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skulk
(v.) to move secretly, implies sinister
The thief skulked around the neighborhood hoping to find his next target.
They found the boy skulking in the bushes.
The woman attempted to skulk away from cleaning the house by hiring a
cleaning service.
slander
(v.) defame; maliciously misrepresent
Orville said he'd been slandered, and he asked the court who would-or
could- give him his name back.
sloth
(n.) disinclination to action or labor
Employers want to guard against hiring sloths as new employees.
slothful
(adj.) lazy
The slothful actions of the player led to his benching.
slovenly
(adv.) sloppy
His mother-in-law did not approve of his slovenly manner.
sodden
(adj.) soggy; dull in action as if from alcohol
The flowers were sodden after the rain.
The sodden reaction of the man caused the accident.
sojourn
(v.) to stay temporarily
The family will sojourn at their summer home.
The guest remained only for a sojourn; she was going to leave in the afternoon.
solace
(n.) hope; comfort during a time of grief
When her father passed away, she found solace amongst her friends and
family.
solemnity
(n.) a deep, reverent feeling often associated with religious occasions
The church service was full of solemnity.
The solemnity of the funeral procession stood in stark contrast to the
young children splashing with delight in a nearby pool.
solicit
(v.) ask; seek
The jobless man solicited employment from many factories before he was
able to find work.
soliloquy
(n.) a talk one has with oneself (esp. on stage)
Imagine T.S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land performed on stage as a kind
of soliloquy!
The soliloquy by the man standing alone on the cliff sent a message of
regret.
solubility
(n.) that can be solved; that can be dissolved
The solubility of sugar causes it to disappear when put in water.
somber
(adj.) dark and depressing; gloomy
The sad story had put everyone in a somber mood.
soporific
(adj.) causing sleep
The soporific medication should not be taken when you need to drive.
sordid
(adj.) filthy; base; vile
The sordid gutters needed to be cleaned after the long, rainy autumn.
The criminals thought patterns were so sordid that he was not granted
parole.
sovereign
(adj.) superior
The power was given to the sovereign warrior.
specious
(adj.) plausible, but deceptive; apparently, but not actually, true
The jury forewoman said the jury saw through the defense lawyer's specious
argument and convicted his client on the weight of the evidence.
I was unsure of the meaning of the specious statement.
spelunker
(n.) one who studies caves
The spelunker made a startling discovery in the old mine.
spendthrift
(n.) a person who spends money extravagantly
The spendthrift bought two new necklaces and three pairs of shoes.
splenetic
(adj.) marked by hostility
The splenetic warriors advanced with no thought of what they were destroying.
sporadic
(adj.) rarely occurring or appearing; intermittent
In the desert there is usually only sporadic rainfall.
spurious
(adj.) not genuine, false; bogus
Spurious claims by the importer hid the fact that prison labor had been
used in the garments' fabrication.
The newspaper was notorious for spurious information.
spurn
(v.; n.) to push away; a strong rejection
The woman spurned the advances of her suitor, saying she wasn't ready
for a commitment.
Unlucky enough to be the ninth telemarketer to call Jane that evening,
he caught her spurn.
squalid
(adj.) filthy; wretched (from squalor)
The lack of sanitation piping caused squalid conditions.
He makes good money, but I would never want to work in those squalid crawl
spaces.
stagnant
(adj.) motionless, uncirculating
The stagnant water in the puddle became infested with mosquitoes.
staid
(adj.) marked by self-control
The horse was staid as it entered the stable.
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