199 Adjectives That Start With S
S carries more adjectives than any other letter in English, and the reason matters: it holds three productive beginnings at once — s-, sc- and st- — plus every self- compound. This page lists 199 adjectives that start with S, grouped by the job each does, with a plain meaning beside every word.
Because the letter is so crowded, the risk is not finding a word but choosing between four that nearly match. The confusion table near the end deals with the pairs that catch people most often.
All 199 adjectives at a glance
Every word on this page in one block. Each is defined further down.
sagacious, saintly, salubrious, sanguine, satisfied, savvy, scholarly, scrupulous, seasoned, secure, selfless, sensational, sensible, sensitive, serene, sharp, shrewd, significant, sincere, skilful, sleek, smart, smooth, sociable, solid, sophisticated, soulful, spirited, splendid, spontaneous, stalwart, steadfast, stellar, striking, strong, stunning, sturdy, suave, sublime, successful, succinct, sunny, supportive, supreme, sympathetic, sadistic, sanctimonious, sarcastic, scathing, scatterbrained, scornful, secretive, self-centred, selfish, senseless, shabby, shallow, shameless, shifty, shoddy, sinister, slapdash, slippery, sloppy, slothful, sly, smug, snide, snobbish, sour, spiteful, squalid, stagnant, stale, stern, stifling, stingy, stubborn, stuffy, sulky, superficial, supercilious, suspicious, sycophantic, sluggish, scatty, sceptical, secular, sedentary, selective, self-assured, self-conscious, self-employed, self-made, self-taught, semi-retired, senior, sentimental, serious, settled, shy, single-minded, sisterly, skittish, sleepy, slender, soft-spoken, solitary, sporty, spry, stoic, strait-laced, streetwise, studious, strong-minded, subdued, submissive, superstitious, suburban, sallow, sandy, scarlet, scarred, scrawny, scruffy, sculpted, shaggy, shapely, sheer, shiny, short, silvery, sinewy, skinny, slanted, slight, slim, smoky, snowy, soft, speckled, square, stately, stocky, straight, striped, sassy, scrappy, staid, sedate, self-deprecating, self-reliant, sensual, sensuous, saccharine, serious-minded, sharp-tongued, short-tempered, silly, stout-hearted, sober, soft-hearted, solemn, sombre, sprightly, staunch, steady, strict, small-minded, solicitous, sacred, salty, scarce, scenic, seasonal, secondary, seismic, separate, severe, serrated, shrill, silent, simple, simultaneous, single-handed, slow, spotless, small, soggy, solar, sonic, spacious, specific, spicy, stable, standard, stationary, steep, sticky
Positive
Praise-side words. Shrewd, savvy and sagacious all describe good judgement: shrewd is practical, savvy is informed, sagacious is wise.
| Adjective | What it means |
|---|---|
| sagacious | wise through long experience |
| saintly | exceptionally good |
| salubrious | health-giving |
| sanguine | cheerfully optimistic |
| satisfied | content with what one has |
| savvy | shrewdly well-informed |
| scholarly | showing serious learning |
| scrupulous | careful to do right |
| seasoned | experienced |
| secure | safe and confident |
| selfless | putting others first |
| sensational | causing great excitement |
| sensible | practical and level-headed |
| sensitive | quick to feel or notice |
| serene | calm and untroubled |
| sharp | quick-witted |
| shrewd | astute in practical matters |
| significant | carrying real weight |
| sincere | free from pretence |
| skilful | showing practised ability |
| sleek | smooth and elegant |
| smart | clever, or neatly turned out |
| smooth | free from roughness |
| sociable | enjoying company |
| solid | sound and free of weakness |
| sophisticated | refined and worldly |
| soulful | full of deep feeling |
| spirited | full of energy and determination |
| splendid | magnificent |
| spontaneous | acting on impulse, freely |
| stalwart | physically robust and unwavering in support |
| steadfast | unwavering |
| stellar | outstanding |
| striking | dramatically noticeable |
| strong | having great power |
| stunning | extremely impressive |
| sturdy | strongly built |
| suave | smoothly polite |
| sublime | of the highest excellence |
| successful | achieving what was aimed at |
| succinct | brief and clear |
| sunny | cheerful |
| supportive | giving help and encouragement |
| supreme | highest in quality |
| sympathetic | feeling for others |
Negative
The letter’s real strength. Smug, supercilious and sanctimonious are three grades of the same fault — self-satisfaction, superiority, and moral superiority.
| Adjective | What it means |
|---|---|
| sadistic | taking pleasure in cruelty |
| sanctimonious | smugly moralising |
| sarcastic | using cutting irony |
| scathing | severely critical |
| scatterbrained | disorganised and forgetful |
| scornful | showing contempt |
| secretive | inclined to conceal thoughts or plans |
| self-centred | concerned only with oneself |
| selfish | putting oneself first |
| senseless | without meaning or purpose |
| shabby | worn and neglected |
| shallow | lacking depth of thought |
| shameless | showing no embarrassment |
| shifty | seeming untrustworthy |
| shoddy | badly made |
| sinister | suggesting harm |
| slapdash | done carelessly |
| slippery | evasive and untrustworthy |
| sloppy | careless and untidy |
| slothful | lazy |
| sly | cunning and secretive |
| smug | offensively self-satisfied |
| snide | mockingly disparaging |
| snobbish | looking down on others |
| sour | bad-tempered |
| spiteful | wanting to hurt |
| squalid | dirty and wretched |
| stagnant | not moving or developing |
| stale | no longer fresh |
| stern | severe and unyielding |
| stifling | oppressively close |
| stingy | unwilling to give |
| stubborn | refusing to change |
| stuffy | airless, or dull and formal |
| sulky | silently resentful |
| superficial | only on the surface |
| supercilious | haughtily superior |
| suspicious | distrustful, or arousing distrust |
| sycophantic | flattering to gain favour |
| sluggish | slow and unresponsive |
To describe a person
Mostly neutral words that take their colour from the sentence. Solitary can be a diagnosis or a compliment.
| Adjective | What it means |
|---|---|
| scatty | disorganised in a harmless way |
| sceptical | inclined to doubt |
| secular | not religious |
| sedentary | spending much time sitting |
| selective | choosing carefully |
| self-assured | confident |
| self-conscious | uncomfortably aware of oneself |
| self-employed | working for oneself |
| self-made | successful by one’s own effort |
| self-taught | having learned without instruction |
| semi-retired | working reduced hours |
| senior | older or higher in rank |
| sentimental | led by tender feeling |
| serious | not joking |
| settled | established and stable |
| shy | reserved with strangers |
| single-minded | fixed on one aim |
| sisterly | like a sister |
| skittish | easily startled |
| sleepy | drowsy |
| slender | gracefully thin |
| soft-spoken | speaking quietly |
| solitary | preferring to be alone |
| sporty | keen on sport |
| spry | lively despite age |
| stoic | enduring without complaint |
| strait-laced | strict about behaviour |
| streetwise | shrewd about city life |
| studious | devoted to study |
| strong-minded | holding firm opinions |
| subdued | quieter than usual |
| submissive | yielding to others |
| superstitious | believing in omens |
| suburban | of the outer town |
Physical appearance
S is unusually rich here. Note slender, slim, skinny and scrawny: the same body, described with rising unkindness.
| Adjective | What it means |
|---|---|
| sallow | yellowish and unhealthy in colour |
| sandy | the colour of sand |
| scarlet | bright red |
| scarred | marked by old wounds |
| scrawny | thin and bony |
| scruffy | untidy in appearance |
| sculpted | having a well-defined, muscular physique |
| shaggy | long and untidy in hair |
| shapely | well-proportioned |
| sheer | so thin as to be see-through, of fabric |
| shiny | reflecting light |
| short | of little height |
| silvery | like silver |
| sinewy | lean and muscular |
| skinny | very thin |
| slanted | at an angle |
| slight | small and slender |
| slim | attractively thin |
| smoky | hazy or grey |
| snowy | white as snow |
| soft | yielding to touch |
| speckled | covered in small spots |
| square | having four equal sides and four right angles, or solidly built |
| stately | dignified and impressive |
| stocky | short and solidly built |
| straight | without curve |
| striped | marked with stripes |
Personality
Settled disposition rather than a passing state.
| Adjective | What it means |
|---|---|
| sassy | boldly cheeky |
| scrappy | determined despite disadvantage |
| staid | sedate and unadventurous |
| sedate | calm and unhurried |
| self-deprecating | modest about oneself |
| self-reliant | depending on oneself |
| sensual | of physical, especially bodily, pleasure |
| sensuous | alive to the senses |
| saccharine | sentimental to the point of cloying |
| serious-minded | earnest, and not given to frivolity |
| sharp-tongued | cutting in speech |
| short-tempered | quick to anger |
| silly | light-heartedly foolish |
| stout-hearted | brave and resolute |
| sober | serious and restrained |
| soft-hearted | easily moved to kindness |
| solemn | serious and formal |
| sombre | dark in mood |
| sprightly | lively and light on the feet |
| staunch | unshakeably committed to a cause |
| steady | not liable to sudden change |
| strict | demanding obedience |
| small-minded | narrow in outlook |
| solicitous | showing careful concern for others |
Everyday and descriptive
Objects, places and conditions.
| Adjective | What it means |
|---|---|
| sacred | holy |
| salty | tasting of salt |
| scarce | hard to find |
| scenic | having fine views |
| seasonal | tied to a time of year |
| secondary | of lesser importance |
| seismic | of earthquakes, or hugely significant |
| separate | not joined |
| severe | harsh in degree |
| serrated | edged with small teeth |
| shrill | high and piercing in sound |
| silent | without sound |
| simple | not complicated |
| simultaneous | happening at the same time |
| single-handed | done without help |
| slow | taking a long time |
| spotless | perfectly clean |
| small | of little size |
| soggy | unpleasantly wet |
| solar | of the sun |
| sonic | of sound |
| spacious | having plenty of room |
| specific | clearly defined |
| spicy | flavoured with spices; pungently hot |
| stable | not likely to change |
| standard | the usual kind |
| stationary | not moving |
| steep | rising sharply |
| sticky | tending to adhere |
Using them in a sentence
A list is only half the job. These show the words carrying weight rather than sitting decoratively in front of a noun.
- He was shrewd about money and shallow about everything else.
- The house was stately, stuffy and quietly squalid upstairs.
- Her answer was succinct, scathing and entirely sincere.
- A sallow face under shaggy hair, and a steady voice that did not match either.
- The plan looked sensible on Monday and senseless by Friday.
S-words people mix up
| Pair | The difference that matters |
|---|---|
| slim / skinny | Both mean thin. Slim is a compliment, skinny usually is not, and scrawny never is. |
| sensual / sensuous | Sensuous means alive to the senses generally. Sensual narrows that to physical desire. |
| stationary / stationery | Stationary means not moving. Stationery is paper and envelopes — and is a noun, not an adjective. |
| sceptical / cynical | Sceptical withholds belief pending evidence. Cynical assumes bad motives regardless of it. |
| stern / severe | Stern describes a manner. Severe describes a degree — a stern teacher, a severe penalty. |
Related guides
- Adjectives for sunrise — where the light and colour words on this page do their best work.
- Adjectives for scenery — expands scenic, spacious and steep.
- Adjectives for sounds — the fuller set behind silent, sonic and shrill.
- Adjectives for seniors — careful description of age, where spry and senior matter.
- Adjectives for scary — picks up sinister and takes it further.
- Adjectives for siblings — pairs with sisterly and the family vocabulary.
Checked against Merriam-Webster, the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook. Spotted an error? Tell us — see our editorial policy.
