| glamour |
looks
or beauty eye-catchingly beaming or radiant |
| glance |
a
flash or gleam of light; sunlight glances off a knife |
| glare |
of
light that is dazzlingly and uncomfortably bright |
| glass |
a
material that allows light to pass through it |
| glaze |
a
smooth, light-reflecting surface |
| gleam |
of
a light source that shines faintly or intermittently |
| glee |
sunny
feeling things are not going well for your foes |
| glim |
a
weak light; archaic English for a lantern or candle |
| glimmer |
a
weak or intermittently shining source of light or hope |
| glimpse
(v.i.) |
shine
faintly or intermittently; in poetry, to dawn |
| glint |
cause
or reflect a quick flash of light |
| glisten |
shine
and sparkle like snow in the sunshine |
| glister
[archaic] |
sparkle
or glitter |
| glitter |
sparkle
and shine with showy brilliance |
| glitz
[slang] |
a
superficial display of showy brilliance |
| gloaming
[poetic] |
dusk
or twilight |
| gloat |
have
a bright, triumphant feeling after gaining some advantage — probably
at someone else's expense |
| gloom |
partial
darkness; a dismal situation or feeling of despair |
| gloriole |
a
circle of light around the head of a sacred person |
| glory |
a
bright
experience of honor, fame or exaltation |
| gloss |
a
bright sheen or lustre on a surface |
| glow |
emit
a steady light and heat without flame |
| glum |
feeling
or looking gloomy; having dark thoughts |
|
sl-
words have overwhelmingly pejorative connotations |
| slack |
not
taut; negligent, remiss |
| slag
[slang] |
prostitute
or promiscuous woman |
| slam |
throw
shut |
| slammer
[slang] |
prison |
| slander |
defame
someone falsely |
| slang |
very
informal or unofficial language |
| slanted |
biased |
| slap |
hit
with the palm of the hand |
| slapdash |
rushed
and careless |
| slap-happy |
treating
serious things lightly |
| slash |
cut
with random, sweeping movement |
| slate |
scold |
| slaughter |
kill
in a ruthless manner |
| slave |
person
who has to work for nothing |
| slaver |
dribble;
servile flattery |
| slay |
kill |
| sleaze |
sordid
details |
| sleazy |
dirty
and probably dishonest, sordid |
| sleepy |
drowsy |
| sleet |
mixture
of snowfall and rainfall |
| sleight
[archaic] |
cunning;
deceptive trick |
| sleuth |
prying
detective |
| slick |
insincere |
| slide |
slip
along, slither |
| slight |
insult |
| slime |
thick
slippery mud or similar goo |
| slimy |
disgustingly
dishonest or flattering |
| sling |
throw
quickly and carelessly |
| slink |
sneak |
| slip |
slide
unintentionally |
| slit |
cut
or tear lengthwise |
| slither |
slide
with an irregular motion |
| slob
[colloq.] |
coarse
person |
| slobber |
slaver |
| slog |
hit
wildly |
| slogan |
short,
easily remembered phrase, not usually objective |
| sloppy |
careless |
| slosh [slang] |
hit
hard |
| sloth |
indolence,
laziness |
| slouch |
droop |
| slough |
swamp |
| slovenly |
careless |
| slow |
unhurried;
laggardly; tedious |
| slub |
warp
or fabric of uneven thickness |
| sludge |
mire,
slush |
| slug |
slimy
mollusc and garden pest |
| sluggard |
lazy
person |
| sluggish |
slow-moving,
inactive or inert |
| slum |
squalid
living quarters |
| slumber |
sleep;
be drowsy, idle or inactive |
| slump |
sudden
decline in trade or business |
| slur |
pronounce
indistinctly; insult someone |
| slurp |
drink
noisily |
| slush |
mire,
mud or dirty melting snow |
| slut
[slang] |
prostitute
or promiscuous woman |
| sly |
crafty,
cunning, wily |
|
|
|
|

|
sn-
words also have a pejorative tendency but are not as bad as
sl-
words |
| snack |
not
a full, quality meal |
| snag |
unexpected
obstacle |
| snail |
slow-moving
mollusc |
| snake |
long,
limbless, often poisonous reptile |
| snap |
break
suddenly or unexpectedly |
| snare |
trap |
| snarl |
angry
growl |
| snatch |
seize
suddenly, quickly and impolitely |
| sneak |
go
or convey something furtively |
| sneer |
derisive
smile or remark |
| sneeze |
sudden
involuntary expulsion of air from the nose and mouth |
| snicker |
whinny
or neighing sound |
| snide |
slyly
derogatory; mean, underhand |
| sniffy
[colloq.] |
inclined
to sniff; disdainful, contemptuous |
| snigger |
half-suppressed
secretive laugh |
| snipe |
hide
and fire shots at long range |
| snit |
rage
or sulk |
| snitch
[slang]
|
steal
or inform on someone |
| snivel |
cry
while sniffling with a runny nose |
| snob |
person
who looks down on those (s)he regards as social inferiors |
| snook
[slang]
|
type
of contemptuous gesture |
| snoop
[colloq.] |
pry |
| snooty |
supercilious,
conceited |
| snore |
breathing
with a grunting or snorting sound while asleep |
| snort |
sound
made by suddenly forcing breath out through the nose |
| snot
[slang]
|
nasal
mucus |
| snotty
[slang]
|
contemptible
or conceited |
| snout
[slang]
|
derogatory
term for a nose or an informer |
| snub |
rebuff |
| snuff
it [slang] |
die |
| snuffy |
annoyed,
irritable or contemptuous |
st-
words often mean a general lack of movement, or activity that is confined |
| stab |
deep,
sharp cut in one place |
| stable |
steady,
unwavering; place of confinement for horses |
| stack |
pile
or heap in one place |
| stage |
fixed
place or point |
| stagger |
hesitate,
waver |
| stagnant |
motionless |
| stagnate |
become
motionless |
| stain |
a
mark that won't budge |
| stake |
pole
to mark fixed position; fixed sum of money as a wager |
| stale |
of
food left untouched for too long |
| stalemate |
position
where you're unable to make any new move |
| stalk |
pursue
and so not move away from someone |
| stall |
stop
suddenly |
| stamina |
staying
power |
| stammer |
get
stuck on the same sound when speaking |
| stamp |
bring
something down hard on one particular place |
| stance |
fixed
attitude or position |
| stand |
remain
upright in one place |
| standard |
fixed
value or norm |
| staple |
fixed
main element |
| star |
fixed
point in the sky |
| starch |
fabric
stiffener |
| stare |
look
fixedly |
| startle |
shock
someone so their heart skips a beat |
| starve |
no
movement in the digestive system |
| stash [colloq.] |
keep
something safe or hidden in one particular place |
| state |
fixed
condition |
| static |
not
moving |
| station |
place
where a train stops |
| stationary |
remaining
in one place |
| statistics |
established
figures or data |
| statue |
fixed
figure of a person |
| status |
fixed
condition or social position |
| statute |
fixed
regulation |
| stay |
not
move away |
| steadfast |
constant,
unwavering |
| steady |
firm,
persistent, unfaltering |
| stealth |
indiscernible
movement |
| stench |
foul
smell that sticks around |
| stencil |
holed
sheet of plastic to create a fixed design with a pencil on paper |
| step |
fixed
position on the way somewhere |
| sterile |
barren |
| stern |
with
a fixed severity |
| stew |
cook
slowly in one place for a long time |
| stick |
affix
something so it doesn't move |
| stiff |
rigid,
inflexible |
| stifle |
suppress
development |
| stigma |
discredit
that won't go away |
| still |
not
moving |
| stilted |
stiff
and unnatural |
| sting |
sharp
wound from insect in one particular place |
| stingy |
mean,
i.e.
no hand movement toward one's wallet |
| stink |
emit
foul smell that won't go away easily |
| stipend |
regular
fixed allowance |
| stipulate |
establish
as a fixed rule or condition |
| stock |
stationary
supply of goods |
| stodgy |
of
food, heavy and indigestible |
| stoical |
unmoved
emotionally |
| stooge |
compliant
person who sticks to instructions |
| stop |
suspend
movement |
| store |
keep
stationary supply of goods |
| stow |
pack
goods tightly into one place so they don't move |
| stubborn |
exhibiting
no movement in one's thinking |
| stud |
male
horse kept primarily for breeding rather than transport |
| study |
hold
head still over a book for a long time |
| stuff |
pack
material tightly into one place so it doesn't move |
| stuffy |
of
a room with no air movement or a person unwilling to change diehard
conservative thinking |
| stump |
puzzle,
i.e. render someone's brain cells inactive |
| stun |
knock
someone senseless so they can't move |
| stunt |
retard
growth or development |
| stupefy |
stop
someone's brain cell activity |
| stupid |
without
brain cell activity |
| stupor |
dazed
state preventing normal bodily activity |
| sturdy |
strong
and robust so it stands still in a storm |
| stutter |
get
stuck on the same sound when speaking |
| sty |
pen
to prevent pigs from moving about too much |
| style |
a
fixed appearance or form of something |
| stymie |
cause
an obstruction to bring someone to a halt |
| styptic
pencil |
stick
with chemical to stop small cuts bleeding |

|
| str-
words convey both narrowness and spreading out in space or time |
| straddle |
stand
across something with your legs spread out in straight line |
| straggle |
trail
behind in race or line of people; become dispersed/sporadic |
| straight |
extending
unvaryingly in the same direction |
| strain |
stretch
tightly; apply sustained pressure to something |
| strait |
narrow
stretch of water separating two seas |
| strake |
continuous
line of plates or planking from stem to stern of a ship |
| strand
[poetic] |
the
margin of a lake, river or sea |
| strangle |
narrow
the windpipe, freedom of expression, etc. |
| strap |
long
thin strip of leather or other material used for fastening |
| strategy |
series
of calculated plans implemented over a period of time |
| stratum,
strata |
layer
of rock or the atmosphere; sometimes even a social class |
| straw |
long
thin dry cut stalk of grain; thin tube to suck drinks through |
| stray |
wander
off course into a wider area than intended or allowed |
| streak |
long
thin line or band; row of similar happenings; character trait |
| stream |
narrow
river or waterway; flow of something in a certain direction |
| street |
length
of road for vehicles to move along |
| strenuous |
requiring
a series of efforts and sustained use of energy |
| stress |
sustained
pressure on material objects/mental tension in humans |
| stretch |
pull
on something so it becomes taut or longer than it already is |
| strew |
scatter
or spread all over a surface, perhaps a very wide area |
| strickle |
straight-edged
bar to level off exact measure of grain, etc. |
| strict |
adhering
to/enforcing a straight and narrow pattern of behavior |
| stride |
walk
in a narrow path straight ahead with long, firm steps |
| string |
length
of narrow cord/twine or, on music instruments, wire/catgut |
| strip |
a
long, narrow and usually flat piece of something |
| stripe |
a
long narrow strip differing in color from surfaces on either side |
| strive |
make
a sustained effort to achieve something over time |
| stroke |
sweep
one's hand gently over the surface of something |
| stroll |
walk
or saunter leisurely and with a sense of freedom |
| strop |
leather
strip for sharpening razors |
| struggle |
put
up a sustained fight against hardship or restrictions |
|
sw-
words connote various kinds of movement, often purposeful in nature |
| swaddle |
throw
a garment around an infant and wrap it tightly |
| swag |
sag
heavily and sway from side to side |
| swage |
tool
for bending metal |
| swagger |
walk
arrogantly or with a sense of self-importance |
| swallow |
move
one's oesophagus; a fast-moving migratory bird |
| swamp |
inundate
an area with a sudden onrush of water |
| swap |
move
goods between two people in a mutual exchange |
| swarm |
many
insects moving together in a widespread cloud |
| swash
[archaic] |
strike
violently; swagger |
| swat |
hit
something hard with a rapid movement of the arm |
| swathe |
throw
a garment around something and wrap it tightly |
| sway |
move
back and forth irregularly like a tree in a gale |
| swear |
let
the tongue loose with profane or indecent expletives |
| sweep |
move
like a broom across a floor |
| swell |
move
toward enlargement or increase in size |
| swerve |
move
suddenly in an effort to rapidly change course |
| swift |
fast-moving;
a fast-flying bird resembling a swallow |
|