
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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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.
soil� | soil�: 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� | soil�: n. earth, loam, dirt, ground, turf, humus; clay: The men who dug the swimming-pool took away the soil from the pit.
sojourn | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | solicitor: n. lawyer, attorney, US counselor-at-law: I have turned the matter over to my solicitor.
solicitous | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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, Solidarnos�''c�'': It was through solidarity, not the pursuit of individual interest, that freedom was achieved.
solidify | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | solvent: adj. creditworthy, (financially) sound, solid, reliable; debt-free; profitable: The auditors rate the business as solvent.
sombre | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | soulful: adj. sincere, deep, profound, moving, emotional, warm, ardent, intense, fervent, expressive: The lovers exchanged soulful looks.
sound� | sound�: 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� | 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.
sound� | sound�: 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | sow: v. seed, disseminate, broadcast, plant: The grand vizier sowed the seeds of dissension amongst the subjects of the caliph.
