing, stature,
importance, significance, repute, reputation, rank, station:
Few could approach Keith's status as a pathologist. 2 See
standing, 5, above.

staunch adj. 1 steadfast, loyal, firm, unflinching, steady,
unshrinking, unswerving, dependable, reliable, (tried and) true,
devoted, true-blue, trusty, trusted, faithful, unfaltering,
undeviating, unwavering: Charles has always been a staunch
supporter of the party. 2 strong, solid, sturdy, sound,
well-built, stout, substantial, well-constructed, well-made,
tough, rugged, long-lasting; watertight, seaworthy: The ship's
staunch oaken hull has withstood much abuse over the years.

stayฐ v. 1 remain, stop, continue, tarry, wait, stand, Colloq freeze:
Stay where you are or I'll shoot! 2 remain, stop, lodge,
sojourn, abide, reside, dwell, live, visit: I heard that Sheila
was back in town, staying at her aunt's. 3 keep, remain,
continue to be: I was having trouble staying awake. 4 stop,
arrest, thwart, prevent, put an end to, halt, interrupt, block,
check; curb, retard, slow, impede, foil, obstruct, hamper,
hinder, discourage, deter; delay, postpone, put off,
discontinue, defer, Technical prorogue: Only one man has the
authority to stay the execution. What can be done to stay the
advance of the killer bees? 5 linger, loiter, wait, tarry, stop,
remain, Archaic bide: I like this part of the world and plan to
stay here a while.

--n. 6 stop, stoppage, arrest, set-back, check, halt,
prevention, discontinuance, discontinuation, interruption,

blockage, delay, postponement, deferment, deferral, reprieve:
Have you been able to arrange a stay in carrying out the
sentence? 7 stopover, sojourn, visit, stop: We really enjoyed
our stay at Fred's house in Fort Lauderdale.


stay n. 1 guy, line, rope, cable, chain, support, brace,
reinforcement; Technical head-stay, (running) backstay,
forestay, mainstay, mizen-stay: If one of those stays gives
way, the entire structure may fall.


--v. 2 support, strengthen, secure, reinforce, brace, buttress,
gird, shore (up): The mast is stayed by two steel cables, fore
and aft.


steadfast adj. resolute, determined, persevering, resolved,
single-minded, steady, unflinching, unfaltering, unwavering,
unswerving, indefatigable, dependable, immovable, stable, firm,
fixed, constant, persistent, unflagging, tireless, enduring,
dedicated, deep-rooted, faithful, true, loyal, staunch: For
years Janet has been steadfast in supporting the cause. Stephen
was a steadfast friend and will never be forgotten.

steady adj. 1 stable, firm, solid, substantial, sound, stout, strong:
Is this chair steady enough to stand on? 2 even, regular,
uniform, habitual, invariable, unvarying, unfluctuating,
unwavering, undeviating, changeless, unchanging, continuous,
constant; perpetual, non-stop, round-the-clock, persistent,
uninterrupted, unbroken, unrelieved, unceasing, ceaseless,
incessant, relentless, unremitting, never-ending, unending,
endless: Steady trade winds could be relied on to carry vessels
to the Caribbean. Inflation has remained steady for a year. How
do the children manage to survive on a steady diet of junk food?
The economists fear a steady rise in inflation. 3 unflinching,
unblinking, fixed, constant, unfaltering, continuous, direct:
The boy began to quail under the headmaster's steady gaze. 4
calm, cool, balanced, equable, controlled: Steady nerves are
needed to handle this new breed of fighter plane. 5 devoted,
firm, staunch, faithful, loyal, long-standing, inveterate,
consistent, confirmed, persistent: The Pendergasts have always
been steady supporters of the museum. 6 staid, sedate, sober,
dignified, poised, sophisticated, civilized, sensible,
down-to-earth, settled, serious, level-headed, reliable, Colloq
unflappable: WANTED: Steady person as housekeeper to eccentric

editor.

--adv. 7 firmly, solidly: His wife was holding the ladder
steady while he mended the gutter. 8 go steady. keep company,
date, socialize: Is Jane still going steady with Hubert?

--n. 9 boyfriend, girlfriend, (regular) fellow or girl,
sweetheart, Colloq guy, gal, woman, man: Yes, Hubert is still
Jane's steady. 10 regular, habitu‚, customer, frequenter,
familiar face: Gil has been a steady here ever since we opened.

--v. 11 stabilize, hold fast; brace, secure, support,
strengthen: Prices steadied after the first hour of trading. To
steady the table, merely tighten the screws holding the legs.


steal v. 1 take (away), appropriate, filch, shoplift, pilfer,
purloin, make or walk off or away with, get away with; embezzle,
misappropriate, peculate; Colloq lift, pinch, hook, snitch,
borrow, US boost, liberate, heist, hijack, Slang swipe, Brit
nick, prig, US hoist: The thieves stole only the emeralds,
leaving the diamonds. The bookkeeper stole the money by
diverting it into his own account. 2 plagiarize, pirate, copy,
imitate, appropriate, usurp, take: He claims that the story of
the film was stolen from his short story. 3 sneak, creep, slip,
tiptoe, prowl, lurk, skulk, Colloq pussyfoot: Silently, we
stole into the garden at the rear of the house.

--n. 4 bargain, (good) buy, Colloq give-away: At that price,
the rug was a steal!


stealing n. theft, robbery, robbing, larceny, pilferage, shoplifting,
poaching, embezzlement, peculation, thievery, thieving,
filching, burglary, plagiarism, plagiarizing, piracy, pirating:
Stealing from the church poor-box must be one of the lowest
things a person can do.

stealth n. furtiveness, secrecy, clandestineness, surreptitiousness,
sneakiness, slyness, underhandedness: What the thieves lacked
in stealth they compensated for in knowledge of art.


stealthy adj. stealthful, furtive, secretive, secret, sly, clandestine,
surreptitious, sneaky, sneaking, skulking, covert, undercover,
underhand(ed), backstairs, hugger-mugger, closet: He was as

stealthy as a cat in his movements. They were stealthy
collectors of pornography.

steamy adj. 1 humid, steaming, damp, moist, muggy, sticky, dank,
sweaty, sweltering, sodden, sultry, boiling, wet: We were not
prepared for the steamy jungle of equatorial Africa. 2 steamed
(up), fogged (up), befogged, misty, misted, hazy, clouded,
cloudy, beclouded, dim, blurred: Every time I take a hot
shower, the bathroom mirror gets all steamy. 3 erotic,
passionate, (sexually) exciting, arousing, hot, Colloq sexy,
Slang horny: The film was notorious for its steamy scenes.

steel n. 1 sword, dagger, blade, knife, dirk, stiletto: He saw the
flash of the cold steel in the moonlight.


--v. 2 brace, nerve, stiffen, fortify, grit one's teeth, bear
up, bite the bullet, screw up one's courage (to the sticking
point); inure, insulate, protect: People must learn to steel
themselves against criticism in this business.


steely adj. 1 greyish, grey: His steely blue eyes pierced deep into
her soul. 2 iron, tough, indurate, adamant, adamantine, hard,
strong, rugged, unyielding, flinty, sturdy: She was a woman of
steely determination.


steepฐ adj. 1 sheer, abrupt, precipitous, bluff, sharp, nearly
vertical or perpendicular or upright: In those days, a car had
to be in first gear to climb such a steep hill. 2 expensive,
dear, high, overpriced, exorbitant, excessive, extravagant,
extortionate, Colloq stiff: The house prices in the city centre
were much too steep for all but the highest-paid executives.

steep v. 1 soak, submerge, souse, drench, immerse, saturate, douse,
wet, ret; pickle, marinate: Before cooking, the meat has to be
steeped in brine for at least six hours to tenderize it. 2
imbue, fill, saturate, immerse, inundate; bury: He learnt
Japanese by steeping himself in the language for six months.

steer v. 1 guide, pilot, conduct, direct; manage, control, channel:
Steer the boat closer to the pier. David has steered the company
to greater profits than ever before. 2 steer clear of. avoid,
dodge, keep away from, shun, circumvent, give (something or
someone) a wide berth: You'd best steer clear of Melissa when

she's angry.

--n. 3 Usually, bum steer. (bad or poor) tip or suggestion or
hint; (bad or poor) guidance or advice or information: He
avoids me because I once gave him a bum steer on a horse.

stellar adj. 1 astral, star, sidereal: The sidereal year is based on
stellar calculations. 2 chief, starring, principal, leading,
main, headlining: For years Lee has been a stellar performer on
the golf circuit.

stemฐ n. 1 trunk, stalk, stock; Technical peduncle, pedicel, petiole,
shoot: Three white blossoms are borne on each stem of the
plant. 2 bows, prow, stem-post: The ship shook from stem to
stern.

--v. 3 come, arise, develop, derive, issue, flow, generate,
originate, spring, emanate, sprout, grow, descend, result,
proceed: The dispute stems from basic differences in the ways
the parties regard property.

stem v. 1 check, stop, halt, stanch or staunch, arrest, stay, curb,
control, quell, suppress; retard, slow, lessen, diminish,
reduce, cut (back (on)): The government introduced legislation
to stem immigration. I was able to stem the bleeding by applying
the tourniquet. 2 stem the tide (of). resist, withstand, go or
make headway or advance or make progress against, prevail over
or against: They were unable to stem the tide of public
opinion.


stench n. stink, reek, noisomeness, mephitis, fetor or foetor, foul
odour, effluvium, Colloq Brit pong: A terrible stench emanated
from the cupboard. For decades their government has wallowed in
the stench of corruption.


stenographer
n. secretary, amanuensis, stenotypist, tachygrapher,
phonographer: The court stenographer read back part of the
testimony.


stenography
n. shorthand, stenotypy, tachygraphy, speedwriting: Her
qualification in stenography proved most useful.


step n. 1 movement, move: The steps of the dance were very
intricate. 2 footfall, footstep, tread: I think I hear
father's step on the stair. 3 footstep, footprint, trace,
spoor, track, trace, mark, impression; imprint, vestige: In his
master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted. 4 action,
initiative, measure, activity, procedure, move, motion: What
steps are needed to improve the situation? 5 stage, move,
gradation, degree, progression: Can we not proceed from one to
the other in easy steps? 6 pace, footstep, stride: My mother's
cottage is just a few steps away, at the bottom of the garden. 7
in step (with). in keeping (with), in harmony or agreement
(with), harmonious (with), agreeable (with), according (with or
to), concordant (with), attuned (to), in tune (with), consonant
(with), consistent (with), appropriate (to), fitting (for);
conventional, traditional, routine: Do you think that her ideas
of discipline are in step with the times? I am not sure they are
in step at all. 8 out of step (with). out of keeping (with), out
of or not in harmony or agreement (with), not harmonious (with),
not agreeable (with), not according (with or to), discordant
(with), not concordant (with), not attuned (to), out of tune
(with), not consonant (with), inconsistent (with), inappropriate
(to), not fitting (for); offbeat, unconventional, eccentric,
Slang kinky: You must admit that her views are out of step with
the committee's. 9 step by step. gradually, a step at a time,
slowly, steadily: The way to unravel the problem is to analyse
it step by step. 10 steps. a course, way, route, direction,
path, movement, passage; journey, journeying, travels,
travelling: After leaving the village, I directed my steps
southward, towards the coast. b stairway, stairs, stair,
staircase, stepladder, US and Canadian stoop: Claire walked
down the steps to greet me. 11 take steps. proceed, move, begin
or start or commence to act or to take action, do something: We
must take steps to prevent this from happening again. 12 watch
one's step. tread carefully or cautiously, be cautious or
careful, exercise care or caution, be wary or discreet, be on
the qui vive, be or remain alert, be on one's guard, have or
keep one's wits about one, take care or heed, Colloq pussyfoot
about: You must really watch your step with Marnie to avoid
upsetting her.

--v. 13 move, walk, look; pace, stride: Step lively or you'll
miss your last chance to see the elephants. 14 step down. a

resign, abdicate, quit, bow out, retire: Don't you think it
time you stepped down from the chairmanship? b decrease,
diminish, reduce: Using this transformer, we can step down the
voltage gradually. 15 step in. intervene, interfere, intercede,
become involved: It seemed the right time for us to step in and
take over the company. 16 step on it. hurry (up), make haste,
hasten, speed up: He'd better step on it if he is going to
catch his plane. 17 step out. a go outside or out of doors,
leave: Would you mind stepping out for a few minutes while we
settle this in private? b go out, socialize: Notice how quickly
Genevieve has started stepping out again after her bereavement.
c become disinvolved, withdraw, secede: Our firm stepped out of
the negotiations when we saw who was bidding. 18 step up. a
improve, progress: George has certainly stepped up in the world
since I knew him at university. b increase, accelerate, raise,
intensify, boost, escalate, up, speed up: They stepped up the
pace until she could no longer keep up with them.

sterile adj. 1 barren, fruitless, unfruitful, childless, unproductive,
infertile, infecund: The first great disappointment of
Napoleon's life was that Josephine was sterile. 2 pure, aseptic,
uninfected, unpolluted, uncontaminated, disinfected, sanitary,
sterilized, germ-free, antiseptic: Make sure that you always
use a sterile bandage for a wound. 3 barren, unproductive,
stale, effete: Vanessa's greatest fear was that her mind would
become sterile and she would run out of ideas.

sterilize v. 1 purify, disinfect, cleanse, clean, fumigate, depurate,
Technical autoclave: Sterilize the instruments before using
them. 2 castrate (males), emasculate (males), geld (horses),
spay (female animals), alter (animals), neuter (animals),
caponize (male fowl), eunuchize (males), Technical ovariectomize
(females), vasectomize (males), Colloq fix (animals), cut (male
animals), Slang tie (someone's) tubes: Steers - that is,
sterilized bulls - yield tenderer meat.

sterling adj. 1 genuine, authentic, real, true, pure: Is this
candle-snuffer sterling silver? 2 excellent, superior, superb,
superlative, first-class, exceptional, matchless, peerless,
unequalled, nonpareil, incomparable, fine, very good, worthy,
estimable, admirable: Commander Ian Johnston has acquitted
himself as an officer of sterling character.

stern adj. 1 austere, severe, strict, stringent, demanding, critical,
rigid, rigorous, flinty, steely, authoritarian, uncompromising,
hard, tough, inflexible, firm, immovable, unmoved, unrelenting,
unremitting, steadfast, resolute, determined, unyielding,
adamant, adamantine, obdurate, hard-hearted, stony,
stony-hearted, unsparing, unforgiving, unsympathetic, harsh:
Discipline in the French Foreign Legion is said to be quite
stern. 2 serious, frowning, grim, forbidding, grave, gloomy,
dour, sombre, saturnine, lugubrious, gruff, taciturn, crabby,
crabbed, crusty, churlish, sour: Beneath that terribly stern
exterior he really is a pussy-cat.

stew n. 1 gallimaufry, goulash, salmagundi, hash, mess, olla
podrida, olio, mixture, mishmash, Brit hotchpotch, US also
hodgepodge: His book is a stew of many different opinions, none
of them his own. 2 state of excitement or alarm or anxiety,
dither, pother, bother, lather, sweat, Colloq tizzy, state: She
really worked herself up into a stew over the boy Paula is
engaged to.


--v. 3 simmer, seethe, agonize, fret, dither, chafe, burn,
smoulder, Colloq get steamed (up) (over or about), work
(oneself) (up) into a sweat or lather or state (over): Paula's
father is all stewed up over her leaving school to get married.


stickฐ v. 1 pierce, thrust, stab, transfix, pin, spike, impale, spear,
spit, run through, poke, gore, jab, prick, puncture, punch,
penetrate, drill, bore, riddle, perforate: He stuck the wild
boar with his spear. 2 put, drop, place, deposit, Colloq shove,
plonk, plunk, plop: Stick another ice cube in my drink, would
you? 3 put, poke, push, thrust, prod, dig; insert: She stuck
her head out of the window to get a better look. Stop sticking
your finger in my ribs! 4 attach, fasten, affix, fix, nail, pin,
tack; glue, cement, paste, gum, weld, solder, bind, tie, tape,
wire; bond, melt, fuse, unite, join: What shall we used to
stick the poster to the wall? How can I stick the pieces of the
vase together again? 5 Often, stick together. cohere, adhere,
stay or remain or cleave or cling together: I cannot make these
parts stick together. 6 hold, last, endure, go through, be
upheld, be or remain effective, remain attached: The prosecutor
was unable to make a charge of murder stick. 7 linger, dwell,
remain (fixed), continue, stay; be or become lodged or stopped
or fixed or fast or immovable or stationary, be or become

entangled or enmired or bogged down: Something sticks in my
mind about your leaving next week. We were stuck in the Sunday
traffic for hours. The wheel is stuck in the sand. 8 burden,
weigh down, encumber, saddle with, charge, impose on, force on:
We stuck Tony with the nasty job of changing the tyre. 9
baffle, puzzle, bewilder, perplex, confuse, stump, stop,
nonplus: I was totally stuck for a solution. 10 stand, abide,
tolerate, endure, bear: I can't stick people watching me while
I am painting. 11 stick around or about. wait, tarry, linger,
stay, stand by, remain, Colloq hang around or about or on: Can
you stick around for a few minutes after the meeting? 12 stick
at. stop at, hesitate at, pause at, scruple at, be deterred or
put off by, take exception to, shrink from or at, balk at:
Barnes sticks at nothing to get his way. 13 stick by. support,
be loyal or faithful to, stand by: Arnold will stick by you,
come what may. 14 stick it (out). persevere, persist, stand
fast, bear it, be resolute, soldier on, hold (one's) ground,
grin and bear it, see it through, weather it, Colloq US tough it
out: It was a very hard job, but I stuck it out to the very
end. 15 stick out or up. protrude, jut (out), extend, project,
poke (out); bulge, obtrude, stand out, overhang, beetle: Stick
out your tongue. What is sticking out of your ear? Balconies
stick out from all sides of the building. 16 stick together. a
unite, unify, join (forces), consolidate, merge, confederate,
amalgamate, cooperate, work together: The family always sticks
together at times of crisis. b See 5, above. 17 stick up. a
rob, mug, Colloq hold up, US heist: They stuck up a bank
courier this morning, in broad daylight! b put up, post, affix,
display: We went round town sticking up posters for our
candidate. 18 stick up for. rally to the support of, support,
stand by or up for, defend, speak for or in behalf of, take up
the cudgels for; put one's money where one's mouth is, have the
courage of one's convictions: A person must stick up for what
he thinks is right. 19 stick with. persevere, persist, stay or
remain or continue with, not change one's mind about: Stick
with me, kid, and you'll wear diamonds. I'll stick with the
smoked eel as a starter.

stick n. 1 stake, twig, branch, baton, wand, staff, rod, cane, pole,
pike, walking-stick: We put a stick in the ground to mark the
place. 2 person, man, fellow, chap, Colloq guy, Brit geezer,
bloke: Desmond isn't such a bad old stick after all. 3 the
sticks. the country, the provinces, the countryside, the

backwoods, the bush, Brit the hinterland or US the hinterlands,
Australian the outback, US the boondocks, the boonies: He hates
the city and now lives somewhere in the sticks. 4 wrong end of
the stick. misunderstanding, misreading, misconstruction,
misinterpretation: When it comes to understanding a regulation,
Ed always seems to get hold of the wrong end of the stick.

stick-in-the-mud
n. (old) fogy or fogey, conservative, anachronism, Colloq
fuddy-duddy, fossil, square, back number: Her husband was a
terrible stick-in-the-mud and would never try anything new.

sticky adj. 1 gluey, gummy, viscous, tacky, glutinous, viscid, Colloq
gooey: Children, please keep your sticky fingers off the car
windows. 2 awkward, ticklish, tricky, sensitive, delicate,
uncomfortable, discomfiting, discomforting, embarrassing, Slang
hairy: Inviting Steve with his ex-wife might be a bit sticky,
don't you think? 3 humid, clammy, dank, damp, muggy, close,
sultry, oppressive, sweltering: The weather was oppressive and
sticky, and they kept the fan on constantly.

stiff adj. 1 firm, rigid, inelastic, unbending, inflexible, hard,
unbendable, tough, solid, solidified, stiffened, unyielding,
brittle: The table napkins were so stiff with starch that I
almost cracked one. 2 severe, harsh, punitive, hurtful,
punishing, abusive, torturous, distressing, afflictive, painful,
overwhelming, unbearable, tormenting, merciless, excruciating,
cruel, drastic, US cruel and unusual: The government here has
stiff penalties for drug traffickers. 3 strong, potent,
powerful, overpowering, alcoholic: After that kind of an
ordeal, you could use a stiff drink, I'm sure. 4 vigorous,
energetic, staunch, dogged, tenacious, resolute, resolved,
determined, stubborn, obstinate, unyielding, indomitable,
relentless: They met with stiff opposition in trying to capture
the fort. 5 strong, steady, powerful, fresh, brisk, spanking,
gusty, forceful, howling: We had to reduce sail because of a
stiff westerly wind. 6 excessive, exorbitant, high, steep,
expensive, dear: They are asking a pretty stiff price these
days for a bottle of good vintage port. 7 cool, haughty, rigid,
wooden, stuffy, aloof, tense, intense, unrelaxed, forced,
pompous, stilted, mannered, ceremonious, austere, formal,
chilly, cold, unfriendly, standoffish, reserved, snobbish,
Colloq snooty, Slang uptight: Vince is warm and friendly, but

his wife is as stiff as a poker. 8 stilted, unrelaxed, wooden,
forced, artificial, laboured, pedantic, turgid, formal, prim,
Colloq stuffy: I have always found her writing to be rather
stiff. 9 difficult, hard, steep, uphill, laborious, arduous,
tiring, fatiguing, exhausting, harrowing, toilsome, rigorous,
challenging, Colloq rough, tough: It is quite a stiff climb to
the top of the pyramid of Cheops. That was a stiff homework
assignment. 10 solid, semi-solid, firm, hard, thick, dense,
compact: If you add a bit more water the next time, the jelly
won't get quite so stiff.

--n. 11 corpse, body, cadaver: Barry had to go down to the
morgue to identify some stiff they hauled out of the river. 12
skinflint, miser, Colloq cheapskate, Slang piker, US and
Canadian tightwad: A stiff is a customer who fails to leave a
tip.

stiffen v. 1 thicken, coagulate, clot, harden, jell, set, solidify,
congeal, crystallize: Beat the egg-whites with a whisk until
they stiffen. 2 brace, reinforce, tauten, rigidify, toughen,
strengthen: The weak support was stiffened by means of a steel
bar.

stifle v. 1 suffocate, smother, choke, strangle, throttle, asphyxiate:
The firemen were almost stifled by the smoke from the chemical
fire. 2 choke back, keep or hold back, withhold, repress,
suppress, hold in, restrain, prevent, curb, cover up, control:
I stifled a yawn as John went on about his grandchildren. 3
destroy, crush, demolish, extinguish, stamp out, kill, quash,
silence, stop, check: Under his tyrannical rule all artistic
creativity was stifled for fifty years.

stigma n. brand, (bad) mark, blot, smirch, stain, spot, taint,
blemish, demerit, blot on the escutcheon, Brit blot in one's
copybook: Bankruptcy is no longer the social stigma that it
used to be.

stigmatize
v. brand, mark, scar, blemish, besmirch, sully, disparage,
depreciate, denounce, condemn, calumniate, defame, pillory,
slander: His foul treachery stigmatized his entire family.

still adj. 1 quiet, serene, placid, calm, tranquil, motionless,

unmoving, peaceful, pacific, at rest, quiescent, even, flat,
smooth, inert, stationary, undisturbed, unruffled: In the
moonlight, the lake lay still and dark. 2 silent, quiet,
noiseless, soundless; hushed, restful, Literary stilly: Be
still or they'll hear you! In the still night I heard the
distant sound of an owl.

--n. 3 stillness, hush, quiet, silence, tranquillity,
noiselessness, peacefulness, calm: In the still of the evening
came the call of the nightingale.

--adv. 4 even now, to or till or until this or that time, (up)
till or until now, yet: Henry came for dinner five years ago,
and he's here still. Do you still smoke? 5 even, in addition:
Hugh weighed twenty stone when you last saw him, but he's
heavier still today. 6 notwithstanding, yet, even then: Are you
still going to Sue's party, despite what she said?. 7
motionless(ly), quiet(ly), silent(ly), stock-still: Lie still
while I put on this bandage.


--conj. 8 however, but, notwithstanding, nevertheless, even so,
in any event, in any case: She said she'd be here; still, you
never know, she may come later.


--v. 9 calm, allay, assuage, alleviate, relieve, silence, lull,
quiet(en), pacify, soothe, mollify, appease, subdue, suppress:
A few kind words and she had stilled my fears.

stilted adj. awkward, ungraceful, graceless, clumsy, wooden, stiff,
turgid, affected, artificial, unnatural, mannered, laboured;
pretentious, formal, pompous, lofty, bombastic, grandiloquent,
high-flown, inflated: Francis has a stilted way of expressing
himself.


stimulant n. 1 stimulus, incentive, provocation, spur, prompt, goad,
urge, prod, fillip, impetus, incitement, drive, impulse, push,
pull, draw: She yielded readily to the stimulants of
literature, science, and the fine arts. 2 energizer,
antidepressant, tonic, restorative, Colloq bracer, pick-me-up,
shot in the arm, Slang pep pill, upper, bennie, speed: He found
he couldn't get through the day without a stimulant.

stimulate v. 1 rouse, arouse, waken, awaken, wake up, excite, incite,

inspire, encourage, spur, quicken, fire, fuel, nourish,
activate, whip or stir up, goad, galvanize, jolt, inspirit:
What can be done to stimulate students to study history? Their
teacher eventually found a way to stimulate their interest. 2
increase, encourage, prompt, provoke, quicken: This drug
stimulates the circulation of the blood.

stimulating
adj. exciting, inspirational, inspiring, arousing, stirring,
animating, exhilarating, provocative, thought-provoking: I
cannot recall having spent a more stimulating evening in the
theatre.

sting v. 1 prick, stab, pierce, stick; bite: Bees, wasps, scorpions,
etc. sting you, but mosquitoes, spiders, and snakes bite. 2
hurt, wound, pain, injure, distress, nettle, cut to the quick:
He was really stung by Maria's callous remarks. 3 See
stimulate, 1, above: We were stung into action by the
minister's inspiring speech. 4 cheat, overcharge, swindle,
fleece, defraud, Slang rob, soak, rip off, take for a ride: You
really were stung if you paid that much for such an old piano.

stinker n. wretch, villain, scoundrel, cad, heel, beast, cur, viper,
snake in the grass, skunk, swine, polecat, Rather old-fashioned
blackguard, rogue, Archaic knave, varlet, dastard, (base)
caitiff, Colloq stinkpot, louse, creep, rat, Brit nasty piece of
work, sod, Old-fashioned rotter, bounder, blighter, Slang
(rotten) bastard, son of a bitch, Brit toerag, bugger, US SOB,
bum, stinkeroo or stinkaroo, Taboo slang shit, Brit arse-hole,
US ass-hole: They were a lovely couple, but their son was a
real stinker.

stinking adj. 1 foul-smelling, smelly, fetid or foetid, mephitic, rank,
noisome, malodorous, reeking, putrid, miasmal or miasmatic(al)
or miasmic, rancid, gamy, Colloq Brit pongy, whiffy: They were
kept in a stinking dungeon with little food for a month. 2
wretched, villainous, beastly, vile, contemptible, low,
despicable, mean, nasty, disgusting, rotten, terrible, awful,
Old-fashioned dastardly, Colloq lousy, Taboo slang shitty:
Taking my clothes while I was swimming was a stinking thing to
do. 3 drunken, drunk (as a lord or US also a skunk),
intoxicated, inebriated, (be)sotted, under the influence, over
the limit, high, maudlin, tipsy, woozy, Colloq pie-eyed, loaded,

in one's cups, under the weather, three sheets to the wind,
Slang sozzled, soused (to the gills), potted, plastered,
smashed, bombed, pissed, boozed, boozy, tanked, stoned, canned,
US in the bag: The last time I saw Bob, he was so stinking I
had to pour him onto his train.

stint n. 1 share, quota, allotment, bit, assignment, stretch, shift,
term, time, job, chore, task, routine, turn, tour, duty,
responsibility, obligation, charge: She had done her stint of
washing-up and refused to do any more. 2 control, curb, limit,
limitation, restriction, check, restraint, constraint,
condition, qualification, reservation: The committee is free to
exercise without stint its power to raise membership fees.


--v. 3 control, curb, limit, restrict: Don't stint yourself,
lunch is on the firm. 4 skimp, scrimp, be stingy or cheap or
penurious or parsimonious or sparing or frugal, hold back (on),
withhold, economize, pinch (pennies), cut corners, Colloq Brit
be mingy: They certainly didn't stint on the food and drink at
Andrea's party.

stipend n. pay, salary, payment, remuneration, remittance, recompense,
compensation, reward, emolument, earnings, income; grant,
subvention, scholarship, subsidy, allowance, allotment,
(financial) support: His stipend barely covers his basic
expenses.

stipulate v. specify, demand, require, covenant, set forth, agree (to),
provide (for), guarantee, warrant, promise, insist (upon or on);
call for: The agreement stipulates that the goods be received
prior to payment. The compensation stipulated in the contract
has been paid.

stipulation
n. condition, demand, essential, given, requirement, requisite,
prerequisite, specification, undertaking, obligation, covenant,
clause, proviso, term, agreement, provision, guarantee,
warranty, promise: This stipulation calls for payment on
delivery in full and in sterling.


stir v. 1 Often, stir up. agitate, shake (up), mix (up), scramble,
amalgamate, mingle, commingle, intermingle, merge, blend, fold
(in), churn (up), beat, whip (up): Stir all the ingredients

together. 2 move, rise, arise, get up, bestir (oneself), be up
and about, Colloq get a move on, get moving, get a wiggle on,
shake a leg, look or step lively, look alive, stir one's stumps:
It is about time you were up and stirring. 3 disturb, trouble,
affect, upset, stimulate, activate: The play stirred the
conscience of the king. Mention 'diet' to Roberta and you'll
stir up a wasp's nest. 4 Often, stir up. motivate, encourage,
stimulate, energize, galvanize, electrify, animate, excite,
inspire, provoke, move, rouse, arouse, get, prompt, urge,
incite, spur, prod, induce, persuade, convince: What will it
take to stir the council to take action? The usual
rabble-rousers were there, stirring up the crowd. 5 Often, stir
up. awaken, rouse, (cause to) recall or call to mind, revive,
resuscitate: Those photographs stir up so many old memories!


--n. 6 bustle, activity, movement, stirring, action, commotion,
flurry, confusion, tumult, ado, to-do, fuss, disturbance,
excitement, hubbub, Colloq Brit kerfuffle: There was a stir at
the door, which was flung wide to allow Kitty to sweep in. The
news of her marriage caused quite a stir. 7 prison, jail or Brit
also gaol, jail-house, clink, penitentiary, lock-up, Military
Brit glasshouse, US brig, Slang chiefly Brit quod, US big house,
pen, slammer, can, calaboose: He claims he's in stir for
something he didn't do.


stirring adj. moving, telling, emotional, emotive, emotion-charged,
rousing, stimulating, inspiring, gripping, evocative, exciting,
thrilling, melodramatic, dramatic, heady, intoxicating,
spirited, inspiriting, exhilarating, awe-inspiring: He was
treated to the stirring experience of hearing fifty thousand
people shouting his name in unison, again and again.

stock n. 1 supply, store, inventory, stockpile, reserve, reservoir,
cache, hoard; wares, merchandise, goods, selection, assortment,
range, variety, array: One can select something suitable from
the stock at the local wine shop. 2 pedigree, bloodline, house,
dynasty, (line of) descent, genealogy, extraction, roots,
lineage, family, ancestry, parentage, breeding, heritage: Her
mother was concerned that she should marry someone of good
stock. 3 source, progenitor, creator, father, begetter,
forefather, ancestor, precursor, forerunner, forebear; founder:
He might well provide the stock for a new line of kings. 4
livestock, (domestic or farm) animals, cattle, beasts; horses,

cows, oxen, sheep, goats: Don't forget to water the stock
before driving to the village. 5 share, ownership, investment,
capital, funds; property, assets: He owned ten shares of stock
in the corporation. The company's stock is worth next to nothing
today. 6 take stock. weigh (up), estimate, review, appraise,
look at, Colloq size up: We must take stock of the situation
and decide what to do.

--adj. 7 routine, stereotyped, banal, clich‚d, commonplace,
usual, hackneyed, ordinary, stale, staple, run-of-the-mill,
tired, old, everyday, customary, set, standard, traditional,
trite, worn out, Colloq corny: Ask him how he is and you always
get his stock reply, 'Fair to meddling'. 8 standard, ordinary,
regular, routine, staple: The shop does not carry 'extra tall'
or 'extra short', only stock sizes.

--v. 9 carry, have, have or make available, handle, deal in,
market, sell, supply, furnish, provide, offer, trade in, keep:
The shop stocked a wide range of hardware. 10 Often, stock up
(on). accumulate, amass, pile up, stockpile, hoard, store (up),
cache, lay in, inventory: Everyone stocked up on food in case
the village was blocked by snow.

stocky adj. thickset, sturdy, chunky, dumpy, solid, stumpy, burly,
beefy, heavy-set, squat, pyknic, mesomorphic: He is stocky and
powerfully built.

stodgy adj. stuffy, dull, heavy, ponderous, elephantine, boring,
tedious, humdrum, tiresome, turgid, uninteresting,
unimaginative, dry-as-dust, jejune, vapid, dreary, flat,
colourless, bland, Colloq ho-hum, blah, deadly: The speaker was
boring and gave the stodgiest talk I have ever heard.

stoical adj. stoic, impassive, resigned, apathetic, cool, unemotional,
emotionless, frigid, imperturbable, calm, dispassionate,
indifferent, phlegmatic, long-suffering, stolid, disciplined,
self-possessed, (self-)controlled, Colloq unflappable: Bertram
remained stoical as the judge read out the sentence of death.


stoicism n. indifference, self-possession, austerity, self-control,
fortitude, calmness, calm, coolness, imperturbability,
longanimity, forbearance, patience, fatalism, resignation,
Colloq unflappability: The people accepted the news of one

defeat after another with increasing stoicism.

stole n. tippet, scarf, boa, shawl: Mandy was too embarrassed to
wear her mink stole to the charity ball.


stolid adj. impassive, dull, doltish, obtuse, thick, dense, bovine,
wooden, slow, lumpish, unemotional, clod-like, phlegmatic,
lethargic, apathetic, indifferent, uninterested: He was a
stolid character, very different from his dynamic younger
brother.

stomach n. 1 abdomen, belly, gut, pot-belly, pot, paunch, Colloq
corporation, bay window, tummy, bread basket, spare tyre: His
huge stomach hung over and concealed his belt. 2 tolerance;
taste, appetite, desire, hunger, thirst, craving, need,
inclination, relish, longing, yearning, hankering: I have no
stomach for those TV sitcoms featuring precocious
four-year-olds.


--v. 3 abide, tolerate, endure, stand, bear, suffer, take,
accept, swallow, resign or reconcile oneself to, put up with,
countenance, brook, Brit stick: He walked out when he could no
longer stomach her continual criticism.


stony adj. 1 stoney, rocky, pebbly, shingly, shingled: Some of the
beaches along the Riviera are too stony to lie on directly. 2
stoney, hard, obdurate, adamant, adamantine, heartless,
stony-hearted, hard-hearted, indifferent, unsympathetic,
implacable, intractable, heartless, insensitive, insensible,
unfeeling, unsentimental, merciless, pitiless, cold,
cold-hearted, chilly, frigid, icy, tough, callous, steely,
inflexible, unresponsive, Colloq hard-boiled: He listened to
her pleadings in stony silence. 3 bankrupt, penniless,
indigent, poverty-stricken, poor, Colloq broke, Chiefly Brit
stoney, stony-broke or stoney-broke, skint: At the time, I was
so stony I didn't have two pennies to rub together.

stoop v. 1 Sometimes, stoop down. bend (down), bow, duck (down), lean
(down), hunch (down), hunker (down), crouch (down), scrunch
down: She had to stoop down to talk to the child. 2 Often,
stoop low. condescend, deign, lower or abase or degrade oneself,
sink, humble oneself; be demeaned or diminished: She had to
stoop pretty low to accept a job paying only half of what she

had demanded.

--n. 3 hunch, slouch, scrunch, crouch, stooping, slouching,
Technical lordosis, curvature of the spine, torticollis,
wryneck: The orthopaedist thought his stoop could be corrected
by a back brace.

stop v. 1 discontinue, halt, terminate, cease, break off, end, put
an end or a stop to, bring to a stop or a halt or an end or a
close, give up, quit, leave off, finish, conclude, desist
(from), refrain (from), abandon; draw to a close, be over, come
to a stop or a halt or an end or a close; Colloq cut (out), lay
off, Brit pack in: Stop shouting, I'm not deaf. The car stopped
suddenly. Will the fighting ever stop? 2 bring to a stop or a
halt or a standstill, check, cut off; arrest, suppress,
restrain, thwart; block, bar, obstruct, dam, keep or hold back,
prevent, hinder; slow, impede, stem, stanch or staunch: The
main problem was how to stop drug trafficking. Can we stop the
river from flooding? This tourniquet will stop the bleeding. 3
Often, stop up. obstruct, block (up), jam (up), plug (up), clog
(up), choke (up), stuff (up), fill (up), close (up or off): The
drain was all stopped up with paper. 4 peter out, be over, end:
He gave me an injection and the pain finally stopped. 5 pause,
break, take a break, interrupt, tarry; sojourn, rest, stay, put
up, lodge, visit, stop off or in or over; pull over, pull up:
I'd like to stop for a cup of coffee. I stopped at The Bell Inn
on my way here. We stopped short at the sign.

--n. 6 halt, end, cessation, termination, ban, prohibition;
close, standstill, conclusion: The new law put a stop to
door-to-door selling. We must bring that practice to a stop. 7
stay, sojourn, visit, break, rest, stopover, US layover: We
thoroughly enjoyed our stop in Brighton. 8 stopping-place,
station, terminal, stage, terminus, US and Canadian depot:
There is a bus stop in the next street. 9 blockage, blocking,
stopping (up), stoppage, closing up, obstruction, block: A stop
in the water supply was soon cleared up.

stopgap n. 1 makeshift, improvisation, substitute: The wire served as
a stopgap until they could get the proper part.

--adj. 2 makeshift, temporary, improvised, impromptu,
substitute, emergency, provisional, stand-by; jury-rigged: A

broomstick served as a stopgap mast for the dinghy's sail.

stopper n. stopple, cork, plug, bung: I had problems getting the
stopper out of the barrel.


store v. 1 stock, collect, accumulate, put by, lay away, set aside,
pile (up), aggregate, amass, cumulate; hoard; assemble: The
corn is stored in huge silos. 2 keep, hold, stow (away),
preserve, warehouse, stockpile: Apples should be stored in a
cool, dry place.

--n. 3 supply, inventory, collection, accumulation, stock,
stockpile, reservoir, cache, fund: We keep a large store of dry
foods for an emergency. Grandfather has an endless store of
tales about the sea. 4 shop, department store, market, retailer,
outlet, cooperative (store), Colloq co-op: You might get a good
fridge at a department store. 5 set or lay store by. give
credence to, believe (in), have faith or trust in, trust (in),
bank or rely on, depend on or upon, count on, value: I
shouldn't set much store by what that old gossip tells you.

storehouse
n. warehouse, depository or depositary, repository, storeroom,
bank, store, (In Asia) godown; arsenal, magazine, armoury: The
company maintains storehouses in a dozen countries to better
supply their customers.

storey n. floor, level, tier, Chiefly US story: The new building is
five storeys high.


storm n. 1 tempest, disturbance, turbulence; wind-storm, mistral,
gale, whirlwind, hurricane, tornado, typhoon, cyclone, US and
Canadian williwaw; shower, cloudburst, downpour, rainstorm,
deluge, monsoon, thunder-shower, thunderstorm, electrical storm;
dust-storm, sandstorm, simoom or simoon or samiel, harmattan,
khamsin, sirocco; snowstorm, blizzard; hailstorm, ice-storm:
People were evacuated from the area where it was thought the
storm would strike. 2 outburst, outcry, explosion, eruption,
outpouring, furore or US furor: The proposed taxes were met by
a storm of protest. 3 disturbance, rumpus, stir, commotion,
agitation, furore or US furor; turbulence, strife, turmoil,
disorder: I am not sure the company could weather another
serious financial storm.


--v. 4 rage, rant, rave, bluster, fume, explode, thunder, roar,
raise the roof, raise hell, raise Cain, Colloq fly off the
handle, blow one's top, US blow one's stack: When she found out
where Laura had gone, mother stormed round the house. 5 blow,
rain, hail, snow, sleet, rage, bluster, squall, howl: It
stormed for a week, and much property was destroyed. 6 attack,
assault, assail, raid, blitz, blitzkrieg, bombard, barrage, fire
upon or on, shell; besiege, lay siege to, siege: The enemy
stormed the castle again and again without effect.

stormy adj. 1 violent, tempestuous, blustery, turbulent, wild,
howling, raging, roaring, foul, nasty, bad, not fit for man or
beast, inclement: It was always stormy along the eastern coast
of the island. 2 violent, tempestuous, turbulent, fierce,
fiery, frantic, frenetic, nerve-racking or nerve-wracking,
frenzied, feverish, raving, wild: He and Kate enjoyed - if that
is the right word - a stormy relationship for thirty years.


story n. 1 narrative, tale, recounting, anecdote, yarn; account,
recital, chronicle, record, history; legend, myth, fairy tale or
story, romance, gest or geste, fable, fabliau; epic, saga, Edda;
joke, Colloq gag; mystery, detective story, whodunit, thriller;
horror story; allegory, parable; piece, article: In olden days,
the historians were the story tellers. George really knows how
to tell a story. Have any of your stories been published? 2
contention, testimony, assertion, version, statement,
representation, allegation: That's his story and he's sticking
to it. 3 fib, confabulation, (white or black) lie, alibi,
excuse, untruth, falsehood; tall tale, fishing or fish story:
He told us some story about having sailed round the world
single-handed in a dinghy. Did you believe her story about being
of royal blood? 4 article, item, report, dispatch, news,
tidings, release, information, copy, feature; scoop, exclusive:
A story about China appears on page two. 5 story-line, plot,
scenario, (plot) outline, summary, book: The story needs some
revision before the dialogue can be rewritten. 6 biography,
curriculum vitae, life (story); facts, experiences, adventures,
fortunes: His story is going to be made into a film.


stout adj. 1 fat, obese, tubby, overweight, thickset, heavy-set, big,
burly, corpulent, fleshy, heavy, plump, portly: She squeezed
onto the seat between the door and a rather stout man. 2

valiant, brave, undaunted, dauntless, hardy, courageous,
gallant, plucky, valorous, staunch, resolute, doughty, bold,
gallant: 'Stout fellow!' exclaimed the colonel, the ultimate
compliment he was ever heard to utter. 3 strong, tough,
substantial, durable: Tie stout cord round the box before
posting it. 4 brawny, sturdy, healthy, robust, strapping,
stalwart, lusty, hulking, athletic, Colloq beefy, husky: Two
stout bouncers flanked the entrance to the club.


stow v. pack, store, load, deposit, put (away), place; cram, stuff,
wedge, bundle, jam; hide, secrete, conceal, cache, Colloq stash
(away): We stowed our gear the moment we went aboard. They
couldn't stow another thing in the basement. Where did he stow
the pistol when the police searched the place?


straggle v. stray, ramble, loiter, rove, prowl, range, drift, wander,
meander, (be) spread, Colloq mosey: Thousands of refugees
straggled along the road away from the bombed village.


straight adj. 1 direct, unbending, undeviating, uncurved, regular,
linear: The tracks are straight for as far as the eye can see.
2 erect, vertical, upright, upstanding, perpendicular; plumb:
Stop slouching and stand up straight. He stood straight as a
ramrod. 3 even, square, true, right, flat, smooth, horizontal,
level: Are you sure that the billiard table is straight? 4
honest, frank, straightforward, direct, forthright, legitimate,
(fair and) square, fair, equitable, just, above-board, upright,
respectable, decent, trustworthy, honourable, dependable,
reliable, Colloq upfront: Sternway seems to be perfectly
straight in his business dealings. 5 unequivocal, unambiguous,
straightforward, candid, plain, simple, explicit, blunt,
unembellished, unelaborated, unqualified, outright, accurate:
The straight facts are given in this article. The police cannot
get a straight story out of him as to his whereabouts last
night. 6 direct, point-blank, straightforward, straight from the
shoulder, candid, outright, plain, frank, no-nonsense: Do you
mind answering a straight question? 7 shipshape, orderly, neat,
tidy, in order, arranged, organized, sorted out, spruce,
straightened out: I wish Leonard would put his room straight
before the guests arrive. 8 sober, staid, sedate, serious,
unsmiling, unemotional, impassive, emotionless, taciturn,
composed, mask-like: It was impossible to keep a straight face
during the school play. 9 undiluted, neat, unmixed, pure,

unadulterated, uncut, unmodified, unaltered, unalloyed: He
likes his whisky straight. 10 even, square, settled,
straightened out, agreed: The account will be straight when
Dick makes the last payment. 11 heterosexual, normal, Slang
hetero: Till Evelyn came out of the closet, I thought he was
straight.

--adv. 12 directly, right, undeviatingly, unswervingly; as the
crow flies, in a beeline: I should have known she would go
straight to the police. 13 (straight) ahead: Go straight for a
mile and you'll see it on the right. 14 Sometimes, straight
out. directly, unequivocally, unambiguously, forthrightly,
straightforwardly, point-blank, candidly, plainly, simply, in
plain or simple English, explicitly, outright, honestly,
accurately: Just give me the story straight, without beating
about the bush. 15 Often, straight away or off. immediately, at
once, without delay, instantly, summarily, directly, right (away
or off), right off the bat, promptly, Colloq p.d.q. (= 'pretty
damned quick'): She went back to work straight after having the
baby. I told him straight off to leave town. 16 straight up.
without ice: I like my gin straight up.

straighten
v. 1 Often, straighten out. uncurl, untangle, disentangle,
unsnarl, unravel, unkink; clear (up), settle, resolve, sort out,
set or put straight or right or to rights, correct, adjust,
rectify: She decided to have her hair straightened. They are
busy straightening out the matter of father's will. 2 Often,
straighten out. reform, rehabilitate, organize, reorganize:
Perhaps psychotherapy will straighten him out. 3 Often,
straighten out or up. tidy (up), arrange, rearrange, neaten,
spruce up, put in order, clean (up): Would you help me
straighten up the place before you leave?


strainฐ v. 1 stretch, force, tax, overtax, burden, overburden,
overwork, push; exceed, surpass: His story that a bushy-haired
intruder had shot her strained the jury's credulity. 2 push,
pull, tug, heave, stretch, twist, wrench, struggle: As he
strained at his bonds the rope cut more deeply into his wrists.
3 injure, hurt, harm, impair, damage, overwork, tax, pull, tear,
twist, wrench: I strained my back lifting that box of books. 4
stretch, crane, twist; try (hard), struggle, strive, labour,
toil, push, make an effort, exert oneself: She strained to

catch a glimpse of the prince. They strained to hear every word.
5 filter, sift, drain, screen, sieve; winnow, draw off,
separate; purify, seep, percolate: Strain the soup to remove
the bones. Strain the dregs from the wine. The water is then
strained through sand.

--n. 6 sprain, injury, damage, harm, wrench: Strains often
hurt more than broken bones. 7 anxiety, worry; effort,
exertion, stress, tension, pressure, burden; tax, demand,
obligation: The strain began to tell on all of us. Another rope
was needed to relieve the strain on the first. This advertising
budget will put a great strain on our resources. 8 Often,
strains. air, melody, tune, song, sound, music: In the distance
I made out the faint strains of skirling bagpipes. 9 tenor,
tone, drift, inclination, tendency, quality, spirit, mood,
humour, character, complexion, cast, impression, thread, vein,
theme: I detected a mellowing strain in her letters.

strain n. 1 family, stock, ancestry, roots, extraction, derivation,
(family) background, heritage, descent, parentage, lineage,
pedigree, bloodline, race, line, descendants: This sample of
sweet pea came from an entirely different strain. 2 trace,
hint, suggestion, suspicion, soup‡on, streak, trait, mark,
indication, vestige, evidence, sign: There was a definite
strain of ruthlessness in her character.

strained adj. laboured, forced, artificial, stiff, tense, awkward,
uneasy, uncomfortable, difficult, tension-ridden,
self-conscious, unnatural, insincere, put-on: His already
strained relations with his wife scarcely improved when he met
Lisa.

strait adj. 1 narrow, tight, constricted, constricting, confining,
confined, restricting, restricted, limited, limiting, rigorous,
demanding, exacting; difficult, straitened: Strait is the gate
and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it.

--n. 2 Usually (except in gazetteers), straits. narrows,
channel: We coasted through the Straits of Magellan with all
sails flying. 3 dire or desperate or sore straits. bad or poor
state or condition, trouble, predicament, plight, mess, dilemma,
tight spot, hot water, US bind Colloq pickle, jam, scrape,

pretty or fine kettle of fish, US box: We shall be in dire
straits if father's cheque doesn't come soon.

straitened
adj. inadequate, insufficient, reduced, oppressed, distressed,
needy, necessitous, poor, poverty-stricken, indigent,
impoverished, destitute, penniless, insolvent, Colloq hard up,
US strapped: As a writer, he was accustomed to living in
straitened circumstances between sales of his stories.


strait-laced
adj. priggish, prim, conservative, old-fashioned, Victorian,
old-maidish, proper, prudish, puritanical, moralistic, strict,
narrow-minded, (over-)scrupulous, fussy, Colloq pernickety or US
also persnickety, stuffy, goody-goody: Her aunt has the
strait-laced notion that girls ought to be home by ten o'clock.

strange adj. 1 odd, peculiar, bizarre, weird, curious, uncommon,
unusual, rare, singular, exceptional, eccentric, weird, funny,
quaint, fantastic, out of the ordinary, extraordinary,
out-of-the-way, queer, outlandish, unheard-of, grotesque,
abnormal, remarkable, surprising, inexplicable, unaccountable,
uncanny, Colloq offbeat, far-out, Slang kinky, Brit rum, US
kooky: I had a strange dream last night. 2 unfamiliar,
unknown, unaccustomed: The children were warned not to get into
strange cars. She was overwhelmed by the strange culture of her
husband's country.

stranger n. foreigner, outlander, alien, newcomer, visitor: The people
in these parts don't take kindly to strangers.

stratagem n. trick, artifice, device, dodge, subterfuge, lure, wile,
ruse, plan, scheme, plot, intrigue, manoeuvre, ploy, tactic:
What stratagem did they use to tempt you to attend this boring
affair?

strategic adj. tactical, key, crucial, principal, cardinal, critical,
vital, key: That line of supply is of strategic importance.
Sending in the landing force was a strategic manoeuvre.


strategy n. plan, tactic(s), design, policy, procedure, scheme,
blueprint, Colloq game or master plan, scenario: The enemy's
strategy calls for quick air strikes by low-flying bombers.


stratum n. 1 layer, level, stratification, table, vein, seam; plane:
These coal strata have been mined for hundreds of years. 2
level, caste, class, rank, station, standing, status, bracket,
group, estate: She married someone from a higher stratum of
society.

stray v. 1 wander, roam, rove, range, straggle, drift, meander: They
found the ponies straying up the valley and across the moor. 2
deviate, diverge, wander, digress, ramble, divagate, get or go
off the track or subject, go off on or at a tangent, get
sidetracked: She let her mind stray from the matter in hand.

--n. 3 straggler, vagrant, waif, US dogie: They have always
taken in and cared for strays.

--adj. 4 vagrant, lost, roving, roaming, wandering, homeless,
derelict, abandoned: The problem with stray pets increases when
people abandon them on returning home after the summer. 5
random, casual, chance, accidental, haphazard, singular, freak,
accidental, unexpected: A stray bullet caught him in the leg.
6 isolated, separate(d), lone, odd, single: She brushed a stray
hair from her face.


streak n. 1 stripe, striation, strip, stroke, bar, band, line, mark,
smear, slash, dash, touch, daub, fleck, trace; vein, layer,
seam, stratum: The male bird is marked with a streak of bright
reddish-orange on its throat. A red streak marks the iron
deposit. 2 flash, bolt: I saw the dark figure in the light from
a streak of lightning. 3 spell, spate, period, stretch, run:
They were celebrating their streak of good luck at the roulette
table.

--v. 4 stripe, striate, line, bar, mark, smear, daub, slash:
Dawn was beginning to streak the sky when she left the party. 5
race, run, rush, dash, sprint, dart, hurtle, fly, scoot, speed,
hasten, hurry, tear, whistle, zip, zoom, Colloq whiz or whizz:
The gang streaked through the village on their motor cycles and
were gone.


stream n. 1 brook, brooklet, streamlet, rivulet, tributary, river,
freshet, run, watercourse, waterway, channel, Chiefly literary
rill, runnel, Literary or N Brit dialect beck, burn, Archaic NE

US except in placenames kill, US creek, branch: If the streams
continue to swell, flooding can be expected in low-lying areas.
2 flow, current, outpouring, effluence or efflux, effusion,
rush, spurt, surge, fountain, geyser, torrent, flood, deluge,
cataract, cascade: A stream of bubbles showed where the diver
was swimming. A stream of obscenities poured from his lips. 3
flow, rush, swarm, tide, flood, deluge, succession, series, row,
line, string, chain, barrage, Brit queue: Simon has had a
constant stream of visitors all morning.


--v. 4 run, flow, course, glide, rush, slide, slip, surge;
pour, issue, emanate, gush, flood, spout, well up or out or
forth, squirt, spurt, shoot, jet; cascade: The rain streamed
down the windows. 5 issue, emanate; rush, surge, pour, flood,
file, proceed, march, walk, move: People streamed in and out of
the building all day long.

streamer n. pennant, banner, pennon, flag, bannerette or banneret,
banderole or banderol or bannerol, gonfalon or gonfanon, jack,
burgee: A long streamer fluttered from the mast.

streamlined
adj. 1 aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, curved, curvilinear; smooth,
flowing: Streamlined design began to appear in cars and boats
in the 1930s. 2 modern, ultra-modern, modernistic, modernized,
up to date, time-saving, labour-saving, compact,
(well-)organized, efficient, automated: Mother always dreamt
about having a streamlined kitchen. 3 well-run, smooth,
efficient, automated, labour-saving, time-saving, profitable,
productive, simplified: He designed a fully streamlined
manufacturing process for us.

street n. 1 thoroughfare, way, road, roadway, high road, avenue,
concourse, boulevard, lane, drive, terrace, circle, row,
passage, alley, byway: I don't know the name of the street
where she lives. 2 up (someone's) Brit street or US alley.
(someone's) cup of tea, in (someone's) bailiwick, suiting
(someone) to a T: Crossword puzzles are very much up Eugene's
street.


strength n. 1 power, might, force, mightiness, robustness, toughness,
stoutness, sturdiness, brawn, brawniness, muscle, sinew: Do you
have the strength to lift that by yourself? 2 fortitude,

backbone, stamina, tenacity, tenaciousness, will-power,
perseverance, persistence, resoluteness, resolution,
pertinacity, nerve, grit, pluck, determination, gameness,
intrepidity, firmness, stability, Colloq guts, gutsiness, spunk,
US intestinal fortitude, stick-to-it-iveness: Sally was a tower
of strength when I needed her the most. 3 talent, ability,
aptitude, gift, strong point, asset: One of his strengths is
being able to sight-read music. 4 concentration,
concentratedness, intensity, potency: Coffee of that strength
would keep me awake all night. 5 vigour, force, energy, power,
potency, intensity: The strength of the wind was great enough
to pick up cars and toss them about. 6 durability, power,
toughness, stability, reliability, resistance, solidity,
stamina, ruggedness, endurance, soundness: The manufacturer
claims that his product has the strength to resist wear for a
hundred years. 7 persuasiveness, cogency, weight, force,
convincingness, incisiveness, soundness: There is no disputing
the strength of the argument against smoking.


strengthen
v. 1 reinforce, renew, bolster, fortify, support, confirm,
corroborate, substantiate, buttress, step up, boost: A thousand
troops were sent to strengthen the garrison at Fort Old. 2
encourage, hearten, invigorate, fortify, rejuvenate, nourish,
energize, vitalize, toughen, brace (up), steel, innervate,
stiffen: Whatever she said seems to have strengthened his
determination to succeed.

strenuous adj. 1 demanding, taxing, tough, arduous, laborious, toilsome,
burdensome, tiring, exhausting, difficult, hard, uphill:
Hauling in the fishing nets was strenuous work. 2 energetic,
active, vigorous, enthusiastic, zealous, earnest, dynamic,
intense, indefatigable, tireless, persistent, dogged,
determined, tenacious, pertinacious, resolute, sincere, eager:
He has made a strenuous effort to be more accommodating.

stress n. 1 emphasis, force, pressure, forcefulness, accent,
accentuation, prominence, Technical ictus: Many people place
the stress on the first syllable of 'controversy'. 2 emphasis,
significance, importance, weight, force, insistence, urgency:
She lays too much stress on looks. 3 (stress and) strain,
burden, anxiety, worry, distress, pain, grief, suffering,
anguish, pressure, tenseness, tension: She has four elderly

people to care for, and the stress is beginning to show.

--v. 4 emphasize, accent, accentuate, lay stress or emphasis
on, underscore, underline, mark, note, make a point of, bring
home, focus on, bring into prominence, spotlight, feature,
highlight: The conference succeeded in stressing the importance
of a good home life. 5 strain, put under strain or stress,
upset, disturb, burden, worry, distress, Brit pressurize or US
pressure: Duncan was terribly stressed after a few months in
the new job.

stretch v. 1 extend, reach; span, spread: Her memory stretches back to
the first World War. His Texas ranch stretches as far as the eye
can see. 2 distend, lengthen, elongate, widen, broaden, swell,
draw or pull out, balloon, inflate, enlarge, expand, increase,
dilate, blow up: Stretch the netting to cover the frame. 3
overtax, overextend; warp, strain, distort, bend, break: We
like to stretch our employees in this company. He is stretching
the rules by allowing undergraduates to take his course.


--n. 4 elasticity, give, resilience, resiliency,
stretchability, stretchiness: There isn't much stretch left in
this old rubber band. 5 extent, reach, span, spread, expanse,
sweep, area, tract, US section: There is a stretch of desert
just south of the coast. 6 time, stint, period, spell, term,
tour (of duty), Colloq US and Canadian hitch: He signed up for
a two-year stretch in the navy. He once did a six-month stretch
in prison for assault.


strew v. scatter, bestrew, sprinkle, disperse, spread, toss,
distribute; litter: Rubbish was strewn all over the floor.

stricken adj. 1 Usually, stricken by. struck (down) (by), hit (by), laid
low (by or with), affected (by or with), afflicted (with),
racked (by or with): He was stricken by pneumonia but is
recovering. 2 affected (by), smitten (by), overwhelmed (by or
with), overcome (by or with), plagued (by or with), tormented
(by); broken, crushed, demoralized, broken-hearted,
grief-stricken: He was stricken by her beauty. During the
plague year, commerce virtually ceased with the stricken city of
London.

strict adj. 1 rigorous, narrow, close, undeviating, confining,

constricting, constrictive, rigid, defined, precise, exact,
exacting, stringent, meticulous, compulsive, punctilious,
finicky or finical, scrupulous, attentive, conscientious,
faithful, thorough, complete: The judge's strict interpretation
of the law left no room for leniency or sympathy. 2 severe,
austere, authoritarian, autocratic, stern, firm, hard, tough,
uncompromising, inflexible, cold-blooded, iron-fisted,
tyrannical, harsh, ruthless, pitiless, unsympathetic: Miss
Wells is remembered by all her students as a strict
disciplinarian.

stricture n. 1 interdiction, blockage, restriction, restraint,
constraint, deterrent, impediment: The strictures imposed on
credit have throttled trade. 2 criticism, censure: He deplored
conservative strictures against anything new in the arts.

strident adj. shrill, raucous, harsh, loud, grating, stridulous,
stridulant, scraping, scratching, scratchy, grinding, hoarse,
rough, guttural, husky, gravelly, rasping, jarring, discordant,
unharmonious, unmelodious, unmusical, cacophonous, croaking,
creaking: Her strident voice could be heard all over the
building.

strife n. 1 discord, disharmony, disagreement, difference, conflict,
rivalry, competition, contention, dispute, dissension, struggle,
squabbling, bickering, arguing, quarrelling: The nation is torn
by the strife of perpetual labour disputes. 2 animosity,
friction, hard feelings, bad feeling(s), bad blood, antagonism,
ill will, hatred, enmity, hostility, unfriendliness: The strife
between us will continue because our philosophies differ so
radically.

strike v. 1 hit, deal a blow to, knock, smack, thump, thwack, crown,
cuff, punch, smite; beat, hammer, belabour, batter, pummel or
pommel, pelt, buffet, thrash; cudgel, bludgeon, club, whip,
horsewhip, scourge, lash, cane, flog, birch, slap, Colloq
wallop, slug, whack, clout, sock, conk, belt, bash, lambaste,
bop: Small wonder he struck you after what you called his wife.
2 deliver, deal, aim, direct: He struck a blow for freedom. 3
hit, collide with, land on or in or against, smash or bump or
bang or crash or dash into, go or run into, impact: Mrs
Humphrey's car went out of control and struck a tree. 4 remove,
take away, take apart, dismantle, knock down; take or pull or

haul down: Stage-hands struck the set. As the wind piped up we
struck the mainsail. 5 Usually, strike off or from or out.
obliterate, expunge, erase, eradicate, blot out, delete,
scratch, eliminate, rub out, cross (out), cancel, wipe out, US x
out: After the scandal, his name was struck off the register.
Strike out any references that might be thought libellous. 6
light, ignite: He struck a match to see where he was going. 7
affect, impress, influence, afflict, Colloq hit: The death of
her kitten struck Mandy to the heart. 8 make, reach, attain,
conclude; agree or settle (on), ratify, confirm: We struck a
bargain on the sale of the car. 9 occur or come to, dawn on or
upon, Colloq hit, register (with): It suddenly struck me that
you are leaving tomorrow. 10 impress, print, stamp, punch,
mint, make: They have struck a new gold coin for collectors.
11 instil, implant, induce: Horror films struck fear into our
hearts when we were children. 12 assume, adopt, put on,
display, affect, take on, feign: He struck a supercilious pose
of insouciant hauteur that annoyed her intensely. 13 Often,
strike down. afflict, affect, attack, indispose, incapacitate,
disable, cripple, invalid: Polio struck her down in the prime
of life. 14 encounter, come or happen or hit upon, come across,
chance upon, discover, stumble on, find: The news is that
they've struck oil in the North Sea. 15 revolt, rebel, mutiny,
walk out (of or off the job): The machinists struck at
midnight, bringing the industry to a halt. 16 strike on or upon.
dream up, devise, conjure up, improvise, work out, invent,
contrive, come up with, hit on or upon, arrive at: The
alchemist never did strike upon a way to turn lead into gold.
17 strike out. a fail, get nowhere, Colloq US miss the boat,
flop, come a cropper, Slang US blow it, blow the gaff, come to
nothing or naught or nought: Tim always strikes out when it
comes to girls. b See 5, above. 18 strike up. (cause to) begin
or start or commence: The band struck up. We struck up an
acquaintance aboard ship.


--n. 19 attack, assault: A dawn air strike is planned. 20
walk-out, sit-down (strike), job action, slow-down, go-slow,
work-to-rule: They will call a strike if negotiations break
down.


striking adj. remarkable, astounding, astonishing, amazing, wondrous,
awe-inspiring, awesome, stunning, impressive, imposing,
fabulous, out of the ordinary, unusual, rare, exceptional,

marvellous, extraordinary, magnificent, superb, splendid,
stupendous, Colloq great, smashing, Slang old-fashioned Brit
ripping, ripsnorting, top-hole, topping: I met the most
striking girl at the golf club.


string n. 1 line, cord, thread, twine, fibre, rope, cable, ligament,
strand, filament: To fly a kite one needs the right weight of
string. 2 leash, lead, leader: Why does he let her drag him
around on the end of a string? 3 line, row, series, sequence,
succession, chain, procession, stream, train, file, Chiefly Brit
queue: A string of coincidences led to their meeting again
after twenty years. 4 necklace, chain, loop, strand, dog-collar,
choker, chaplet, wreath, riviŠre, Archaic carcanet: In her hair
was a string of pearls. 5 pull strings or wires. use or exert
influence, Colloq throw one's weight around: He had to pull
strings to get his son a job on the paper. 6 pull the strings.
be in control, control, run, operate, dominate, be in command,
be in the driver's seat, hold the reins, manipulate: She is the
one who pulls the strings when it comes to new investments. 7
strings. conditions, stipulations, provisos, qualifications,
requirements, prerequisites, terms, obligations, limitations,
provisions, musts, Colloq catches: I might have known that
there would be strings attached to their offer of a free holiday
in Corfu.


--v. 8 thread, join: The children were busy stringing beads to
make necklaces. 9 Often, string together or up. loop, festoon,
link, drape, suspend, sling, hang, array, concatenate, chain
together: At holiday time, coloured lights are strung round the
town square. 10 string along. a follow, go along (with),
agree, concur, collaborate: I said I would string along with
the plan for the time being. b keep waiting or dangling, keep
on a string, keep on tenterhooks, Colloq play fast and loose
with (someone): She's just stringing you along till her
boyfriend comes back. c fool, deceive, bluff, dupe, cheat,
trick, hoax, Colloq take someone for a ride, put one or
something over on (someone): They strung Harold along for
months before they made off with his life savings. 11 string
out. a stretch, reach, extend: The line of refugees strung out
as far as one could see. b delay, postpone, drag out, protract,
spin out: He strung out the repayment for as long as possible.
12 string up. hang, lynch: He knew that if the jury didn't
convict him the townspeople would string him up.


stringy adj. fibrous, chewy, sinewy, gristly, ropy, leathery, tough:
The beef was somewhat stringy and the potatoes were overcooked.


stripฐ n. band, ribbon, fillet, belt, swath or swathe, stripe: She
wore a strip of embroidered silk tied round her head. They began
farming the strip of land near the lake.

strip v. 1 peel, skin, bare, uncover, denude, lay bare, decorticate,
excoriate, flay: The woodwork will need stripping before you
repaint it. 2 disrobe, undress, get undressed, unclothe, strip
down to nothing or to the skin or to the buff or to (one's)
birthday suit, take off or peel off or divest (oneself) of or
shed (one's) clothes or clothing, get naked: The doctor told me
to go behind the screen and strip. 3 (do a) striptease, US work
the runway: Sugar Caine says she enjoys stripping for an
appreciative audience. 4 remove, take away, confiscate, seize,
expropriate, Slang rip off: He was accused of stripping the
assets from the companies he purchased. 5 rob, pillage,
despoil, plunder, ransack, loot, sack: Armies could be raised
only by letting them strip the cities they conquered.

stripe n. 1 band, bar, striation, strip, streak, line, stroke, slash,
length: Each railway car has a bright orange stripe along each
side. 2 style, kind, sort, class, type, complexion, character,
nature, description, persuasion, kidney, feather: These new
students are of a completely different stripe.

striped adj. streaked, lined, striated: Why not wear your striped
dress to the party?

stripling n. lad, boy, adolescent, juvenile, minor, schoolboy, youngster,
teenager, youth, young fellow or man, fledgling, Dialect
gossoon, young 'un, Archaic hobbledehoy: The police cadet was a
callow youth, a mere stripling.

strive v. 1 endeavour, strain, struggle, make every effort, attempt,
try (hard), do one's best or utmost, exert oneself, work at,
Colloq give (it) one's all, go all out: Jim strove to keep his
self-control. Jennie strives for perfection in all she does. 2
compete, contend, fight: One must often strive against
unbelievable odds to achieve a goal.

stroke n. 1 blow, rap, tap, thump, knock, smack, whack, swipe, slam,
strike, Colloq wallop: One stroke of the hammer and the nail
went in. 2 action, motion, go, move, movement, feat,
achievement: She won the leading role and defeated her shyness
at one stroke. 3 flourish, movement, gesture; mark, dash,
Colloq splash: With a stroke of the pen the man's fate was
sealed. 4 beat, throb, pulse, pulsation, thump: His heart was
beating at exactly 72 strokes a minute. 5 attack, seizure, fit,
apoplexy, apoplectic fit, spasm, paralytic attack or fit;
Technical embolism, thrombosis, cerebrovascular accident,
aneurysm: Gerry has been incapacitated since he had a stroke.
6 pat, touch, caress: A few strokes of her fingers on my brow
and the headache was gone. 7 achievement, accomplishment, feat,
act, action, work; example; touch: Your idea of having a jazz
concert to raise money is a stroke of genius. 8 bit, jot or
tittle, scrap, iota, touch, stitch, hint, suggestion: You
haven't done a stroke of work all morning. 9 occurrence,
happening, matter: It was just a stroke of luck that I came
along when I did.


--v. 10 caress, pet, pat, fondle; massage, rub, soothe: His
heart beat faster when she stroked his hand lightly with her
fingertips.


stroll v. 1 amble, saunter, ramble, walk, wander, promenade, meander,
stray, Colloq mosey: I think I'll stroll over and buy a
newspaper.

--n. 2 amble, ramble, saunter, walk, wander, promenade,
meander, constitutional: Father rarely missed his Sunday stroll
in the park.

strong adj. 1 powerful, muscular, mighty, brawny, strapping, robust,
sturdy, stalwart, burly, stout, sinewy, athletic, wiry, Colloq
beefy, hefty, husky: He was so strong he carried both wounded
men 500 yards to safety. 2 powerful, concentrated, intense,
pungent, potent, sharp, piquant, acrid, heady, penetrating,
aromatic, fragrant, hot, spicy: There was a strong odour of
ammonia. The flavour is a little too strong for my taste. 3
smelly, odoriferous, noisome, stinking, foul, mephitic, miasmic,
putrid, putrescent, rotten: There is a strong smell of rotting
flesh. 4 concentrated, undiluted, potent, intensified: How can
you drink such strong coffee and still sleep? 5 vigorous,

active, dynamic, energetic, eager, unflagging, tireless,
unfailing, diligent, indefatigable, staunch, true-blue,
steadfast, dedicated, enthusiastic, ardent, fervent, fervid,
vehement, rabid, zealous, resolute, determined, unwavering,
unswerving, firm, uncompromising, regular, persistent,
tenacious, sedulous, assiduous, hard-working: We could use
other strong party supporters like Sandy. 6 competent,
talented, skilled, qualified, knowledgeable, able, experienced,
well-versed, trained, efficient, capable: We are looking for
someone who is particularly strong in writing advertising copy.
7 influential, persuasive, convincing, compelling, trenchant,
unmistakable or unmistakeable, telling, great, profound;
effective, efficacious, effectual, powerful, formidable: His
evidence had a strong effect on the jury. She was taking very
strong medicine for her migraine. 8 well-supported, irrefutable,
well-substantiated, cogent, forceful, substantial, convincing,
conclusive: The police made out a very strong case against her
for premeditated murder. 9 well-established, well-founded,
redoubtable, substantial, powerful, formidable: The position
inside the fortress was quite strong. 10 likely, definite,
substantial, good, better than average, reasonable, sizeable:
There is a strong possibility that she will be elected. Sales of
cars were strong during the first quarter. 11 stable, sound,
solvent, prosperous, flourishing, thriving, affluent: The
economists think that the economy will remain strong. 12 solid,
sturdy, substantial, tough, well-built, reinforced, heavy-duty,
durable; hard-wearing: Is the cage strong enough to hold the
beast? 13 drastic, extreme, Draconian, high-handed, severe,
forceful, rigorous, harsh, stringent, aggressive, strenuous,
stiff, tough, Colloq hard-nosed: We had to resort to strong
measures. 14 numerous, large, considerable, great; numerically,
in number, in strength: They arrived on the battlefield with a
strong force of ten thousand men. Their army was ten thousand
strong. 15 vivid, graphic, etched, engraved, imprinted,
impressed; definite, clear-cut, clear, pronounced, distinct,
striking, marked: The memory of her embrace was still strong in
my mind. He bears a strong resemblance to his brother. 16
wilful, aggressive, combative, defensive, difficult, assertive,
incisive, dogmatic, doctrinaire, opinionated, self-willed,
hard-headed, strong-minded, recalcitrant, stubborn, obstinate,
emphatic, Colloq pushy: One cannot deny that Caroline has a
strong personality. 17 vigorous, forceful, powerful, heavy:
Strong winds lashed the west coast last night. 18 rugged,

craggy, rough, weather-beaten: She was attracted by Martin's
strong, suntanned good looks. 19 dazzling, glaring, bright,
garish, brilliant, vivid, bold, blinding: The strong sunlight
made her her blink. Shocking pink is too strong a colour for a
small room. 20 urgent, strongly-worded, emphatic, assertive: A
proposal to repeal the tax was met by strong protests. 21
unvarying, the same, steady, stable, firm, balanced: The market
has remained strong all day. 22 emotional, deep-felt,
deep-rooted, basic, intense, fervent, passionate, deep, earnest:
Doris has very strong feelings on the subject of feminism.

--adv. 23 overbearingly, overenthusiastically, offensively,
aggressively, antagonistically, truculently: He always comes on
a bit strong when he's enthusiastic about something.


strong-arm
adj. threatening, menacing, bullying, high-pressure, thuggish,
violent, brutal, brutish, aggressive, terrorizing, terrorist,
intimidating, minacious: The gang use strong-arm tactics to
force shopkeepers to buy protection.

stronghold
n. fortress, bulwark, bastion, fastness, fortification,
citadel: The eastern district was one of the last strongholds
of the Labour Party.

strong-minded
adj. strong-willed, obstinate, firm, determined,
uncompromising, resolute, resolved, independent: He found he
was dealing with a very strong-minded young woman.

structure n. 1 form, shape, configuration, organization, arrangement,
make-up, framework, order, design, formation, system, nature,
character: The career structure of the company has served as a
model for similar firms. 2 building, edifice, house,
construction: Planning regulations allow only a certain kind of
structure in the residential areas.

--v. 3 construct, build, organize, design, form, shape,
arrange, systematize: Their language seems to be structured in
an unusual way.

struggle v. 1 strive, strain, expend energy, exert oneself, labour,

endeavour, try, attempt: He struggled to keep his head above
water. 2 contend, fight, wrestle, battle: They struggled
against the twin odds of poverty and sickness. 3 wriggle,
wiggle, squirm, writhe, twist, worm: She finally struggled free
of the ropes.

--n. 4 effort, exertion, strain; toil, work, travail, labour,
drudgery, striving, struggling: Earning even a humble living
was a struggle in those days. Was the outcome worth the
struggle? 5 contention, competition, contest, battle, fight,
tussle, match, clash, encounter, strife: The struggle between
good and evil continues.

strut v. swagger, parade, promenade, peacock, prance: She goes
strutting about the office as if she were the boss.

stub n. 1 butt, end, stump, tail (end), remnant, Colloq Brit
fag-end: He produced a stub of pencil from his pocket and began
to make notes. 2 counterfoil; receipt: You will need your
ticket stub for any claim.

stubborn adj. obstinate, unyielding, inflexible, intransigent,
intractable, uncompromising, mulish, pigheaded, refractory,
wayward, adamant, recalcitrant, bull-headed, persistent,
tenacious, pertinacious, unrelenting, dogged, determined: He
remains stubborn in his refusal to join the group.

student n. 1 pupil, learner, scholar, undergraduate, schoolboy,
schoolgirl, schoolchild, trainee, apprentice, disciple; Colloq
Brit swot or swotter or swat, US grind: Only students of
advanced standing are admitted to this class. 2 devotee,
follower, admirer, observer, evaluator, commentator, critic:
Nicole is a perceptive student of human nature.


studied adj. premeditated, deliberate, calculated, planned,
intentional, wilful, well-thought-out, conscious, contrived,
feigned, forced, laboured: He treated even the greatest crisis
with a studied air of insouciance.


studious adj. 1 assiduous, sedulous, diligent, industrious, attentive,
careful, painstaking, thorough, tireless: Miniaturists must pay
studious attention to detail. 2 scholarly, bookish, academic:
She refused to allow her athletic achievements to interfere with

her studious pursuits.

study v. 1 learn (about), read, con, memorize, burn the midnight oil,
lucubrate, Colloq bone up (on), cram, Brit swot or swat, mug up:
I want to study music. She has to study for an exam. 2
contemplate, consider, reflect on, think over or about, ruminate
on, chew over, turn over, weigh, ponder, deliberate over or on
or about, muse about or on, mull over, meditate on or about or
over: I want to study the problem before deciding what to do.
3 look or go into or over, look at, scan, examine, analyse,
inspect, investigate, scrutinize, survey, observe: The crime
squad studied every square inch of the murder scene. Avoiding
the issue as usual, Joyce silently studied her fingernails.


--n. 4 analysis, review, examination, survey, inquiry or
enquiry, investigation, scrutiny, research, exploration:
Government funds are paying for a study of the ecosystem of the
Norfolk Broads. 5 learning, lessons, bookwork, work, reading,
contemplation, investigation, Colloq boning up, cramming, Brit
swotting or swatting: The study of anthropology is what led him
to his theory of linguistic universals. 6 library, reading or
writing-room, sanctum (sanctorum), haunt, studio, retreat, den,
workroom, office: Let's go into the study and talk business.


stuff n. 1 substance, material, matter, fabric, ingredients, essence,
essentials, fundamentals, building blocks, makings: This is the
stuff that dreams are made on. Is hydrogen the basic stuff of
the universe? 2 equipment, goods, gear, trappings, kit, tackle,
accessories, paraphernalia, accoutrements or US also
accouterments, effects, belongings, possessions, things, bits
and pieces, impedimenta, baggage, property, chattels, furniture,
Brit lumber, Colloq junk, rubbish, crap, Brit clobber, Taboo
slang shit: Graham left all his stuff with his mother when he
went west. 3 spirit, attitude, grit, substance, makings,
talent(s), abilities, capabilities, qualities, attributes: Is
Simon the stuff of which commandos are made? 4 nonsense, trash,
rubbish, stuff and nonsense, twaddle, humbug, bunkum, tommy-rot,
balderdash, Colloq rot, garbage, bunk, tripe, poppycock, crap,
malarkey, boloney or baloney, bosh, hogwash, swill, claptrap,
piffle, hot air, flapdoodle, fiddle-faddle, codswallop, bull, US
horse feathers, Taboo slang bullshit, horseshit: You don't
believe all that stuff you've been reading about me, do you? 5
creations, accomplishments, things, works, materials, matter:

Without the attributions, I'd have trouble telling their stuff
apart.

--v. 6 jam, ram, cram, crowd, compress, pack, press, squeeze,
squash, shove, thrust, force: You couldn't stuff another
handkerchief into that suitcase. 7 line, fill, pack: Stuff the
chicken with the following mixture. 8 overeat, gorge,
overindulge, gormandize, gluttonize, Colloq make a pig or a hog
of oneself: They really stuffed themselves at the wedding
reception. 9 stuff up. clog, plug, obstruct, choke, block (up),
stop or US also pack up: Phone the plumber: the drain is
stuffed up again. The cold had given her a headache and a
stuffed-up nose.


stuffy adj. 1 close, airless, unventilated, oppressive, stifling,
suffocating, stale, musty, fusty, mouldy, mildewy, muggy, fetid
or foetid, frowzy or frouzy or frowsy, Brit frowsty: It was
stuffy in the ancient tomb. 2 pompous, pedantic,
self-important, self-centred, stodgy, old-fogyish or
old-fogeyish, old-fashioned, strait-laced, staid, conventional,
prim (and proper), priggish, niminy-piminy, stilted, stiff,
rigid, Colloq fuddy-duddy, uptight: What a bore to be trapped
for an entire evening with those stuffy old codgers!


stumble v. 1 falter, blunder, slip, trip, miss one's footing, stagger,
lurch, flounder: Minnie caught her heel in the grating and
stumbled. 2 falter, pause, hesitate, trip, slip, blunder: He
was very nervous and stumbled his way through his speech. 3
stumble on or upon. chance or come or happen on or upon, hit
upon, come or run across, find, discover, encounter, Colloq bump
into: I stumbled on a great new pub when I was out on Saturday.

stumbling-block
n. impediment, obstacle, bar, block, obstruction, hurdle,
hindrance, barrier, difficulty, snag: It was often labour
unions that proved the stumbling-blocks to technological
progress.

stump n. 1 stub, butt, end: The branches were lopped off, leaving
only the stumps.

--v. 2 mystify, confuse, perplex, bewilder, flummox, foil,
puzzle, baffle, confound, dumbfound or dumfound, stop, stymie,

nonplus, bring up short: I am completely stumped as to how the
trick was done. 3 campaign, electioneer, canvass, US and
Canadian barnstorm: The candidates are out stumping in the farm
areas in Iowa. 4 stump up. pay up or out, contribute, donate,
Colloq cough up, chip in, shell or fork out: Everyone at the
office stumped up for Peter's leaving present.

stun n. 1 daze, numb, benumb, knock out: I was stunned by an
unexpected blow to the solar plexus. 2 astonish, daze,
paralyse, stagger, stupefy, overcome, overwhelm, astound, jar,
shock, jolt, strike dumb, amaze, confound, bewilder, take
(someone's) breath away, Colloq shake up, bowl over,
discombobulate, flabbergast: The children were stunned to hear
that their mother had been arrested.


stunning adj. 1 stupefying, paralysing, staggering, benumbing, numbing;
knockout: Another stunning punch to the head and McGinty went
down. 2 beautiful, dazzling, brilliant, gorgeous, spectacular,
ravishing, sensational, extraordinary, remarkable, marvellous,
stupendous, fabulous, wonderful, superb, grand, divine,
heavenly, sublime, lovely, exquisite, glorious, astonishing,
astounding, amazing, striking, splendid, staggering,
overpowering, mind-boggling, earth-shaking, magnificent: There
stood the most stunning creature I had ever laid eyes on. The
team won a stunning victory in the county tournament.

stuntฐ n. caper, act, deed, feat, tour de force, exploit, trick, US
dido: The dangerous stunts are done by a stand-in for the star.


stunt v. stop, limit, delimit, restrict, check, arrest, put an end
to, end; impede, hamper, hinder, slow, retard: My parents
always told me that smoking would stunt my growth.

stunted adj. dwarfed, shrunken, undersized, small, tiny, diminutive,
little, wee: We saw a bonsai - a stunted Japanese potted tree -
that was hundreds of years old.

stupid adj. 1 unintelligent, fatuous, obtuse, bovine, dull, dense,
lumpish, doltish, simple, simple-minded, moronic, imbecilic,
cretinous, Boeotian, subnormal, feeble-minded, weak-minded,
stolid, dull-witted, dim, dim-witted, halfwitted, thick,
thick-witted, thickheaded, slow-witted, witless, brainless,
mindless, empty-headed, bird-brained, feather-brained,

feather-headed, rattle-brained, rattle-headed, ox-like,
boneheaded, addle-pated, addle-headed, addled, Chiefly Brit
imbecile, Chiefly US dumb, jerky, thimble-witted, Colloq dopey,
Brit dozy: He seemed really stupid in comparison with his
precocious younger sister. 2 foolish, silly, frivolous, asinine,
hare-brained, crazy, insane, mad, crack-brained, scatterbrained,
absurd, inane, idiotic, ridiculous, risible, laughable,
ludicrous, nonsensical, senseless, bootless, irresponsible,
irrational, ill-advised, foolhardy, half-baked, Colloq cuckoo,
cock-eyed, damn-fool, Chiefly Brit daft, barmy or balmy, US
cockamamie or cockamamy: He came up with one stupid plan after
another. 3 insipid, dull, tedious, boring, tiresome, humdrum,
prosaic, monotonous, unimaginative, uninspired, uninteresting,
vapid, vacuous, Colloq ho-hum: Most sitcoms feature stupid
characters doing stupid things.

stupidity n. 1 fatuity, obtuseness, dullness, denseness, lumpishness,
doltishness, simplicity, simple-mindedness, imbecility,
cretinism, feeble-mindedness, weak-mindedness, stolidity,
dull-wittedness, dimness, dim-wittedness, halfwittedness,
thick-wittedness, slow-wittedness, thimble-wittedness,
witlessness, brainlessness, mindlessness, empty-headedness,
feather-headedness, rattle-headedness, boneheadedness: In
public affairs stupidity is more dangerous than knavery. 2
foolishness, folly, asininity, craziness, insanity, madness,
absurdity, absurdness, inanity, idiocy, ridiculousness,
risibility, ludicrousness, nonsense, senselessness,
bootlessness, irresponsibility, irrationality, foolhardiness:
The stupidity of such a venture is obvious when you consider the
enormous risk and the minuscule return.

stupor n. insensibility, stupefaction, torpor, lethargy, listlessness,
languor, laziness, lassitude, lifelessness, supineness, inertia;
inertness, coma, trance, unconsciousness, numbness: His stupor
might be caused by the medication he is taking for his cold.

sturdy adj. 1 strong, solid, stout, rugged, tough, well-built,
substantial; strapping, muscular, powerful, brawny, burly,
robust, well-muscled, athletic, hardy, Colloq husky, hefty:
This ladder should be sturdy enough to hold you. James got that
sturdy build from exercise. 2 stalwart, staunch, steadfast,
resolute, firm, vigorous, determined, uncompromising,
unyielding, unwavering, unswerving, unfaltering, enduring,

indomitable: One must admire her sturdy independence in the
face of all that criticism.

style n. 1 type, kind, variety, category, genre, sort, manner, mode,
make, design, fashion, look, period, pattern, configuration,
line, cut, shape, form: That style of jacket looks really good
on you. They are planning to build the house in the pointed
Gothic style. 2 fashion, trend, vogue, mode, look, rage, craze,
Colloq fad, (latest) thing: The current style is for shorter
skirts. 3 luxury, high style, comfort, opulence, splendour,
elegance: Now that he's won all that money, they live in style
on the Costa Smeralda. 4 chic, stylishness, taste, smartness,
flair, dash, ‚lan, panache, cachet, tastefulness,
fashionableness, elegance, refinement, polish, sophistication,
sophisticatedness, cosmopolitanism, Colloq pizazz; ritziness:
Irena has more style in her little finger than you have in your
whole body. 5 quality, character, mode of expression, approach,
treatment, vein, colouring, spirit, mood, form, technique;
tenor, tone, wording, phraseology, phrasing, language,
vocabulary, word choice, diction, sentence structure: The
pointillist style of painting appeals to many. His style of
writing is reminiscent of Stevenson's. 6 in style. See stylish,
below.


--v. 7 characterize, designate, denominate, call, name, term,
label, tag, brand: The use of the indicative for the
subjunctive is no longer styled a solecism in British English. 8
fashion, design, arrange, set, do, cut, tailor, shape, form:
Antoine styled my hair in a page-boy for the reception.


stylish adj. chic, fashionable, smart, … la mode, modish, in style or
fashion or vogue, elegant; chichi; Colloq in, with it, swanky,
Chiefly Brit trendy, Slang swell, neat, classy, snazzy, US
spiffy: Nicole always looks so stylish.


stymie v. thwart, obstruct, block, frustrate, snooker, defeat, spike,
ruin, foil, confound, stump, nonplus, hinder, impede, Colloq
flummox: The government has stymied all efforts to have him
extradited.


styptic adj. astringent: The styptic effect of alum stops bleeding.

19.14 suave...

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



suave adj. debonair, sophisticated, urbane, cosmopolitan, worldly,
smooth, gracious, nonchalant, civilized, cultivated, courteous,
diplomatic, polite, charming, agreeable, affable, bland:
Fictional detectives range from the suave Simon Templar to the
earthy Philip Marlowe.


subconscious
adj. 1 subliminal, unconscious, suppressed, hidden, latent,
repressed, inner, innermost, underlying, deep-rooted, Colloq
Freudian: Despite his belligerence, he has a subconscious
desire to be loved.


--n. 2 (collective) unconscious, inner self; heart: Her
subconscious tells her that all confined areas are dangerous.

subdue v. 1 put or beat down, quell, repress, suppress, quash, crush,
control, master, overpower, gain mastery or control or the upper
hand over, get the better of, dominate, triumph over, hold or
keep in check, bridle, tame: Having subdued the uprising,
government forces are again in control. 2 conquer, vanquish,
defeat, overcome: The Mongol horde subdued all the people in
their path. 3 quiet(en) or tone down, moderate, mellow, temper,
soften, soft-pedal, check, curb, control: His anger was subdued
by her calm words.

subdued adj. 1 quiet, mellow(ed), toned down, moderate(d), tempered,
hushed, muted, low-key, unenthusiastic, repressed, restrained,
peaceful, tranquil, placid, calm(ed), temperate, reserved:
There was a little subdued criticism at first, but the bill was
passed. 2 chastened, sober, sobered, solemn, saddened, dejected,
sad, down in the mouth, crestfallen, downcast, grave, serious:
He looked subdued when he emerged from the headmaster's office.

subject n. 1 (subject-)matter, topic; issue, theme, angle, thesis,
gist, substance, business, affair, point: What is the subject
of conversation today? The subject under discussion was of
crucial importance. 2 course (of study), field, area,
discipline, branch of knowledge: In which subject did Frank
take his doctorate? 3 cause, ground(s), motive, reason, basis,
source, rationale; excuse: Increased taxes are always a subject

of complaint. 4 participant, case, guinea-pig, testee: The
subjects of the experiment were all in their thirties. 5
citizen, national; taxpayer, voter; liegeman, vassal: She
became a British subject after her marriage to Frank.


--adj. 6 Usually, subject to. exposed (to), open (to),
vulnerable (to), susceptible (to), prone (to), disposed (to), at
the mercy (of), liable (to suffer or undergo): She is subject
to asthma attacks. This kind of wood is subject to worm
infestation. 7 discussed, under discussion, referred to, above:
The subject book was not returned before the due date. 8
subject to. a answerable to, responsible for, bound by,
obedient to, subservient to, submissive to, controlled by, under
the control of: You are subject to the same laws as everyone
else. b dependent on, conditional on, contingent on: All leave
is subject to the approval of the departmental head.

--v. 9 subject to. expose, lay open, submit, put through,
impose on, cause to undergo: How could anyone subject another
human being to such cruelty? 10 conquer, subjugate, dominate,
subdue, enslave, enthral, crush, humble: The peoples subjected
by the Romans sometimes fared better than when independent.

subjection
n. subordination, domination, conquest, subjugation,
enslavement, enthralment, humbling, humiliation: Their goal was
the subjection of all peoples in the Mediterranean area.

subjective
adj. 1 personal, individual, idiosyncratic; prejudiced, biased:
His review of the play was entirely subjective. 2 self-centred,
egoistic, egocentric, selfish, self-serving: Your approach is
much too subjective to be of interest to others.


--n. 3 Technical nominative: The subjective of 'me' is 'I'.

subjugate v. dominate, enslave, enthral, crush, humble, subject, oppress,
suppress, put down, tyrannize, subdue, reduce, quell, overcome,
overpower, make subservient or submissive, humble, humiliate:
Few peoples have been subjugated so ignominiously as the
American Indians.

sublimate v. transmute, alter, transform; channel, divert: He sublimates

his aggressions by jogging and marathon running.

sublime adj. 1 lofty, high, supreme, exalted, elevated, empyrean or
empyreal, heavenly, noble, glorious, grand, high-minded;
honourable, ennobled, eminent, glorified, beatified, canonized,
sanctified, great, good: Her poetry evokes sublime emotions. 2
awesome, overwhelming, inspiring, mind-boggling, overpowering,
humbling, awe-inspiring, majestic, splendid, empyrean: The
architecture of the cathedral was truly sublime.


subliminal
adj. subconscious, unconscious, suggestive: Advertisers know
that subliminal techniques can be very effective in TV
commercials.


submerge v. 1 plunge, submerse, immerse, inundate, dip, wash, soak,
drench, saturate, wet, douse, Colloq dunk: To cleanse, submerge
the garment in a basin of warm water for ten minutes. 2 dive,
plunge, go down, descend, sink, sound, plummet: The order to
submerge was given as soon as the planes were spotted. 3 flood,
immerse, inundate, swamp, bury, engulf, overwhelm, deluge,
drown; conceal, hide, camouflage, obscure, cloak, veil, shroud:
He was quickly submerged under an enormous pile of
correspondence.


submission
n. 1 concession, acquiescence, capitulation, surrender,
yielding, deference, giving in, obedience, compliance,
resignation, submissiveness, tractability; meekness, docility,
passivity, timidity, unassertiveness: After years of oppression
their abject submission to a new tyrant was not altogether
surprising. 2 submittal, offering, tender, contribution, entry:
Submissions for the essay competition should be sent to the
address given below.


submissive
adj. 1 yielding, acquiescent, deferential, compliant, obedient,
tractable, amenable, agreeable, accommodating, passive,
unresisting, pliant, flexible, manageable, unassertive, docile,
meek, timid, resigned, uncomplaining: As a child she was very
submissive but she rebelled in adolescence. 2 obsequious,
abject, subservient, servile, humble, deferential, slavish,
ingratiating, truckling, biddable, sycophantic, toadying, Colloq

boot-licking, Taboo slang brown-nosing, Brit arse-kissing,
arse-licking, US ass-kissing, ass-licking: She keeps a few
submissive lackeys about to do her bidding.


submit v. 1 Often, submit to. surrender (to), yield (to), capitulate
(to), give in or up (to), comply (with), agree (to), concede
(to), consent (to), accede (to), defer (to), bow or bend (to),
succumb (to), truckle (to), knuckle under (to), resign (oneself)
(to), be or become resigned (to); respect, accept, Colloq put up
with: Despite the threats, he refused to submit. The government
eventually submitted to the union's demands. 2 offer, proffer,
tender, enter, propose, present: Many of the suggestions that
Alan submitted have been accepted.


subordinate
adj. 1 Often, subordinate to. minor; inferior (to), lower
(than), lesser (than), secondary (to), second (to), junior (to),
subsidiary (to); next to, below, beneath, under: He had to
accept a subordinate position in the new company. His new job is
subordinate to that of purchasing director.

--n. 2 assistant, aide, junior, subaltern, staff member;
underling, hireling, inferior, lackey, servant, slave, vassal;
Colloq US staffer: She is a subordinate to the editor-in-chief.


--v. 3 make (something) secondary: Too many subordinate
community interest to personal greed.

subscribe v. 1 Often, subscribe to. endorse, support, underwrite,
advocate, back (up), approve (of), agree (with or to), accept,
consent (to), assent (to), countenance, tolerate, condone,
allow, permit, brook: I sympathize with many of their arguments
but I cannot subscribe to terrorism. 2 Often, subscribe to.
contribute (to), support, give (to), donate (to), pledge,
promise, sign (up) (for), Colloq chip in (to or for): Mrs
Donaldson has subscribed thousands to Amnesty International.

subscription
n. 1 payment, remittance, investment; commitment, dues, fee,
price, cost: The subscription is now œ100 a year. 2
obligation, pledge, promise, underwriting: If we get enough
subscriptions, we shall be able to print the book.

subsequent
adj. 1 succeeding, following, ensuing, next, future, later,
successive; resultant, resulting, consequent: Subsequent
governments have failed to solve the problem.


--prep. 2 subsequent to. after, following, succeeding, in the
wake or aftermath of: Further problems arose subsequent to
their second term of office.


subsequently
adv. later (on), afterwards or US also afterward:
Subsequently, the law was changed to protect witnesses.

subside v. 1 sink (down), drop (down), go down, recede, descend,
decline; lower, settle: The waters of the swollen river
subsided. The volcano's centre subsided, leaving a caldera. 2
abate, quiet(en) (down), calm (down), moderate, let up,
decrease, diminish, lessen, die (down or off or out), pass
(away), wear off: His enthusiasm for sky-diving subsided a bit
after he broke both legs. When the clamour had subsided, the
president rose to speak.

subsidiary
adj. Often, subsidiary to. ancillary (to), secondary (to),
auxiliary (to), lesser (than), additional (to), supplementary or
supplemental (to), complementary (to), accessory (to),
subordinate (to), adjuvant (to): The company offers removal of
hazardous waste as a subsidiary service.


subsidize v. fund, finance, support, aid, sponsor, subvene, maintain,
underwrite; capitalize, Slang US and Canadian bankroll: Bill
and Sue can only afford to live in that big house because her
parents subsidize them.


subsidy n. funding, financing, subsidizing, sponsoring, sponsorship,
assistance, aid, contribution, support, grant, subvention,
maintenance, underwriting, capitalization: Farmers are hoping
for increased subsidies.


subsistence
n. 1 existence, living, survival, subsisting, being: You are
worried about buying beer when I feel my very subsistence
threatened! 2 food, rations, victuals, provision, sustenance,

board, nourishment, nutriment, aliment; maintenance, keep,
upkeep: We depend on your salary for our subsistence, so forget
about quitting your job.


substance n. 1 material, matter, stuff; fabric, composition, make-up:
She couldn't recognize the substance in the bottle. The comet's
substance is mainly ice and dirt. 2 essence, pith, heart, core,
gist, burden, theme, meat, kernel, nub, crux, sum total, sum and
substance, point, gravamen, haecceity, quintessence, quiddity:
Explain, in 500 or fewer words, the substance of Hegel's dispute
with Kant. 3 meaning, import, significance, purport,
signification, point: Our visit to San Francisco gave substance
to all we had read about it. 4 reality, corporeality, solidity,
actuality, concreteness: You must learn to deal with the
substance, not the shadows. 5 means, wealth, property,
possessions, riches, resources, affluence, assets: John Culver
was a citizen of some substance in this town.

substantial
adj. 1 material, considerable, significant, great, worthwhile,
consequential, ample, goodly, respectable, abundant, generous,
big, large, sizeable, major, Colloq tidy, healthy: We
understand that he made a substantial payment to keep his name
out of the papers. 2 strong, solid, well-built, durable, sound,
stout, sturdy; big, large, massive, huge, sizeable, impressive,
vast; numerous, numberless: A substantial mausoleum was
constructed for his family. A substantial crowd had gathered. 3
well-founded, sound, weighty, solid, well-established, telling,
good, valid, actual: Many economists produced substantial
arguments in favour of another cut in interest rates. 4 wealthy,
well-to-do, rich, affluent, prosperous, profitable, successful;
landed, propertied: The Trevelyan Ironworks is a substantial
business, and Mr Trevelyan is one of our more substantial
businessmen.


substantially
adv. in substance, essentially, at bottom, fundamentally,
basically, in essence, intrinsically, in reality, at heart,
sincerely, truly, actually, in truth, veritably, indeed, in
fact, as a matter of fact; largely, to a large extent, in large
measure, materially, practically, in the main, for the most
part, mostly, virtually, to all intents and purposes; Archaic
verily: The article was substantially sound. Do you agree

substantially with the ruling of the court?

substantiate
v. confirm, affirm, corroborate, support, sustain, back up,
bear out, authenticate, show (clearly), prove, document, verify,
certify, validate: Do not make accusations that cannot be
substantiated by evidence.

substitute
v. 1 Sometimes, substitute for. replace, exchange, displace,
relieve, supplant; switch; take the place of, stand in for,
double for, Colloq sub for, cover for, swap or swop, US and
Canadian pinch-hit for: She substituted the real diamond with a
paste replica. I will substitute for you while you are away.


--n. 2 substitution, replacement, alternative, relief,
representative, deputy, delegate, stand-in, stand-by,
understudy, surrogate, succedaneum, Brit locum (tenens), US and
Canadian alternate: In those days a man could hire a substitute
to serve in his place in the militia.

substitution
n. 1 exchange, exchanging, change, changing, replacement,
replacing, supplanting, switch, switching, interchange,
interchanging, Colloq swap or swop, swapping or swopping: The
substitution of certain words distorted the sense. 2 See
substitute, 2, above.

substratum
n. substrate, foundation, underlayer, basis, fundament, base,
substructure, groundwork: The agreement rests on a substratum
of mutual trust and respect.

subterfuge
n. artifice, trick, device, stratagem, manoeuvre, ploy,
evasion, deception, dodge, feint, shift, excuse, expedient,
contrivance, intrigue: Although he told no lies, he used every
subterfuge to avoid telling the truth.


subtle adj. 1 delicate, fine, refined, exquisite, nice, Archaic
subtile: I became aware, almost subconsciously, of the subtle
odour of jasmine. These subtle shades of green are so peaceful.
2 abstruse, arcane, recondite, remote, deep, profound,

concealed, hidden, shadowy, nebulous, vague, obscure, veiled,
thin, airy, insubstantial, elusive, faint; sophistic(al): The
symbolism is so subtle as to be meaningful to the poet alone. A
subtle hint gave me to understand that I ought to go. 3 tricky,
shrewd, cunning, wily, sly, devious, crafty, smart, clever,
foxy, artful, scheming, designing, underhand(ed), deceptive,
Jesuitical, Machiavellian, ingenious, skilful, strategic,
insidious, casuistic, shifty, slick, slimy, Chiefly Brit smarmy:
You were a fool to allow that subtle serpent to insinuate
himself into your confidence.

subtlety n. 1 refinement, nicety, delicacy, exquisiteness, intricacy,
fineness, acuteness, elegance, sophistication: The subtlety of
the detail in this work is quite unique. One must admire the
subtlety of expression in her writing. 2 treachery, guile,
insidiousness, casuistry, cunning, artfulness, craftiness,
deviousness, slyness, deceptiveness: The subtlety of her
deception was revealed only after the war.


subtract v. 1 deduct, take away, take off, take (something) from: First
calculate the discount, then subtract it from the price. 2
Sometimes, subtract from. detract (from), diminish, take away
(from): Nothing could subtract from the exhilaration of that
moment.


subversion
n. overthrow, ruin, destruction, undermining, upheaval,
displacement: The dictator used extreme tactics to avoid the
subversion of his leadership.


subversive
adj. 1 subversionary, seditious, seditionary, treasonous,
treacherous, traitorous, revolutionary, insurrectionary: The
government regarded as subversive anything and anyone
disagreeing with their policies.

--n. 2 traitor, insurgent, saboteur, fifth-columnist,
collaborator, collaborationist, quisling, radical,
revolutionary, insurrectionist, insurrectionary; dissident,
defector: The security agencies were removing subversives from
sensitive jobs.

subvert v. overthrow, ruin, destroy, undermine, topple, demolish,

wreck, sabotage: The regime was subverted from within, not by
outside forces.

subway n. 1 Brit underground (railway), tube: She takes the subway to
work. 2 US tunnel, underpass: Use the subway to cross the road
in safety.

succeed v. 1 follow, come after, supervene: The end of the war in the
Pacific succeeded the surrender in Europe. 2 be successor (to),
follow, be heir (to), replace, take the place of, inherit or
take over from: Elizabeth I succeeded Mary in 1558. 3 Often,
succeed in or at. make good, thrive, prosper, flourish, be a
success, be successful, progress, advance, get ahead or on,
attain or gain or achieve success, win, triumph, Colloq make it,
arrive, get to the top: Has she succeeded in persuading you to
sing? He always wanted to make a lot of money and now he has
succeeded. They have succeeded at whatever they have tried.

success n. 1 good or happy result or outcome, good fortune,
achievement, triumph, attainment, ascendancy, prosperity: The
success of the fast food business is evident everywhere. 2
star, celebrity, (big) name, sensation: She was a great success
as a singer, dancer, and actress.


successful
adj. 1 wealthy, rich, prosperous, fortunate, lucky,
flourishing, thriving, prospering, well-to-do, affluent, Colloq
loaded, well-heeled, flush, in the money, US well-fixed: He is
a very successful investor. 2 lucrative, booming, profitable,
fruitful, moneymaking, remunerative: The shares they bought
proved to be a successful investment. How successful was last
year for the company? 3 famous, well-known, famed, celebrated,
renowned, eminent; prominent, pre-eminent, popular, leading,
top, best-selling: Constance is one of our most successful
poets. That book of mine was also successful. 4 victorious,
triumphant; first; winning: Henry was successful in his bid for
the chairmanship. I want to see a successful conclusion to the
tour.


succession
n. 1 passing (on), handing down or on, transmittal,
transmission, transfer, transferral, shift, conveyance,
conveyancing: According to her will, the succession of the

property is via her first-born. 2 sequence, progression, order,
series, turn, course, flow, chain, train, procession: The
succession of events was as he described. 3 accession,
assumption, attainment, elevation, promotion; inheritance: What
was the year of Charles II's succession to the Spanish throne?
4 lineage, descent, birthright, dynasty, ancestry, descendants,
bloodline: The 18th century began with the War of the Spanish
Succession. 5 in succession. one after or behind the other, at
intervals, successively, consecutively, in a row, running,
without interruption, uninterruptedly, in order, in line: They
published several historical novels in quick succession.

successive
adj. uninterrupted, continuous, unbroken, continual,
consecutive, succeeding: Last season he scored in sixteen
successive matches.

succinct adj. compact, brief, concise, pithy, terse, short, compressed,
condensed, epigrammatic: He prefers a succinct style of
writing, one that gets to the point.

succulent adj. juicy, rich, luscious, mouth-watering, toothsome: He was
eating a succulent peach with evident enjoyment.


succumb v. yield, give up, give way, surrender, accede, submit,
capitulate: I finally succumbed and agreed to their request for
help.

sucker n. dupe, goat, gull, victim, butt, cat's-paw, fool, Colloq
(easy) mark, easy or fair game, chump, pushover, soft touch,
Chiefly US and Canadian fall guy, Slang sap, pigeon, Brit mug,
Chiefly US and Canadian patsy: He's asking far too much for his
car, but some sucker will buy it.


sudden adj. unexpected, unannounced, unanticipated, unforeseen;
unwonted, surprising, startling; precipitate, abrupt, quick,
immediate, rapid, swift, brisk; impetuous, hasty, rash,
impulsive: His sudden turn caught us off balance. Your change
of heart was quite sudden.


suddenly adv. 1 in a flash or a moment or a split second, all at once,
instantly, instantaneously, momentarily, fleetingly, in the
twinkling of an eye, in a trice; quickly, abruptly, swiftly,

speedily, rapidly: Suddenly, my whole life flashed before me.
He suddenly realized why the head of MI6 had summoned him. 2 all
of a sudden, out of the blue, unexpectedly, without warning, on
the spur of the moment, hastily, hurriedly, feverishly:
Suddenly, she turned on her heel and stormed out.

sue v. 1 proceed or move or act (against), take (legal) action or
bring suit or prefer charges (against); summon(s), charge,
accuse: He threatened to sue. They are suing him for the
injuries they sustained. 2 petition, beg, plead, entreat, pray,
request, solicit, apply, beseech, implore, supplicate: After
five years of constant warfare, the country is suing for peace.

suffer v. 1 Sometimes, suffer from or with. agonize, smart, hurt,
writhe, sweat, ache: He is suffering with a stomach virus. How
terribly they suffered when their child was kidnapped! 2 endure,
undergo, experience, bear, live or go through, tolerate,
withstand, sustain, take, submit to, abide, submit to, Colloq
put up with: He suffered years of ill-health before he finally
died. 3 allow, tolerate, permit, let, admit, humour, indulge:
They suffer the storks to build their nests on their chimneys.
4 deteriorate, diminish, decline, go down, fall off, be reduced
or diminished: If you discontinue advertising, sales will
suffer.


suffering n. pain, agony, distress, misery, affliction, hardship,
torment, torture, tribulation, trial: The man's suffering is
written in his face.


suffice v. satisfy, serve, do, be sufficient or enough or adequate,
answer, sate, satiate, quench: If you are merely thirsty, water
should suffice.

sufficient
adj. adequate, enough: Have we sufficient food to last through
the winter?

suffix n. 1 ending, desinence, addition; affix: The suffix -ness is
added to many English adjectives to form nouns.


--v. 2 add (on), join, fasten to, subjoin, amend, Colloq tack
on: One can suffix -ness to a huge number of adjectives to form
nouns.


suffrage n. (right to) vote, voting right(s), franchise, voice, say,
ballot, option, choice: They campaigned for universal adult
suffrage.


suffuse v. overspread, imbue, pour or spread over, bathe, cover,
permeate, pervade, flood, flush, penetrate, saturate, mantle,
infuse, transfuse, imbrue or embrue: A rosy glow suffused her
face.


suggest v. 1 propose, advance, recommend, urge, advocate, support,
offer, proffer, put or set forward, present, mention, introduce:
He suggested going out to a pub for dinner. Can you suggest an
alternative? 2 call to mind, bring up, hint (at), imply,
insinuate, intimate, make one think, lead one to believe,
indicate: His silence suggested that this was not the right
time to pursue the matter.

suggestible
adj. impressionable, susceptible, receptive, impressible,
susceptive, open, mouldable, fictile: Patricia was very
suggestible at that age and readily believed everything that she
was told.


suggestion
n. 1 proposal, proposition, recommendation, plan, advice,
counsel, idea, notion, opinion; prompting, urging: The
committee rejected your suggestion that membership fees should
be increased. 2 indication, trace, whisper, insinuation,
innuendo, implication, intimation, hint, soup‡on, touch, tinge,
suspicion, breath, iota, jot or tittle: There wasn't the
slightest suggestion of animosity in her criticism.

suggestive
adj. 1 Often, suggestive of. reminiscent (of), evocative (of),
indicative (of): To me, the smell of orange blossom is always
suggestive of southern California. 2 provocative, naughty,
risqu‚, ribald, off colour, racy, bawdy, earthy, lusty, rude,
indelicate, unseemly, immodest, improper, indecent, prurient,
blue, offensive, vulgar, smutty, dirty, pornographic, lewd,
salacious, Colloq sexy, spicy, Slang raunchy: He used to sing
his suggestive songs in night clubs.

suit v. 1 adapt, accommodate, fit, adjust, tailor, make appropriate
or suitable: It will require some reorganization to suit the
office space to our needs. 2 please, satisfy, fill (someone's)
needs, gratify, be acceptable or suitable or convenient to or
for, befit; conform to: Choose whichever room suits you. The
schedule does not suit my personal plans at all.

--n. 3 jacket and trousers or skirt, outfit, uniform, ensemble,
costume, habit; garb, clothing, clothes, livery: He showed up
wearing a new silk suit. 4 lawsuit, action, case, proceeding,
process, cause, trial; litigation: I do not want to enter into
a suit over the damage to my car. 5 petition, plea, request,
entreaty, prayer, solicitation, application, appeal,
supplication; courtship: The king rejected all suits for his
daughter's hand in marriage.

suitable adj. appropriate, apt, fit, fitting, befitting, becoming,
right, proper, correct, acceptable, satisfactory, applicable,
meet, seemly; timely, opportune: John has at last found
suitable employment. A chandelier is not suitable at all for
such a low room. Is this a suitable time for me to ask you a
favour?

suitcase n. bag, valise, overnight bag, holdall, grip or Brit handgrip,
Brit formerly portmanteau: She packed enough for a week's
holiday into one small suitcase.

suite n. 1 set, series, collection, number: They gave us a beautiful
suite of rooms at the hotel. 2 set: She bought a new suite of
dining-room furniture. 3 following, retinue, entourage, train,
cortŠge, convoy, escort; followers, attendants, retainers: Her
suite includes advisors, secretaries, hairdressers, and
bodyguards.


suitor n. admirer, beau, wooer; boyfriend, paramour, lover, inamorato,
cicisbeo, escort, Archaic swain: Madelaine has more suitors
than I can count.

sulk v. mope, brood, pout, be sullen or moody or ill-humoured: I
wish you'd get a job instead of sulking about the house all day.

sullen adj. sulky, sulking, morose, brooding, pouting, gloomy, moody,
temperamental, dour, lugubrious, funereal, dismal, dreary, grim,

depressing, depressed, churlish, ill-humoured, glum, grumpy,
sombre, out of humour, antisocial, unsociable, cross, petulant,
perverse, crusty, crotchety, choleric, crabby, ill-natured,
ill-tempered, bad-tempered, splenetic, peevish, dyspeptic, out
of sorts, US cranky: He remained quite sullen and refused to
associate with anyone.

sully v. besmirch, stain, smirch, blemish, mar, defile, soil,
disgrace, dirty, tarnish, pollute, spoil, ruin, destroy, wreck:
Sadly, his reputation was sullied when his company was found to
be involved in insider trading.

sultry adj. 1 hot, humid, sticky, stuffy, stifling, oppressive, close,
muggy, steamy, steaming, moist, damp, sweltering, suffocating:
I was happy to be languishing again in the sultry warmth of St
Lucia. 2 lusty, lustful, passionate, erotic, seductive,
voluptuous, provocative, sensual, Colloq sexy, hot: She
continued her sultry, slow, sinuous dance.


sum n. 1 total, aggregate, grand total, sum total, whole, totality;
amount, quantity: The sum of money found in the satchel was not
revealed by the police. He would give the neighbourhood children
small sums to spend on sweets.


--v. 2 sum up. a recapitulate, summarize, encapsulate,
synopsize, digest, abridge, condense, consolidate, epitomize,
review: He summed up by reminding the children not to accept
gifts from strangers. b reckon, add up, calculate, total, tot
up, measure (up), take the measure of: They summed up their
chances of escaping. c estimate, evaluate, size up, assess:
She had summed him up the minute she saw him.

summarily adv. 1 immediately, at once, straightaway, directly, quickly,
without delay, unhesitatingly, without hesitation, forthwith,
promptly, swiftly, speedily, expeditiously, instantly, Colloq
p.d.q. (= 'pretty damned quick'): Any dog caught without a
muzzle will be impounded summarily. 2 suddenly, without
warning, abruptly, peremptorily, precipitately: He was
summarily dismissed, with no advance notice.


summary n. 1 summarization, recapitulation, encapsulation, compendium,
synopsis, digest, abridgement, condensation, shortening,
consolidation, epitome, epitomization, review, distillate,

conspectus, brief, outline, pr‚cis, r‚sum‚: I want a summary of
the meeting on my desk in the morning.

--adj. 2 abrupt, peremptory, short, quick, brief, laconic,
perfunctory, curt, terse: My simple request for some time off
was denied with a summary, 'No!'

summit n. peak, top, apex, acme, pinnacle, zenith, crown; culmination,
climax: The winds at the summit of Annapurna reached hurricane
force. There was no doubt that I had reached the summit of my
achievements.

summon v. 1 call, assemble, convoke, convene, send for, invite,
muster, get together, arouse, rouse: Why would he summon us to
the office at midnight? 2 Often, summon up. call or draw on or
upon, draw up, mobilize, muster (up), work up, gather, invoke:
I had to summon up all my courage to ask Eve to go out.

sumptuous adj. expensive, costly, extravagant, exorbitant, dear, rich;
lavish, luxurious, de luxe, opulent, palatial, royal, majestic,
regal, magnificent, dazzling, splendid, showy, Colloq posh,
plush, ritzy: The family treated us to a sumptuous repast to
celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.


sun n. 1 (old) Sol, Helios, Phoebus (Apollo), Ra, Sunna, day-star:
Many early cultures worshipped the sun.

--v. 2 tan, suntan, sunbathe, bask, bake, brown, bronze: They
spent their holidays sunning themselves on the beach.


sundries n.pl. knick-knacks, trinkets, small items, notions,
miscellanea, miscellany, kickshaws, Brummagem, frippery,
bric-…-brac, odds and ends: We might find a button for your
shirt in a shop that sells sundries.


sundry adj. various, varied, miscellaneous, assorted, different,
mixed, diversified, divers: In addition to food, supermarkets
stock sundry other items.


sunken adj. 1 hollow, hollowed-out, haggard, drawn: From her sunken
cheeks the child looked as if she hadn't eaten for weeks. 2
submerged, undersea, underwater, submersed: The boat hit a
sunken wreck and foundered. 3 buried, underground, in-ground,

below-ground, settled, lowered: The old term for a sunken fence
is 'ha-ha'.

sunless adj. dark, grim, cheerless, unhappy, joyless, funereal,
depressing, dreary, drear, sombre, gloomy, grey, Stygian, black,
pitchy, inky, shadowy, tenebrous, unlit, unlighted, dusky,
subfusc or subfuscous, darkling: It was an overcast sunless
day, with rain in the offing.


sunny adj. 1 sunlit, sunshiny, brilliant, bright, radiant, fair,
fine, cloudless, clear, unclouded: The enchanting scenery and
warm sunny climate makes it a perfect place for holidays. 2
cheerful, cheery, happy, joyous, joyful, light-hearted, smiling,
beaming, buoyant, blithe, gay, mirthful, jolly, bubbly,
ebullient, genial, warm, friendly, outgoing: Being with someone
who has a sunny disposition was a pleasant change.

super adj. wonderful: A super collection of synonyms for this word
appears under superb, below.


superb adj. wonderful, marvellous, excellent, superior, gorgeous,
glorious, magnificent, outstanding, exquisite, fine, splendid,
unequalled, sensational, noteworthy, admirable, peerless,
matchless, unrivalled, first-rate, superlative, perfect,
classic, exceptional, extraordinary, striking, brilliant,
dazzling, miraculous, incredible, unbelievable, fantastic,
fabulous, stupendous, staggering, mind-boggling, breathtaking,
Woman's dialect divine, Colloq great, super, smashing, magic,
terrific, fantabulous, unreal, out of this world, mind-blowing,
super, Slang out of sight, far-out, boss, solid, cool, hot, bad:
The curator said he had never seen such a superb collection. She
does a superb Hedda Gabler. We were treated to a superb dinner.

supercilious
adj. haughty, contemptuous, superior, snobbish, disdainful,
arrogant, condescending, patronizing, overbearing, scornful,
lordly, high and mighty, pompous, lofty, stuffy, pretentious,
Colloq hoity-toity, highfalutin or hifalutin, uppity, snooty,
stuck-up, Brit toffee-nosed, uppish, la-di-da or lah-di-dah or
la-de-da: She was very supercilious towards her customers.

superficial
adj. 1 surface, external, exterior, shallow, skin-deep, slight,

outside: I suffered a superficial wound to the forehead. 2
surface, slight, external, apparent, skin-deep, outward,
cursory, insignificant, passing, unimportant, trivial, empty,
insubstantial; paying lip-service, for appearances' sake,
cosmetic: She bears a superficial resemblance to your sister.
His interest in your welfare is entirely superficial. 3 cursory,
slapdash, quick, hurried, hasty, perfunctory, nominal,
meaningless, passing: The machinery is subjected to a
superficial inspection before shipping.


superficies
n. (outer) surface, fa‡ade, face, externals, outside: The
superficies may appeal to children, but adults appreciate the
book's profundities.


superfluity
n. excess, superabundance, over-abundance, surplus, oversupply,
surfeit, glut, superfluousness, profusion, plethora, oversupply,
supersaturation: The middle and upper classes wallow in a
superfluity of goods.

superfluous
adj. excessive, excess, superabundant, over-abundant,
supererogatory, surplus, unneeded, uncalled-for, unnecessary,
redundant, extra; needless, dispensable, gratuitous: The
superfluous grain that remains unsold should be donated to
third-world countries. They knew each other so well that words
were superfluous between them.


superhuman
adj. 1 heroic, Herculean, godlike, legendary, valiant,
courageous, brave, daring, dangerous, death-defying,
extraordinary, miraculous, phenomenal, incredible, fabulous,
fantastic, unbelievable, amazing: His superhuman feats would
never be duplicated.

--n. 2 superman, hero, superhero, •bermensch, Hercules: They
still believe that one day a superhuman will come along to lead
them.


superintendent
n. supervisor, foreman, overseer, manager, administrator,
chief, head, boss; governor, controller, director, conductor:

Alan has been appointed superintendent of the new project.

superior adj. 1 higher, higher-ranking, higher-level, higher-class,
higher-calibre, upper, upper-level, upper-class, loftier,
nobler, better; of a higher order or status or standing, Colloq
classier, tonier: He was reported to his superior officer. 2
high-class, elevated, first-rate, distinguished, exceptional,
excellent, preferred, choice, select, ‚litist, outstanding,
superlative, matchless, unequalled, peerless, nonpareil,
sterling, supreme, fine, noteworthy, notable, worthy, estimable:
Kenneth has had the benefit of a superior education. 3 See
supercilious, above.

--n. 4 See supervisor, below.


superiority
n. 1 ascendancy, pre-eminence, supremacy, leadership, lead,
dominance, predominance, primacy, hegemony: Her superiority in
the field is unchallenged. 2 excellence, greatness,
peerlessness, matchlessness, inimitability, superlativeness,
prominence, eminence, importance, distinction, prestige, renown:
All commented on the superiority of Mark's contribution.

superlative
adj. unsurpassed, paramount, supreme, consummate, superior,
best, choicest, finest, matchless, peerless, unequalled,
unrivalled, singular, unique, incomparable, excellent, superb,
sterling, dazzling, first-rate, exceptional, extraordinary,
marvellous, spectacular, capital, Colloq tiptop, super,
smashing, great, ace, terrific, fantastic, Slang crack: Max
turned in a superlative performance in the tournament.

supernatural
adj. preternatural, unusual, extraordinary, exceptional,
unnatural, miraculous, remarkable, fabulous, preterhuman,
ghostly, spectral, abnormal, inexplicable, unexplainable;
metaphysical, other-worldly, unearthly, ultramundane,
supramundane, extramundane, occult, mystic, paranormal, psychic,
uncanny, weird, mysterious, arcane, unreal, magical, dark: Some
claim to hear supernatural voices speaking to them. Many
characters in children's stories have supernatural powers.

supersede v. replace, succeed, displace, supplant, oust, take the place

of, substitute for: The 286 computers have been superseded by
386 models.

supervise v. oversee, overlook, watch (over), manage, run, control,
superintend, govern, direct, be in or have charge (of), handle,
keep an eye on, administer: They are moving you up to supervise
the production department.

supervisor
n. overseer, foreman, manager, controller, superintendent,
superior, governor, director, boss, chief, head, administrator:
As supervisor, you are responsible for the work done in your
department.


supervisory
adj. managerial, administrative, executive: Do you think that
Len is ready for supervisory responsibilities?

supine adj. 1 flat (on one's back), lying (down), prostrate,
recumbent, Formal or technical procumbent, accumbent, decumbent:
When I found him, he was supine, staring up at the stars. 2
indolent, lazy, lethargic, idle, listless, indifferent,
apathetic, unconcerned, uninterested, torpid, languid,
languorous, sluggish, slothful, phlegmatic, lymphatic,
lackadaisical, inert, inactive, passive, motionless, inanimate,
spiritless, abject: During the entire crisis, the town council
was completely supine and uncaring.

supplant v. replace, displace, oust, turn out, eject, remove, expel,
dismiss, unseat, supersede, substitute, exchange: The council
should be supplanted by a new group more sympathetic to the
needs of the people.

supple adj. 1 flexible, flexile, pliant, bendable, elastic, resilient,
pliable, tractile, fictile: He made a rug-beater out of some
supple lengths of bamboo. 2 willowy, lithe, limber, nimble,
pliant, lissom or lissome, graceful, athletic: She has the
supple body of a dancer. 3 tractable, compliant, yielding,
accommodating, obliging, complaisant, acquiescent, submissive,
unresistant, unresisting, servile, obsequious, ingratiating,
fawning, toadying: With supple words the miserable sycophant
wormed his way into father's confidence.

supplement
n. 1 addendum, addition, appendix, epilogue, end-piece,
postscript, appendage, extension, continuation, adjunct, annexe,
appurtenance, accessory, codicil, insert, sequel;
supplementation; Technical suppletion: The later version
includes the 1909 supplement.

--v. 2 add (on or to), extend, augment; complement: Various
scholars supplemented the earlier work with their own notes and
comments. He supplements his income by working at a restaurant.

supplementary
adj. 1 additional, added, annexed, adjunct, new: The
supplementary buildings increased the size of the hospital
greatly. 2 supplemental, supportive, contributory, ancillary,
secondary, subordinate, annexed, additional, attached, added,
appended, subsidiary, adscititious; extraneous, adventitious,
supervenient, extra, excess; Technical suppletive: The
supplementary material expanded the original work five-fold.


supplicant
adj. 1 suppliant, supplicating, entreating, petitioning,
supplicatory, beseeching, praying, imploring, solicitous,
importunate, begging, mendicant: In 1897, he carved a
supplicant group in white marble, now in the Fraser Museum.

--n. 2 suppliant, applicant, petitioner, beseecher, suitor,
pleader, aspirant, appellant, plaintiff, beggar, mendicant: He
came to me as a supplicant, begging forgiveness for what he had
done.

supplication
n. 1 entreaty, petition, prayer, appeal, pleading, plea, suit,
solicitation, obsecration, obtestation, impetration: Heeding
the pitiful supplications of the beggars, they gave them some
money. 2 supplicating, begging, pleading, soliciting,
petitioning, entreating, beseeching: All his supplication could
not wring a farthing from the old skinflint.


supply v. 1 furnish, provide, give, endow, present, purvey, deliver,
come up with, contribute, distribute, sell; stock, accommodate,
afford, equip, outfit, gear (up), rig (out), fit (out),
provision, cater to, Chiefly Brit kit out or up; victual: Her

company supplies radios to the army. Her husband's firm supplies
the navy with anti-fouling paint. 2 yield, give, contribute,
come up with, deliver, provide, furnish: The farm supplies our
basic foods. 3 satisfy, fulfil, replenish, fill: Can you
supply the demand for clothing?

--n. 4 stock, stockpile, store, inventory, quantity, reservoir,
reserve, cache, hoard, accumulation, fund: Our supply is big
enough to serve the entire area. 5 furnishing, provision,
providing, purveying, supplying, distribution, equipping,
outfitting, provisioning, delivery, stocking, stockpiling: The
supply of microchips on a large scale is beyond our capacity.

support v. 1 back (up), stand by, help, bolster, uphold, brace,
strengthen, fortify, buttress, prop (up), shore up, reinforce,
boost, champion, assist, take up the cudgels for, aid, promote,
forward, second, advance, advocate, stand up for, be supportive
(of or in), Colloq stick up for: Peterson agreed to support him
in his bid for the presidency. 2 brace, hold up, carry, prop
(up); strengthen, shore up, reinforce, fortify, buttress: You
need a column to support this beam. 3 tolerate, bear, stand
(for), suffer, submit to, undergo, brook, stomach, endure,
abide, countenance, face, Brit stick, Colloq put up with: He
cannot support the notion that she might be guilty. 4 pay for,
fund, maintain, keep, finance, subsidize, underwrite, sponsor,
Colloq US bankroll: I can no longer support myself or my
family. 5 sustain, withstand, stand, take, bear, tolerate, hold
up under, weather: His legs were too weak to support his own
weight. 6 verify, corroborate, authenticate, vouch for,
endorse, confirm, affirm, bear out, attest to, certify,
substantiate, validate, ratify: Can anyone support his alibi?

--n. 7 help, backing, backup, reinforcement, bolstering,
encouragement, reinforcing, fortifying, assistance, aid,
succour, sustenance: Thank you for your support over the years.
8 brace, prop, stay, frame, foundation, underpinning,
substructure, truss, beam, column, pillar, strut, guy, guy wire,
mainstay, buttress, bolster, reinforcement, supporter: The
supports failed under the grandstand and it fell, injuring a
few. Alan was a tremendous support during my illness. 9
sustenance, (living) expenses, keep, maintenance, subsistence,
upkeep; finances, funding: Mona is suing David for the support
of their child. He lives mainly on government support.


supportable
adj. 1 tolerable, bearable, endurable, acceptable, sufferable:
Thoughts of death are more supportable when it seems remote. 2
defensible, confirmable, verifiable, demonstrable, tenable,
believable: The argument that we should keep the old tax
structure is simply not supportable.

supporter n. 1 enthusiast, champion, promoter, fan, aficionado, devotee,
admirer, backer, follower, support, advocate, exponent,
adherent, aid, assistant, helper: I wish to thank my many
supporters, who were there when I needed them. 2 See support, 8,
above.


supportive
adj. helpful, sustaining, supporting, encouraging, sympathetic,
understanding, reassuring: Among our many friends, Cleo was the
most supportive during the recent trouble.


suppose v. 1 assume, presume, presuppose, surmise, take, take as given
or as read, take for granted; believe, think, fancy, imagine;
Colloq take it: Don't people usually suppose that civil
servants are honest? I supposed her to be his wife. Do you
suppose you could return my key today? 2 hypothesize, theorize,
postulate, posit, assume: Supposing a reduced rate of
inflation, will they reduce interest rates? Suppose that you
have lost the election - what will you do?

supposed adj. 1 alleged, assumed, putative, reputed, presumed,
hypothetical, theoretical, theorized, imagined, suppositious,
supposititious: Her supposed drug addiction turned out to be a
myth. 2 obliged, expected, required; meant, intended: You were
supposed to return my key. What is that supposed to mean?


supposedly
adv. allegedly, reputedly, theoretically, hypothetically,
presumably; rumour has it: The bridge was blown up, supposedly
by terrorists.


supposing conj. if, even if, in the event that, despite the fact that,
although, though: Supposing he says no, what will you do?

supposition

n. assumption, presumption, surmise, belief, thought, fancy,
theory, hypothesis, postulate, proposal, proposition: On the
supposition that your calculations are correct, we will have
made a profit this year.


suppress v. 1 end, discontinue, cut off, cease, stop, terminate, put an
end to, halt, prohibit, preclude, prevent, repress, censor,
forbid, interdict, block, obstruct, withhold, stifle, inhibit,
hinder, arrest: They have been unable to suppress the
publication of the book. 2 put down, quell, crush, squelch,
quash, subdue, check, stamp out, snuff out, smother, extinguish,
quench, crack down on: The uprising was suppressed with the
shooting of the students. 3 keep down, control, keep under
control, keep or hold in check, restrain, hold in or back,
repress, cover up, conceal, hide, keep quiet or secret, mute,
muffle, quiet, silence: Objections to the guest speaker were
suppressed at the request of the university's chancellor.

suppression
n. suppressing, ending, end, discontinuation, discontinuing,
cutting off, cut-off, cessation, ceasing, surcease, stopping,
stop, terminating, termination, halting, halt, prohibiting,
prohibition, preclusion, precluding, preventing, prevention,
repressing, repression, censoring, censorship, forbidding,
forbiddance, interdicting, interdiction, blocking, obstructing,
obstruction, withholding, stifling, hindering; putting down,
put-down, quelling, crushing, squelching, quashing, subduing,
checking, check, stamping out, smothering, snuffing out,
extinguishing, extinction, elimination, quenching, cracking down
on, crack-down; control, controlling, restraining, restraint,
concealing, concealment, hiding, muting, muffling, quieting,
silencing: That constitutes suppression of the freedom of
speech. The suppression of heresy is a perennial church problem.
Dictators confuse the suppression of ideas with the oppression
of people.

supremacist
n. supremist, bigot, racist, racialist, dogmatist, zealot,
fanatic: Supremacists' philosophies are based on hatred, not
love.

supremacy n. 1 transcendency, pre-eminence, superiority, ascendancy,
excellence, primacy, peerlessness, matchlessness,

incomparability, inimitability: Colonialism depends on military
supremacy. 2 sovereignty, dominion, sway, mastery, control,
dominance, (supreme or absolute) rule or authority, autarchy,
omnipotence, hegemony: They maintained their supremacy over the
Iberian peninsula for centuries.

supreme adj. 1 highest, loftiest, topmost, greatest, first, foremost,
principal, unsurpassed, top, uppermost, chief, paramount,
sovereign: There is no appeal to a decision of the supreme
tribunal. 2 greatest, maximum, extreme, uttermost, utmost,
ultimate: I fear that your son has made the supreme sacrifice,
Mrs Atkins. 3 best, greatest, first, outstanding, pre-eminent,
first-rate, prime, primary, unexcelled, leading, crowning,
consummate: Many regard her as the supreme artist of her day.
4 superb, marvellous, excellent, outstanding, superlative,
matchless, peerless, incomparable, unparalleled, masterful,
masterly, sublime, brilliant, transcendent, inimitable, choice:
There is no doubt that she is a supreme artist.


supremely adv. very, extremely, completely, perfectly, superlatively,
sublimely, transcendently: I have never been so supremely happy
as I was in Capri in '38.

sure adj. 1 certain, assured, convinced, persuaded, positive,
definite, unwavering, unswerving, unflinching, steadfast,
steady, unshakeable or unshakable, confident, satisfied,
undeviating, unfaltering: How can you be so sure in your
opinion that Jack did it? I'm sure I've met you before. 2
established, firm, solid, trusty, stable, steadfast, secure,
safe, trustworthy, reliable: I never travel without my sure
companions, courage and caution. 3 accurate, reliable,
dependable, tried and true, unfailing, infallible, foolproof,
effective, Colloq sure-fire: A high temperature is a sure sign
of illness. 4 certain, inevitable, indubitable, unavoidable,
ineluctable, inescapable, guaranteed: He who enters the Devil's
Cave meets sure death.

surely adv. 1 certainly, to be sure, positively, absolutely,
definitely, undoubtedly, indubitably, unquestionably, beyond the
shadow of a doubt, beyond question, doubtless, doubtlessly,
assuredly, Colloq sure, US absotively-posolutely: He is surely
one of the finest riders I've ever seen. 2 firmly, solidly,
confidently, unfalteringly, steadily, unswervingly,

unhesitatingly, determinedly, doggedly, securely: Slowly but
surely, the Great Bamboni stepped out onto the tightrope
stretched across the Reichenbach Falls.


surface n. 1 exterior, covering, outside, top, skin, integument,
fa‡ade, face, boundary, interface, superficies; side, plane:
Most of the earth's surface is covered by water. How many
surfaces on an icosahedron? 2 on the surface. superficially, to
all appearances, at first glance, outwardly, to the casual
observer, extrinsically, ostensibly: It looks pretty enough on
the surface, but it is rotten underneath.

--v. 3 appear, show up, emerge, materialize, arise, rise, come
up, Colloq pop up, crop up: Guess who surfaced after ten years
in Tierra del Fuego! An enormous turtle surfaced near our boat.
4 pave, concrete, tarmac: They are surfacing the road in front
of my house.

surfeit n. over-abundance, superabundance, plethora, glut, excess,
surplus, oversupply, overdose, satiety, overflow, flood, deluge,
superfluity, nimiety: There has been a surfeit of those dolls
on the market. She is suffering from a surfeit of rich food and
alcohol.


surfeited adj. gorged, overfed, satiated, sated, stuffed, glutted, jaded:
He passed the sleeping surfeited diners and stole into the
library unseen.

surge v. 1 swell, wave, billow, bulge, heave, roll, undulate, well
forth or up, rise and fall, ebb and flow, pulsate; rush, gush,
pour, flood, stream, flow: The sea surged through the narrow
gorge with a roar. The crowd surged round their hero.

--n. 2 swell, wave, billow, roller, whitecap, white horse,
breaker, comber, upsurge, eddy, rush, gush, flood, stream, flow:
The raft was caught by a surge and tossed high up on the beach.

surly adj. unpleasant, rude, crusty, cantankerous, curmudgeonly,
churlish, crabby, crabbed, choleric, splenetic, dyspeptic,
bilious, temperamental, cross, crotchety, grouchy, grumpy,
bearish, testy, touchy, short-tempered, ill-tempered,
bad-tempered, ill-natured, bad-natured, ill-humoured, peevish,
quarrelsome, argumentative, obnoxious, uncivil, rough,

obstreperous: I see no reason to shop where the sales staff are
surly.

surmise v. 1 imagine, guess, conjecture, speculate, suppose,
hypothesize, theorize, assume, presume, conclude, gather, infer,
understand, fancy, suspect, feel, sense: I surmised that the
treaty terms were arranged by deputies long before the summit.

--n. 2 guess, conjecture, speculation, notion, hypothesis,
theory, supposition, assumption, presumption, conclusion,
understanding, fancy, suspicion, feeling, sense: It was an
early surmise of the experts that man could not survive passing
through the Van Allen belts.


surpass v. exceed, excel, go or pass beyond, outdo, beat, worst,
better, best, outstrip, outdistance, outperform, outclass,
outshine, eclipse, overshadow, top, cap, transcend, prevail
over, leave behind: He easily surpassed the statesmen of his
time.


surpassing
adj. excessive, extraordinary, great, enormous, unrivalled,
matchless, peerless, unmatched, unequalled, unsurpassed: I
could not believe the surpassing gall of the man.


surpassingly
adv. exceedingly, extraordinarily, incomparably, Literary
surpassing: The girls on the beach were surpassingly beautiful.


surplus n. 1 surplusage, overage, excess, leftover(s), surfeit,
over-abundance, oversupply, overdose, glut: The price of oil
dropped owing to the surplus in the market.

--adj. 2 excess, leftover, extra, spare, over-abundant,
superfluous, unused, redundant: The surplus grain is sold
abroad.

surprise v. 1 shock, astound, astonish, amaze, disconcert, nonplus,
dumbfound or dumfound, stagger, take aback, strike, hit, Colloq
floor, bowl over, flabbergast, rock or set (someone) back on his
or her or chiefly Brit their heels, Brit knock (someone) for
six, US knock (someone) for a loop: What surprised me was her
coolness in the face of danger. 2 take or catch unawares, catch

red-handed or in the act or in flagrante delicto, catch napping
or off guard, discover: When Samuel Johnson's wife found him
with a maid, she said, 'Dr Johnson! I am surprised!', to which
he replied, 'No, madam: you are amazed. I am surprised.'


--n. 3 shock, astonishment, amazement, stupefaction, wonder,
incredulity: Imagine my surprise to learn that I was being
arrested. 4 blow, jolt, shocker, bolt from or US also out of
the blue, bombshell, eye-opener: It came as a surprise to me
that my sister was pregnant.

surrender v. 1 give up, yield, let go (of), relinquish, deliver (up),
hand over, forgo, forsake, turn over, turn in, part with, cede,
concede: We were forced at gunpoint to surrender our valuables.
2 give up, yield, quit, cry quits, capitulate, throw in the
sponge or the towel, raise the white flag, throw up one's hands,
succumb, submit, give way, acquiesce, comply, give in, concede,
crumble: The argument is so overwhelming that I must surrender.


--n. 3 submission, capitulation, yielding, renunciation,
relinquishment, yielding, transferral, transfer, transference,
handing or turning over, conveyancing, ceding, cession,
concession: The official surrender of the disputed territory
took place in the following year.


surreptitious
adj. furtive, secret, clandestine, stealthy, underhand(ed),
covert, (on the) sly, secretive, private, concealed, hidden,
veiled, Colloq sneaky: She stole surreptitious glances at him.


surround v. 1 encompass, encircle, envelop, enclose, hem in, ring: She
likes being surrounded by flowers. Troops surrounded the
building.


--n. 2 environs, environment, surroundings, atmosphere,
ambience or ambiance, setting: The formal gardens make a
charming surround for the art gallery.

surrounding
adj. nearby, neighbouring, local, adjoining, neighbourhood,
adjacent, bordering, abutting, circumambient, circumjacent: The
surrounding countryside was bursting into bloom.

surveillance
n. observation, watch, scrutiny, reconnaissance: The police
kept him under constant surveillance.


survey v. 1 examine, appraise, evaluate, take the measure of, inspect,
study, scan, scrutinize, measure, size up, assess, investigate,
look into or over, review: He surveyed the situation and found
nothing wrong. 2 view, look at, get a bird's eye view of,
contemplate: From the top of the tower I surveyed the
surrounding countryside.

--n. 3 surveying, examination, appraisal, evaluation, measure,
study, scan, scanning, scrutiny, inquiry or enquiry,
measurement, investigation, inspection: Our survey of the
company finances yielded some very interesting information.

survive v. 1 continue, last, live (on), persist, subsist, pull through,
endure: The village was destroyed, but its people survived. 2
outlast, outlive,: At the age of 114, MacMurtagh has survived
all his children and many of his grandchildren.

susceptible
adj. 1 Often, susceptible of or to. open (to), prone (to),
subject (to), disposed (to), predisposed (to), receptive (to),
affected by, responsive (to): Brass is susceptible of a high
shine. Are you still susceptible to her blandishments? 2
impressionable, influenceable, vulnerable, reachable,
accessible, credulous, suggestible, gullible, na‹ve:
Susceptible youngsters need protection from commercial
exploitation.

suspect v. 1 disbelieve, doubt, mistrust, distrust, harbour or have
suspicions about or of, be suspicious of: Do you suspect the
butler? 2 feel, think, believe, sense, have a feeling, fancy,
imagine, theorize, guess, surmise, have a sneaking suspicion,
think it likely or probable, Colloq expect: I suspect that the
butler might have done it.

--adj. 3 suspicious, questionable, doubtful, dubious, shady,
shadowy; suspected: If you ask me, his behaviour since boarding
the Orient Express has been highly suspect.

suspend v. 1 hold up or off (on), withhold, put off, put or hold or

keep in or into abeyance, shelve, postpone, delay, defer,
interrupt, stop or check or cease or discontinue temporarily, US
table: We suspended payment pending inspection of the work
already done. Train services on this route will be suspended
till further notice. Suspend your disbelief for a moment to
consider the possible motive for stealing a prune. 2 hang,
attach, fasten, dangle, swing: She suspended the cameo from a
gold chain which she wore as a necklace. 3 debar, exclude,
eliminate, reject, expel, eject, evict; deprive of the rights
of, deny the privileges of; blackball: A member may be
suspended if his dues are six months or more in arrears.

suspense n. 1 uncertainty, indefiniteness, insecurity, doubt,
irresolution, expectancy, indecision, not knowing: May I have
the envelope please? - I cannot stand the suspense! 2 anxiety,
tension, apprehension, nervousness, agitation, anxiousness,
anticipation, expectation, excitement: A story that creates
suspense for the reader is often suitable for film treatment.


suspension
n. 1 debarring, disbarment, exclusion, elimination, rejection,
expulsion, ejection, eviction, deprivation, denial: The
suspension of privileges cannot last for more than a fortnight.
2 intermission, moratorium, deferment, hold-up, delay, delaying,
interruption, postponement, postponing, discontinuing,
discontinuation, stay: Luckily, the suspension of hostilities
lasted till the summer.

suspicion n. 1 doubt, dubiousness, dubiety, misgiving, mistrust,
distrust, scepticism, qualm, wariness, apprehension,
apprehensiveness, cautiousness, hesitation, second thought(s),
uncertainty, leeriness, Colloq funny feeling, bad vibes: We all
had our suspicions about Edward's genuine intentions. My worst
suspicions have now been confirmed. 2 notion, inkling,
suggestion, hint, trace, flavour, soup‡on, taste, dash, glimmer,
tinge, touch, shadow, shade, scintilla, Colloq chiefly US and
Canadian tad: If you have even a suspicion of doubt, do not
find the defendant guilty. Did I detect a suspicion of a sneer?


suspicious
adj. 1 doubtful, in doubt, dubious, questionable, debatable,
suspect(ed), under suspicion, open to doubt or question or
misconstruction, Colloq shady, fishy: There is something very

suspicious about his behaviour. 2 mistrustful, distrustful,
doubtful, in doubt, sceptical, suspecting, disbelieving,
unbelieving, leery, apprehensive, wary, uncertain, uneasy: I
was suspicious of Douglas from the very beginning.


sustain v. 1 uphold, support, keep up, maintain, continue, keep
(someone or something) going, keep alive, preserve; prolong,
persist in: He has been sustained on a life-support system for
weeks. If Georgette can sustain the pretence of loving him, he
won't change his will. 2 support, carry, bear, bolster, buoy
(up), reinforce, keep (someone) going, strengthen, shore up,
underpin, prop up, buttress: During those long months as a
hostage, only prayer sustained him. 3 endure, stand, withstand,
bear up under, put up with, suffer, undergo, experience,
tolerate, weather, brave: It is amazing how much punishment the
human body can sustain. 4 bear, carry, support: This column is
supposed to sustain the weight of half the building. 5 uphold,
recognize, allow, admit, approve, ratify, sanction, authorize,
endorse, validate: The judge sustained the objection by the
defence.

sustained adj. continued, continuous, continual, prolonged, unremitting,
steady, ceaseless, unceasing, incessant, interminable; uniform,
even, level, unchanged, unchanging: The neighbours keep up that
sustained caterwauling every night. The audience was thrilled
by her sustained top C.

sustenance
n. 1 nutriment, nourishment, food (and drink), daily bread,
rations, victuals, provisions, provender, groceries, aliment,
edibles, eatables, foodstuff(s), viands, meat, Colloq grub,
eats, chow, nosh, Slang Brit prog, scoff: My first concern is
sustenance for my family. 2 livelihood, support, maintenance,
upkeep, keep, subsistence, living: The fur trade provided the
sustenance of early Canadian settlers.

19.15 swagger...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



swagger v. 1 strut, prance, parade, Archaic swash, Colloq US sashay,
cut a swath: Look at that Charlie swaggering down the street in
his new suit! 2 boast, brag, show off, vaunt, crow, Colloq Brit

swank: He is always swaggering on about his war experiences.

--n. 3 strut, prance, strutting, swaggering, show, display,
showing off, ostentation, braggadocio, arrogance, boastfulness:
Paul's outrageous swagger developed only after he was promoted.

swallow v. 1 eat, consume, devour, ingest, dispatch or despatch; drink,
gulp, guzzle, down, Colloq put or pack away, swig, swill:
Snakes swallow their prey whole. The amount that man can swallow
at one meal is incredible. 2 accept, allow, credit, believe,
take, Colloq buy, fall for: She swallowed that tale about an
aeroplane hook, line, and sinker. 3 Often, swallow up. absorb,
make disappear, engulf, consume, assimilate: The fugitive was
swallowed up by the crowd. 4 Sometimes, swallow back. keep or
choke back or down, repress, suppress, control, stifle, smother,
overcome, conquer: Harriet swallowed back the tears. Try
swallowing your pride just this once.

--n. 5 bite, nibble, morsel, mouthful; drink, gulp, guzzle,
Colloq swig: Have a swallow of this to warm you up a little.

swamp n. 1 bog, fen, marsh, quagmire, morass, moor, Chiefly literary
slough, Scots and No. Eng. dialect moss, So. US everglade: The
draining of swamps destroys the breeding places of mosquitoes.


--v. 2 overwhelm, overcome, flood, inundate, submerge, immerse,
deluge, overload, overtax, overburden, Colloq snow under: I'm
so swamped with work I'm sleeping at the office. 3 scuttle,
sink, founder: A huge wave swamped the boat and she sank
quickly.

swanky adj. smart, stylish, fashionable, chic, chichi, fancy,
luxurious, grand, elegant, Colloq swank, snazzy, neat, nifty,
plush, posh, ritzy, Brit swish: Living in a swanky house and
wearing swanky clothes - what else would anyone want?

swarm n. 1 throng, horde, army, host, multitude, hive, herd, mob,
mass, drove, flood, stream, cloud, flock, pack, shoal, bunch:
Swarms of people showed up for our garden party.


--v. 2 throng, mass, crowd, congregate, flock, gather, flood,
stream, flow: The fans swarmed round the rock group. 3 swarm
with. Often, be swarming with. crawl with, abound in or with,

throng with, teem with, burst with, bristle with, be overrun
with: In two minutes the place was swarming with police.

swarthy adj. swart, black, ebon, ebony, sable, pitch-black, jet-black,
coal-black, raven, dark: His swarthy complexion contrasted with
her china-like pallor.

swashbuckling
adj. adventurous, daring, daredevil, swaggering, roisterous,
bold, dashing, flamboyant: Those old swashbuckling films with
Errol Flynn, Richard Green, and Douglas Fairbanks, formed a
genre all their own.

swath n. swathe, path, belt, strip: A flock of birds was feeding
along the swath cut by the harvester.

swathe v. tie, bind, bandage, wrap, enwrap, swaddle, bundle (up),
envelop, shroud, muffle (up): I can't tell who he is as his
head is swathed in bandages.


sway v. 1 wave, waver, swing, sweep, oscillate, undulate, reel,
totter, swing or move to and fro or back and forth or from side
to side or backwards and forwards, rock, fluctuate; bend, lean:
The reeds swayed in the breeze. 2 move, incline, divert, tend,
veer, tilt, lean, slant, bias; influence, persuade, impress, win
over, bring round, convince, talk into: The wind is causing the
trees to sway towards the east. We tried to sway him to our way
of thinking.


--n. 3 sweep, wave, swing, (period of) oscillation, libration:
There must be a sway of twenty feet in the top of that
skyscraper. 4 influence, control, power, command, authority,
dominion, rule, sovereignty, leadership, mastery; grip,
clutches, grasp: His ambition was to get the mountain people
under his sway.

swear v. 1 depose, aver, asseverate, declare, insist, assert,
solemnly affirm or state, testify, promise, take an oath,
undertake, vow, avow, vouchsafe, warrant, pledge, give one's
word, agree: He swore he had not done any such thing. 2 curse,
blaspheme, imprecate, use profanity, utter profanities,
execrate, Colloq cuss: Priscilla stopped her ears at the men's
swearing. 3 swear by. trust (in), believe in, rely on, have

confidence in, count on: The colonel swears by the same old
fountain-pen he has used for years and will use no other. 4
swear off. forswear, renounce, abjure, go off, forgo, shun,
avoid, give up, eschew, forsake, throw over: Brian tells me
he's sworn off alcohol for a while.

sweat v. 1 perspire, glow: That workout made me sweat. 2 Often,
sweat out. worry, be anxious, agonize, anguish, bite (one's)
nails, be on pins and needles, fret, fuss, stew, torture or
torment oneself, lose sleep (over), Colloq sweat blood, be in a
tizzy, US sweat bullets: The professors really like to make
students sweat, don't they? Fiona is sweating it out till the
results are posted. 3 slave (away), labour, drudge, grind, toil
and moil, slog, work like a Trojan or a horse, Slang Brit swot
or swat: I sweat over a hot stove all day while you're out and
about town. 4 ooze, exude, squeeze out, transude: When a boy,
he believed that dew came from flowers sweating water.

--n. 5 perspiration, Technical diaphoresis, sudor: In addition
to body moisture, salt and other minerals are lost in sweat. 6
(hard) work, labour, laboriousness, grind, toil, drudgery,
slogging, sweating, Slang Brit swotting or swatting: Nothing
worthwhile is gained without some sweat. 7 state of confusion
or upset or excitement or distraction or agitation or anxiety or
distress or worry; pother, Colloq dither, tizzy, lather: Henry
has really worked himself up into a sweat over this problem. 8
No sweat! No problem!, Don't worry!, Everything is taken care
of!, All is well!, That presents no difficulty!: When asked to
change a flat tyre, the stranger's response was, 'No sweat!'


sweep v. 1 brush, whisk, clean, clear, tidy up: This weekend I have
to sweep out the basement. 2 Often, sweep away. carry or take
(away or off), destroy, wipe out, demolish, remove, wash (away);
blow (away): The raging torrent swept away the bridge. The wind
swept the debris before it. 3 swoop, flounce, glide, sail,
march, parade, skim, tear, dash, zoom: Hattie swept into the
room majestically. 4 curve, arc, arch, bend, bow, circle, turn:
The long drive to the house sweeps round the pond and gardens.


--n. 5 pass, clearance, stroke; purge: In one clean sweep the
police rounded up all the suspects. 6 curve, arc, arch, bow,
bend, curvature, flexure: Note the sweep of those main arches
holding up the dome. 7 range, extent, compass, reach, stretch,

scope, swing, span: The Hubbell space telescope has a farther
sweep than any on earth.

sweeping adj. 1 comprehensive, (all-)inclusive, general, extensive,
universal, all-embracing, broad, widespread, wide(-ranging),
far-ranging, blanket, umbrella, catholic, exhaustive, radical,
thorough(-going), out-and-out, across the board, wholesale,
Colloq wall-to-wall: We must institute sweeping reforms of the
party before the election. 2 complete, total, overwhelming,
decisive: The first team enjoyed a sweeping victory in track
and field events.

sweet adj. 1 sugary, honey-like, honeyed, sweetened: Sweet breakfast
cereals are bad for your teeth. 2 fragrant, perfumed, scented,
aromatic, ambrosial, sweet-smelling, sweet-scented, balmy,
redolent: The night air was sweet with jasmine. 3 harmonious,
melodious, sweet-sounding, euphonious, dulcet, musical, tuneful,
euphonic, mellifluous, mellow, lyric, silvery, bell-like,
golden: I could hear McCormick's sweet voice singing 'Danny
Boy'. 4 gentle, amiable, agreeable, genial, warm, friendly,
kind, nice, unassuming, easygoing; attractive, appealing,
charming, winning, pleasant, pleasing, lovely; cute, pretty:
Jane normally has such a sweet disposition. Old Mrs Hughes was
always sweet to me when I was little. Amy looks so sweet in her
new dress. What a sweet little kitten! 5 dear, beloved,
precious, prized, treasured, wonderful, marvellous, splendid,
Colloq great: How sweet life can be! 6 considerate, attentive,
solicitous, thoughtful, sympathetic, compassionate, kind,
kind-hearted, generous, gracious, accommodating: How sweet it
was of you to bring flowers! 7 cloying, sentimental, syrupy,
saccharine, treacly, precious, honeyed, sickening, Colloq
gushing, gushy, sloppy, soppy, maudlin, sticky, Brit twee,
Colloq icky: Claire is so sweet that she really overdoes it
sometimes. 8 sweet on. fond of, taken with, keen on, devoted
to, enamoured of, infatuated with, (head over heels) in love
with, Colloq wild or mad or crazy about, nuts about or over,
Slang gone on, stuck on, batty about: We were teasing Rick
about being sweet on Anne.


--n. 9 Often, sweets. bon-bon, chocolate, confection,
sweetmeat, Old-fashioned comfit, US candy: Harry always brings
a box of sweets for my mother when he comes to see me. 10
dessert, Brit pudding, afters: For a sweet we can offer you a

choice between chocolate gateau and gooseberry pie.

sweeten v. 1 sugar, sugar-coat: Can you think of nothing that would
sweeten the bad news? 2 dress up, make more attractive or
agreeable, sugar-coat, embellish, embroider; make less painful,
mitigate, alleviate, assuage, lighten, soften, palliate,
mollify, ease, allay, moderate, temper: Perhaps the
shareholders would be more amenable to the take-over were the
buyers to sweeten the offer.


sweetheart
n. girlfriend, boyfriend, friend, admirer, beau, darling, dear,
love, beloved, lover, paramour, inamorato, inamorata, lady-love,
betrothed, intended, fianc‚(e), Archaic swain Colloq heartthrob,
flame, sweetie, steady: She married her childhood sweetheart
and lived happily ever after.

swell v. 1 Often, swell out or up. grow, increase, enlarge, expand,
blow or puff up or out, distend, inflate, dilate, wax; mushroom,
belly, balloon, bloat, bulge, billow, fatten, rise, tumefy:
After cooking, the mixture swells to twice its original volume.
2 grow, increase, mushroom, snowball, accumulate, mount:
Forgotten for years, her savings had swelled to become a small
fortune. 3 increase, raise, augment, enlarge, boost, step up:
Something must be done to swell the number of recruits.

--n. 4 enlargement, broadening, increase, extension, spread,
swelling, inflation, expansion, rise, surge: Have you noted the
swell in popularity of health foods? 5 wave, surge, billow: As
we rose to the top of each swell, we could see the shore. 6
fop, dandy, gay blade, fashion plate, Beau Brummell, Archaic
coxcomb, Historical macaroni, Colloq clothes-horse, US fancy
Dan, Slang nob, Archaic lounge lizard, Brit toff: He frequented
the clubs populated by the other London swells.


--adj. 7 smart, chic, stylish, fashionable, modish, grand,
luxurious, de luxe, elegant, first-rate, first-class, top-grade,
Colloq posh, swank, swanky, ritzy: Charlie always took Diane to
the swellest places. 8 marvellous, thrilling, splendid,
spectacular, first-rate, fine, Colloq great, super, terrific: I
really had a swell time at your party.

swelling n. enlargement, distension, tumescence, protuberance, bump,

prominence, bulge, lump, excrescence, protrusion, tumour, node,
nodule: It is a good idea to have any unexplained swelling
examined by the doctor.


sweltering
adj. hot, torrid, steaming, sultry, steamy, muggy, sticky,
oppressive, stifling, stuffy, suffocating, clammy, humid, wet,
broiling, boiling, scorching, roasting, baking, wilting,
melting, tropical, Colloq close: I cannot live through another
sweltering summer in the Amazon jungle.

swerve v. veer, career, swing, diverge, deviate, sheer off, skew,
stray, turn (aside): The car swerved wildly off the road and
into a ditch.


swift adj. fleet, fast, rapid, speedy, hasty, lively, nimble,
expeditious; quick, brisk, sudden, abrupt: The postman was bent
on the swift completion of his rounds. What Bill needs is a
swift kick to jolt him out of his lethargy.


swiftly adv. fast, quickly, speedily, rapidly, expeditiously; briskly,
hurriedly, hastily, suddenly, abruptly, in a flash, in a trice,
in the wink of an eye, before you can say 'Jack Robinson',
before you can say 'knife', like a shot, in an instant, in (less
than) no time, precipitately, unexpectedly, Colloq like greased
lightning, US lickety-split, in a jiffy, Slang pronto, like a
bat out of hell: The assembly is done much more swiftly by
machine. Swiftly, I ducked into a doorway to avoid being seen.


swill n. 1 hogwash, pigswill, refuse, pigwash, slop(s), garbage,
waste: If you saw the swill that pigs eat, you might not eat
pork. 2 nonsense, rot, rubbish, Slang crap: That novel of hers
was the worst swill I've read in a long time.


--v. 3 drink, guzzle, quaff, swallow, Colloq swig, toss off or
down, throw down, polish off, knock back or off, US chug-a-lug:
They waste every evening swilling beer.

swimmingly
adv. smoothly, easily, effortlessly, well, successfully,
without a hitch or a problem, like a dream, cosily, like
clockwork, without difficulty, handily, readily: The plan has
gone swimmingly thus far.


swindle v. 1 cheat, cozen, bilk, defraud, deceive, hoodwink, take in,
fleece, dupe, fool, mulct, gull, make a fool or sucker (out) of,
victimize, exploit, trick, Old-fashioned or literary euchre,
Archaic chouse, Colloq bamboozle, chisel, diddle, pull a fast
one on, flimflam, pluck, burn, take (someone) for a ride, Brit
fiddle, US buffalo, Slang con, sting, screw, rook, gyp, rip
(someone) off: The gang has swindled several elderly people out
of their life savings.


--n. 2 fraud, confidence game or trick, cheating, swindling,
defrauding, deception, racket, trickery, sharp practice,
thimblerigging, chicanery, knavery, Colloq Brit fiddle, swizzle
or swizz, Slang rip-off, scam, con (game), gyp, US bunco: Those
old-time swindles are nothing compared with the activities of
unscrupulous stock brokers.

swindler n. cheat, confidence man or woman, hoaxer, mountebank,
charlatan, knave, scoundrel, sharper, fraud, trickster,
thimblerigger, villain, Technical defalcator, Colloq flimflam
man, Slang con man or woman, US bunco-artist, four-flusher:
Swindlers tricked them out of all their cash and traveller's
cheques.


swing v. 1 sway, move or go to and fro or back and forth or backwards
and forwards, come and go, wave, fluctuate, flap, oscillate,
vibrate, librate, waver, wobble, waggle, zigzag, wigwag,
flourish: The branches swung in the wind. They swung their arms
in time to the music. 2 hang, dangle; be hanged, be suspended:
They watched the monkeys swinging from tree to tree. He will
swing for his crime.

--n. 3 swinging, sway, swaying, toing and froing, coming and
going, waving, fluctuation, fluctuating, flapping, flap,
oscillation, oscillating, vibration, vibrating, libration,
waver, wavering, wobble, wobbling, waggle, waggling, zigzag,
zigzagging, wigwag, wigwagging, flourish, flourishing, stroke:
Catch the rope on its next swing. He was caught on the shoulder
by a wild swing of the bat. 4 sweep, scope, range, trend,
limit(s); change, switch, shift: The swing of public opinion is
unpredictable in these matters. There has been a small
percentage swing to the Conservatives. 5 pace, routine, groove,
pattern: Don't you find it hard to get into the normal swing of

things after a long holiday? 6 in full swing. in (full)
operation, under way, in business, animated, lively, on the
move, moving, going, Colloq on the hop, cooking: The party was
in full swing when we arrived.


swingeing adj. huge, immense, enormous, considerable, drastic, severe,
harsh, stringent, punishing, devastating, painful, excruciating,
major, daunting, Draconian, oppressive, exorbitant, excessive,
violent, Colloq thumping: They have instituted a truly
swingeing increase in commuter fares. She gives me a swingeing
headache.

swinging adj. fashionable, chic, up to date, modern, Colloq …-go-go, in
the swim, with it, Chiefly Brit trendy, Slang hip, groovy, in
the groove: That's what the swinging '60s were like in London.

swipe v. 1 Usually, swipe at. swing at, strike at, hit at, lash out
at: He swiped away at the golf ball but kept missing it. 2
steal, filch, pilfer, purloin, Colloq pinch, lift, snitch,
Chiefly Brit nick, whip, snaffle: They caught Freddie swiping a
bag of mints at Woolworth's.

--n. 3 swing, strike, clip: Ronald took a swipe at the ball
with his racket.


swirl v. 1 whirl, spin, eddy, churn, circulate, gyrate, surge, boil,
seethe: Faster and faster the water swirled round in the
maelstrom. 2 twist, whirl, whorl, curl, roll, furl, spin,
curve, spiral, twirl, wind (round): She swirled her hair round
her head and fastened it with a large clip.

--n. 3 twist, whirl, curl, roll, twirl, spiral: At the fabric
exhibition swirls of textiles were decoratively displayed.


swish v. 1 hiss, whisk, rustle, whisper, susurrate: I heard Elena
swish up behind me in her red silk taffeta dress.

--n. 2 hiss, hissing sound, whoosh, swoosh, rustle, whistle:
With a quick swish the machete knifed through the underbrush.


--adj. 3 elegant, fashionable, stylish, de rigueur, smart,
Colloq posh, plush, ritzy, swell, swank(y): Liza bought a swish
new outfit for the wedding. 4 homosexual, effeminate, swishy,

camp(y), US fruity, limp-wristed, Colloq queer, gay, Chiefly
Brit bent, US faggy, Slang kinky: He used to bring his swish
friends here, but not lately.


switch n. 1 twitch, lash, rod, whip, birch (rod), scourge: He picked
up the switch as if to hit me with it. 2 change, alteration,
exchange, shift, change-over, reversal, deflection, trade, swap
or swop: A switch of costume was done swiftly backstage,
yielding the expression 'quick-change artist'.


--v. 3 twitch, lash, whip, birch, beat, strike, thrash,
scourge, flog: The headmaster switched the boys for the
slightest misdemeanour. 4 change, shift, exchange, divert,
deviate: The colonel switched to another subject. They switched
the two stones, leaving the fake emerald. 5 divert, turn,
rechannel, redirect, direct: They switched the funds to another
project.

swivel v. 1 pivot, turn, rotate, spin, revolve, pirouette, move
freely: This joint allows the arm to swivel in all directions.

--n. 2 pivot, elbow-joint, gimbal, ball-and-socket joint: The
stern-chaser is fitted with a swivel, allowing it to be fired at
any angle.


swollen adj. enlarged, distended, inflated, bloated, bulging, puffed up
or out, tumid, tumescent, expanded, turgid, puffy, oversized,
outsized, Technical dropsical, hypertrophied, proud: My knee
was swollen for three days after that knock.


swoop v. 1 descend, dive, sweep down, pounce, stoop: The eagle
swooped down across the stream, catching a salmon in its talons.

--n. 2 descent, dive, sweep, pounce, stoop, stroke, blow, rush:
The police raid caught several drug dealers in one fell swoop.

19.16 sybarite...
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sybarite n. epicure, epicurean, hedonist, voluptuary, sensualist,
aesthete, gastronome, gourmet, bon vivant, bon viveur,
pleasure-seeker, playboy, jet-setter: These sybarites spend all

their time and their parents' money in the fleshpots of the
world.

symbol n. representation, figure, metaphor, allegory, insigne
(singular; plural is insignia), token, sign, emblem, badge,
image, logotype, mark, trade mark, colophon, brand, code,
abbreviation, phonogram, initialism, cryptogram, acronym,
monogram, password, shibboleth, watchword, code word; arms,
bearing, armorial bearing, crest, escutcheon, coat of arms,
banner, flag, pennant, standard, Colloq logo: This jewel is a
mere symbol of my devotion and love for you.

symbolic adj. Often, symbolic of. symbolical (of), tokening, betokening,
emblematic (of), figurative, allegoric(al), typical (of),
representative (of), symptomatic (of), characteristic (of),
metaphoric(al), allusive (of), denotative (of), connotative
(of), mnemonic (of): From ancient times the laurel, or bay, has
been regarded as symbolic of praiseworthiness.


symbolize v. represent, stand for, denote, connote, suggest, express,
imply, signify, mean, typify, exemplify, betoken, illustrate,
embody, epitomize: Green symbolizes envy and jealousy, red
anger, blue sadness, white purity, and so on.


symmetrical
adj. symmetric, (well-)balanced, proportionate, proportional,
well-proportioned, orderly, (well-)ordered, in proportion, even,
regular, congruous, congruent, uniform, harmonious; equal,
mirror-image, mirror-like: The temple was exactly symmetrical,
with a wing on each side. The two wings are symmetrical.

symmetry n. balance, proportion, evenness, order, orderliness,
regularity, uniformity, congruity, congruousness,
correspondence, agreement, harmony, consistency, equality: With
the crudest of tools, the pyramid builders achieved incredible
symmetry.

sympathetic
adj. 1 Often, sympathetic to or toward(s). compassionate (to or
toward(s)), commiserating (with), commiserative (with),
understanding (of), supportive (of), caring (to or toward(s)),
concerned (about or with), solicitous (of or to or (toward(s)),
warm-hearted (to or toward(s)), kind-hearted (to or toward(s)),

responsive (to or toward(s)), well-meaning, well-intentioned,
good-natured (to or toward(s)), considerate (of or to or
toward(s)), empathetic or empathic (with or to or toward(s));
sympathizing, kindly, comforting, consoling: The social workers
are sympathetic to the people's problems. One should be more
sympathetic. Julie takes a sympathetic outlook. 2 Often,
sympathetic to or toward(s). agreeable, pleasant, friendly,
well-disposed, favourably disposed, encouraging, like-minded,
responsive, congenial, en rapport, simpatico: You will find a
sympathetic ear at the council. The people are not sympathetic
to a tax increase.

sympathize
v. 1 Often, sympathize with. suffer or grieve or mourn (with),
feel (sorry) (for), have pity (for), empathize (with), condole
(with), commiserate (with): I sympathized with you over the
loss of your grandfather. Now that mine is gone, it is your turn
to sympathize. 2 Often, sympathize with. harmonize (with), get
along (with), relate (to), identify (with), go along (with), see
eye to eye (with), agree (with), side (with), understand, be en
rapport (with), be in sympathy (with), be simpatico (with), have
(a) rapport (with), Colloq be or vibrate on the same frequency
or wavelength (with), Slang dig: I can sympathize with anyone
who despises terrorism.


sympathizer
n. condoner, approver, conspirator, co-conspirator,
collaborator, accomplice, accessory, supporter,
fellow-traveller, ally: At one time, they tried to incarcerate
all suspected of being Fascist sympathizers.

sympathy n. 1 compassion, commiseration, pity, concern, tenderness,
empathy, understanding, solicitousness, warmth,
tender-heartedness, warm-heartedness, Archaic ruth: We feel
great sympathy for any child who loses a pet. 2 agreement,
harmony, compatibility, rapport, concord, accord,
fellow-feeling, congeniality, affinity, closeness, unity,
communion, fellowship, camaraderie: It is amazing that there
can be so much sympathy between two such different people.


symptom n. manifestation, evidence, syndrome, mark, token, indication,
cue, clue, (warning) sign, characteristic, trait, feature,
earmark, marker: Esmeralda is extremely jealous - I recognize

the symptoms.

symptomatic
adj. Often, symptomatic of. indicative (of), representative
(of), suggestive (of), characteristic (of), emblematic (of),
symbolic (of), peculiar (to), specific (to), idiosyncratic (of);
indicating, suggesting: A high fever is symptomatic of many
illnesses.


syndicate n. 1 trust, monopoly, bloc, cartel, syndication: They were
part of a syndicate that controlled the worldwide sale of
nickel. 2 (crime) family, Cosa Nostra, mafia: Guido used to be
an enforcer for the syndicate.


--v. 3 affiliate, ally, associate, amalgamate, consolidate,
league, confederate, synthesize: Mrs Cartwright was successful
in syndicating the milk producers in the entire county. 4
serialize, distribute: His business is syndicating old movies
to television stations.


synonymous
adj. Often, synonymous with or to. equal (to), equivalent (to),
tantamount (to), identified (with), corresponding (to or with);
transposable (with), exchangeable (with), identical (to or
with), interchangeable (with), the same (as): A word is almost
never truly synonymous with another in all respects. Even terms
like 'salt' and 'sodium chloride' are not synonymous.

synopsis n. summary, condensation, abridgement, epitomization, outline,
abstract, digest, pr‚cis, epitome, compendium, conspectus,
aper‡u, r‚sum‚: He was assigned to write a ten-page synopsis of
a 600-page book.

synthesis n. blend, compound, merge, union, amalgamation, coalescence,
integration, unifying, unification, composite, composition,
mixture, combination; compounding, combining, blending, merging,
union, amalgamation, coalescence, integrating, mixing, fusing,
fusion, unifying, unification: This mixture is a synthesis of
many different ingredients. How do they effect the synthesis of
coal, water, and air to make nylon?

synthetic adj. artificial, man-made, manufactured, ersatz; fake, false,
counterfeit, sham, bogus, spurious, mock, imitation, pseudo,

plastic, Colloq phoney or US also phony: Because of the animal
rights activists, many women today wear synthetic fur.

system n. 1 organized whole, organization, set, group, combination;
structure, arrangement, pattern, set-up: Some believe that the
universe is a vast ordered system, others that it is chaos in
which only man sees order. It took years to establish the
banking system in this country. 2 scheme, method, approach,
modus operandi, way, procedure, methodology, technique, plan,
process, practice, routine: There is a proper system for doing
the job and you should keep to it.

systematic
adj. organized, systematized, planned, methodical,
businesslike, orderly, well-organized, well-ordered, regular,
routine, standardized, standard: There are several systematic
ways for cataloguing books.