Barren GRE Word List Letter "S" Page 1

• saboteur one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property; N. sabotage: destruction of property (usually carried out secretly)

• saccharine cloying sweet; characteristic of sugar or saccharin

• sacrilegious desecrating; profane; N. sacrilege: desecration, misuse, or theft of something sacred

• sacrosanct invioably sacred; most sacred; inviolable

• sadistic inclined to cruelty; N. sadism: delight in cruelty

• saga Scandinavian myth; any legend; long heroic narrative

• sagacious wise; perceptive; shrewd; having insight; N. sagacity

• sage person celebrated for wisdom; wise person; ADJ: wise

• salacious lascivious; lustful; Ex. salacious monk

• salient prominent; projecting beyond a line; conspicuous; Ex. salient features

• saline salty

• sallow (of the skin) yellowish and unhealthy-looking; sickly in color; Ex. sallow complexion due to jaundice

• salubrious healthful; conducive to health or well-being; socially desirable; Ex. salubrious area; CF. health

• salutary tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome; Ex. The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy; CF. health

• salvage rescue (goods or property) from loss; N: saving; property saved

• sanctimonious displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness; N. sanctimony: hypocritical piety

• sanction approve; ratify; N: permission; penalty intended to enforce compliance

• sanctuary place of refuge; shelter; shrine; holy place; Ex. The outlaw was granted sanctuary in the church.

• sanguinary bloody; with much bloodshed

• sanguine optimistic; cheerful; hopeful; of the color of blood; red

• sap diminish; weaken; undermine the foundations of (a fortification); Ex. The element kryptonite sapped his strength.

• sarcasm cutting ironic remark; scornful remarks; stinging rebuke; ADJ. sarcastic

• sardonic scornfully mocking; disdainful; sarcastic; cynical; Ex. sardonic smile

• sartorial pertaining to tailors or tailoring; Ex. a man of great sartorial elegance; CF. sartor: tailor

• sate satisfy to the full; satisfy to excess; cloy
          ~ doze sleep lightly; nap

• satellite small body revolving around a larger one

• satiate satisfy fully (physical needs such as hunger); sate; N. satiety: condition of being satiated

• satire form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack human vice and folly

• satirical using satire; mocking

• saturate soak thoroughly; imbue; impregnate; charge; fill to capacity

• saturnine morose; gloomy; Ex. Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance.

• satyr half-human, half-bestial being in the court of Dionysus (resembling a goat), portrayed as wanton(unrestrained) and cunning; lecher; CF. faun; CF. goat: lecherous man

• saunter stroll(go for a leisurely walk) slowly; N.

• savant scholar; learned person; CF. savoir: know

• savor enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality; N: taste or smell; distinctive quality

• savory pleasant in taste; tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable; Ex. savory reputation

• scabbard case for a sword blade; sheath

• scad a great quantity; Ex. scads of clothes

• scaffold temporary platform for workers (to work at heights above the ground); bracing framework; platform for execution

• scale climb up; ascend; remove or come off in scales; N: flake of epidermis; ascending or descending series of musical tones

• scanty meager; insufficient

• scapegoat someone who bears the blame for others; whipping boy; CF. escape+goat

• scavenge hunt through discarded materials for usable items or food; search, especially for food; N. scavenger: one who scavenges; animal that feeds on refuse and carrion
          ~ refuse anything discarded or rejected as worthless; trash

• scenario plot outline; screenplay(script for a movie); opera libretto; outline of possible future events

• schematic of a schema or scheme; relating to an outline or diagram; using a system of symbols; N. schema: diagrammatic representation; outline
          ~ scheme systematic plan; plot; clever dishonest plan; orderly arrangement of elements; Ex. health insurance scheme; Ex. a scheme to escape taxes; Ex. a color scheme; Ex. a story with no scheme; V: contrive a scheme

• schism division into factions (esp. within a religious body); split

• scintilla trace; minute amount; shred; least bit; Ex. There is not a scintilla of truth; CF. spark

• scintillate sparkle; flash; be animated; be full of life; Ex. scintillating conversation

• scoff laugh (at); mock; ridicule; Ex. scoff at their threats

• scotch stamp out(put an end to); thwart; hinder; Ex. scotch the rumor; CF. cut; CF.
          ~ score number of points; written form of a musical composition; reason; group of 20; notch or incision; Ex. full/vocal score; Ex. Don’t worry on that score; V: mark with lines or notches; Ex. score the paper to make it easy to fold
          ~ stamp step on heavily (so as to crush or extinguish); put an end to; imprint or impress with a mark, design, or seal; shape with a die; characterize; Ex. machine stamping out car bodies; Ex. newspaper stamping him as a liar; N. stamping; implement used to stamp; impression stamped; mark; Ex. Her remarks bear the stamp of truth.

• scourge lash; whip (formerly used for punishment); source of severe punishment; V: whip; afflict

• scruple hesitate for ethical reasons; fret about; Ex. She did not scruple to read his diary; N: uneasy feeling arising from conscience; conscience

• scrupulous conscientious; extremely thorough; Ex. scrupulous worker

• scrutinize examine closely and critically; N. scrutiny

• scuffle struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry; N. CF. scuffling twins ?
          ~ shuffle mix together; jumble; move (something) from one place to another; slide (the feet) along the ground while walking; Ex. shuffle papers from one pile to another; N.

• scurrilous abusive; obscene; indecent; Ex. scurrilous remark

• scurry move hastily; hurry; move briskly

• scurvy contemptible; despicable; N: disease caused by deficiency of Vitamin C

• scuttle sink (a ship) by cutting holes in the hull; scrap; discard; N: small hatch in a ship’s deck or hull
          ~ hull husk; dry outer covering of a seed; frame or body of a ship

• seamy sordid; base; filthy; unwholesome; Ex. seamy side of city life
          ~ base contemptible; morally bad; inferior in value or quality; Ex. base motives/conduct; Ex. base metal such as iron

• sear burn the surface of; char or burn; brand; parch; cause (a plant) to wither
          ~ char make or become black by burning; reduce or be reduced to carbon or charcoal(black substance made by burning wood) by incomplete combustion
          ~ scorch sear; N.
          ~ brand trademark; mark burned on the hide of an animal; mark burned into the flesh of criminals; mark of disgrace; V: mark with a brand; give a lasting bad name; stigmatize; Ex. The press branded him a liar.
          ~ hide skin of an animal

• seasoned experienced
          ~ season enhance the flavor of by adding a spice, etc.; inure; harden; N. seasoning: something used in seasoning
          ~ seasonal of a particular season; Ex. seasonal rise in employment
          ~ seasonable occurring at the proper time or season; opportune; Ex. seasonable intervention in the dispute

• secession withdrawal; V. secede: withdraw formally from membership

• seclusion isolation; solitude; V. seclude: set apart from others; isolate

• secrete conceal; hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism; CF. secretive

• sect separate religious body; faction; group of people with common beliefs within a larger group
          ~ sectarian of a sect; narrow-minded; parochial; N: member of a sect; narrow-minded person
          ~ denomination religious group; unit in a system; name or designation; CF. denominator: common trait or characteristic

• secular worldly; not pertaining to church matters or religion; temporal

• sedate composed (with no excitement); grave; V: administer a sedative to; CF. sedative

• sedentary requiring sitting; done while sitting; not moving from one place to another; settled; Ex. sedentary job/population

• sedition conduct or language inciting rebellion; rebellion; resistance to authority; insubordination; ADJ. seditious

• sedulous diligent; assiduous; paying attention; N. sedulity

• seedy run-down; decrepit; disreputable; having many seeds; Ex. seedy downtown hotel
          ~ run-down (of a place) dilapidated; in a bad condition; (of a person) weak or exhausted

• seemly (of behavior) proper; appropriate

• seep pass slowly through small openings; ooze; trickle; N. seepage

• seethe be violently disturbed; boil; (of a liquid) move about wildly as if boiling; Ex. The nation was seething with discontent.

• seine seine net; net for catching fish

• seismic pertaining to earthquakes

• semblance outward appearance; guise; Ex. We called in the troops to bring a/some semblance of order to the city.

• seminal related to seed or semen; germinal; creative; providing a basis for further development; influencing future developments; Ex. seminal research in a new field

• seminary school for training future ministers; secondary school, especially for young women

• senility old age; feeblemindedness of old age; ADJ. senile: resulting from old age; showing the weakness of body or mind from old age; Ex. senile dementia
          ~ feebleminded deficient in intelligence; very stupid

• sensitization process of being made sensitive or acutely responsive to an external agent or substance; V. sensitize: make or become sensitive

• sensual devoted to the pleasures of the sense; carnal; voluptuous; Ex. sensual woman/curves/lips
          ~ voluptuous sensual; of or giving sensual pleasure; indulging in sensual pleasures; Ex. voluptuous lines; Ex. voluptuous life of the Romans; N. voluptuary: voluptuous person

• sensuous giving pleasure to the senses; pertaining to the physical senses; operating through the senses; sensuous feeling of soft velvet on the skin

• sententious pithy; terse; concise; aphoristic

• sentient capable of sensation and conscious; aware; sensitive; Ex. sentient creature; N. sentience

• sentinel sentry; lookout
          ~ lookout act of keeping watch; high place commanding a wide view; person who keeps watch

• septic of or causing sepsis; putrid; producing putrefaction; N. sepsis: poisoning of part of the body (producing pus)

• sepulcher tomb; V: place in a sepulcher; ADJ. sepulchral

• sequester isolate; segregate; seclude; retire from public life

• sere sear; parched; dry

• serendipity gift for finding valuable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck; CF. The Three Princes of Serendip

• serenity calmness; placidity; ADJ. serene

• serpentine winding; twisting; of or like a serpent; Ex. serpentine course of the river; N. serpent: snake

• serrated having a sawtoothed edge; Ex. serrated leaf

• servile slavish; cringing; N. servility

• servitude slavery; compulsory labor imposed as a punishment

• sever separate; cut off (a part) from a whole; break up (a relationship); N. severance; CF. severance pay: extra pay given an employee upon leaving a position

• severity harshness; intensity; sternness; austerity; ADJ. severe: harsh; strict; extremely violent or intense

• sextant navigation tool used to determine a ship’s latitude and longitude (by measuring the altitudes of stars)

• shackle chain; fetter; confine with shackles; N.

• sham pretend; feign; ADJ: not genuine; fake; Ex. sham jewelry; N: something that is not what it appears; impostor; pretense; Ex. The agreement was a sham.

• shambles (place or scene of) complete disorder or ruin; wreck; mess; Ex. After the hurricane, the coast was a shambles.

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