This list includes 61 Hard words that start with S, ranging from “sacrosanct” to “syzygy”. They are largely low-frequency, polysyllabic words often rooted in Latin or Greek, useful for tests, writing, and advanced reading.
Hard words that start with S are challenging, low-frequency vocabulary items that enrich precise writing and comprehension. For example, “syzygy” appears in both poetry and astronomy as a rare but memorable term.
Below you’ll find the table with Word, Etymology, and Definition.
Word: The word column lists each entry alphabetically so you can scan or jump directly to specific terms.
Etymology: Concise origin notes show root languages and dates, so you understand each word’s historical background and roots.
Definition: One-sentence definitions give part of speech and a clear sense, so you can quickly grasp proper usage.
Hard words that start with S
| Word | Part of Speech | Etymology | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| sacrosanct | adjective | Latin: sacer ‘sacred’ + sanctus ‘holy’ | ˌsæk.rəˈsæŋkt |
| sagacious | adjective | Latin: sagax ‘wise’ | səˈɡeɪ.ʃəs |
| salubrious | adjective | Latin: salubris ‘health-giving’ | səˈluː.bri.əs |
| samizdat | noun | Russian: samozdat ‘self-published’ (samizdat) | ˈsæmɪzˌdæt |
| sanguineous | adjective | Latin: sanguis ‘blood’ | sæŋˈɡwɪniəs |
| saprophytic | adjective | Greek: sapro- ‘rotten’ + -phyte ‘plant’ | ˌsæp.rəˈfɪt.ɪk |
| sapient | adjective | Latin: sapiens ‘wise’ | ˈseɪpiənt |
| sartorial | adjective | Latin: sartor ‘tailor’ | sɑːrˈtɔːr.i.əl |
| saturnine | adjective | Latin: Saturnus (mythical) — astrological influence | ˈsætərnaɪn |
| satyriasis | noun | Greek: satyr (mythic creature) | ˌsætɪˈraɪəsɪs |
| scabrous | adjective | Latin: scaber ‘rough’ | ˈskæ.brəs |
| scilicet | adverb | Latin: scilicet ‘it is permitted to know’ | ˈsɪlɪsɛt |
| scintilla | noun | Latin: scintilla ‘spark’ | sɪnˈtɪl.ə |
| scintillate | verb | Latin: scintilla ‘spark’ | ˈsɪn.tɪ.leɪt |
| schadenfreude | noun | German: Schaden ‘damage’ + Freude ‘joy’ | ˈʃɑːdənˌfrɔɪdə |
| schismatic | adjective | adjective/noun; Greek: skhizein ‘split’ | skɪˈzmætɪk |
| sesquipedalian | adjective | Latin: sesqui- ‘one and a half’ + ped- ‘foot’ | ˌsɛs.kwɪ.pɪˈdeɪ.li.ən |
| shibboleth | noun | Hebrew: šibbōleth ‘ear of grain’ (used as test) | ˈʃɪbəˌlɛθ |
| sidereal | adjective | Latin/Greek: sidus ‘star’ | saɪˈdɪəriəl |
| simulacrum | noun | Latin: simulare ‘to imitate’ | ˌsɪm.jʊˈleɪ.krəm |
| sinecure | noun | Latin: sine ‘without’ + cura ‘care’ | ˈsɪnɪkjʊər |
| sinistral | adjective | Latin: sinister ‘left’ | sɪˈnɪstrəl |
| siphonophore | noun | Greek: siphon ‘tube’ + phore ‘bearer’ | ˌsaɪ.fəˈnɒfɔːr |
| sirocco | noun | Italian/Arabic: sharq ‘east’ | sɪˈrɒkəʊ |
| skeuomorph | noun | Greek: skeuos ‘vessel’ + morph ‘form’ | ˈskjuː.ə.mɔːrf |
| skulduggery | noun | Scots/English origin uncertain | skʌlˈdʌɡəri |
| splenetic | adjective | Greek/Latin: splen ‘spleen’ (humoural theory) | spləˈnɛtɪk |
| splenectomy | noun | Greek: splen ‘spleen’ + -ectomy ‘cutting out’ | splɛˈnɛktəmi |
| spoliation | noun | Latin: spoliare ‘to strip’ | ˌspəʊliˈeɪʃən |
| stentorian | adjective | Greek: Stentor (loud-voiced herald) via proper name | stɛnˈtɔːrɪən |
| sternutation | noun | Latin: sternutare ‘to sneeze’ | ˌstɜːrnjuˈteɪʃən |
| stochastic | adjective | Greek: stokhastikos ‘aiming, conjectural’ | stəˈkæstɪk |
| stoichiometry | noun | Greek: stoicheion ‘element’ + metron ‘measure’ | ˌstɔɪkiˈɒmətri |
| stridulate | verb | Latin/echoic origin: strid- ‘make a harsh sound’ | ˈstrɪd.jʊ.leɪt |
| subfusc | adjective | Latin: sub ‘under’ + fuscus ‘dark’ | ˈsʌb.fʌsk |
| subpoena | noun | Latin: sub ‘under’ + poena ‘penalty’ | səˈpiː.nə |
| suborn | verb | Latin: sub ‘under’ + orno ‘to arrange’ | səˈbɔːrn |
| succinct | adjective | Latin: succinctus ‘girded up’ | səkˈsɪŋkt |
| succedaneous | adjective | Latin: succedere ‘to follow’ | səkˈsiːdəniəs |
| supererogatory | adjective | Latin: super ‘beyond’ + erogare ‘to pay out’ | ˌsuːpərəˈrɒɡətəri |
| supercilious | adjective | Latin: super ‘above’ + cilium ‘eyelid’ | ˌsuːpəˈsɪliəs |
| supraorbital | adjective | Latin: supra ‘above’ + orbit ‘eye socket’ | ˌsuːprəˈɔːrbɪtəl |
| surcease | verb | Old French/Latin: surseoir ‘to stop’ | sərˈsiːs |
| surreptitious | adjective | Latin: sub ‘under’ + rapere ‘to seize’ | ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs |
| susurration | noun | Latin: susurrus ‘whisper’ | ˌsuːsəˈreɪʃən |
| sybaritic | adjective | Greek: Sybaris (city) via proper name | ˌsɪbəˈrɪtɪk |
| sycophant | noun | Greek: sykophantes ‘informer’ | ˈsɪkəfænt |
| syllogism | noun | Greek: syllogismos ‘inference’ | ˈsɪlədʒɪzəm |
| synecdoche | noun | Greek: sun ‘together’ + ekdosis ‘a taking out’ | sɪˈnɛkdəki |
| syncretism | noun | Greek: syn ‘together’ + kretismos ‘mixture’ | ˈsɪŋkrətɪzəm |
| synesthesia | noun | Greek: syn ‘together’ + aisthesis ‘sensation’ | ˌsɪnəsˈθiːzjə |
| synchronicity | noun | Greek: syn ‘together’ + chronos ‘time’ | ˌsɪŋkrəˈnɪsɪti |
| syzygy | noun | Greek: syzygia ‘yoked together’ | ˈsɪzɪdʒi |
| splanchnic | adjective | Greek: splanchna ‘viscera’ | splæŋˈknɪk |
| steganography | noun | Greek: stegan- ‘covered’ + -graphy ‘writing’ | ˌstɛɡəˈnɒɡrəfi |
| sanguinolent | adjective | Latin: sanguis ‘blood’ + -olent ‘full of’ | sæŋˈɡwɪnələnt |
| sphygmomanometer | noun | Greek: sphygmos ‘pulse’ + manometer | ˌsfɪɡməˌməˈnɒmɪtər |
| sepulchral | adjective | Latin: sepulcrum ‘tomb’ | sɪˈpʌlkrəl |
| sententious | adjective | Latin: sententia ‘opinion’ | sɛnˈtɛnʃəs |
| serpiginous | adjective | Latin: serpere ‘to creep’ | sɜːˈpɪdʒɪnəs |
| stentorian | duplicate entry avoided | — | — |
Descriptions
sacrosanct
An adjective meaning regarded as too important or sacred to be interfered with, often used about beliefs or institutions.
sagacious
An adjective describing someone with keen judgment and shrewdness; a useful word for thoughtful decision-makers.
salubrious
An adjective meaning healthful or favorable to well-being, often used about climate, food, or places.
samizdat
A noun for clandestine, self-published literature circulated to evade censorship, historically in the Soviet bloc.
sanguineous
An adjective meaning bloody or relating to blood, used in medical and literary contexts.
saprophytic
An adjective describing organisms that feed on decaying matter, common in biology.
sapient
An adjective meaning wise or discerning; often used in formal or literary contexts.
sartorial
An adjective relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress.
saturnine
An adjective meaning gloomy, taciturn, or having a sardonic melancholy, originally astrological.
satyriasis
A medical noun for excessive sexual desire in men; a technical and somewhat archaic term.
scabrous
An adjective meaning rough to the touch or scandalous/indecent in subject matter, used in both literal and literary senses.
scilicet
A rare legal/archaic adverb meaning ‘namely’ or ‘that is to say’, often abbreviated as “sc.” in older texts.
scintilla
A noun meaning a tiny trace or spark of something, great for concise emphasis in writing.
scintillate
A verb meaning to sparkle, flash, or be brilliantly clever, used both literally and figuratively.
schadenfreude
A noun for the pleasure one takes in another’s misfortune, a loanword now common in English discourse.
schismatic
An adjective describing a division or split, especially within a religious or political group.
sesquipedalian
An adjective (or noun) meaning given to long words; delightfully self-referential for vocabulary lovers.
shibboleth
A noun for a custom, phrase, or practice distinguishing one group from another, often used metaphorically.
sidereal
An adjective meaning relating to the stars or astronomical time, used in astronomy and navigation.
simulacrum
A noun for an image or representation of someone or something, often with connotations of distortion or replacement.
sinecure
A noun for a paid position requiring little or no work, historically used about church or state appointments.
sinistral
An adjective meaning left-sided or left-handed, used in biology, geology, and heraldry.
siphonophore
A noun for a colonial marine organism (e.g., Portuguese man o’ war), technical in marine biology.
sirocco
A noun for a hot, dusty wind from the Sahara affecting Mediterranean regions.
skeuomorph
A noun in design meaning an ornamental feature that mimics the form of an older functional element.
skulduggery
A noun for underhanded or unscrupulous behavior; a vivid word for political or personal deceit.
splenetic
An adjective meaning irritable or bad-tempered, originally tied to ancient humoral medicine.
splenectomy
A medical noun for the surgical removal of the spleen.
spoliation
A noun for the act of plundering or destroying evidence, used in legal and archaeological contexts.
stentorian
An adjective meaning extremely loud or powerful in voice; high-impact descriptive term.
sternutation
A formal noun for the act of sneezing, useful in medical or jocular registers.
stochastic
An adjective meaning random or probabilistic, common in statistics, modeling, and science.
stoichiometry
A chemistry noun for quantitative relations in chemical reactions; a core technical term in chemistry.
stridulate
A verb meaning to make a shrill sound by rubbing body parts together; used in entomology for insects.
subfusc
An adjective meaning dark, dull, or somber in color or mood; also a formal dress term in academia.
subpoena
A legal noun for a writ ordering a person to attend court or produce documents.
suborn
A verb meaning to bribe or induce someone to commit perjury or wrongdoing; a legal term.
succinct
An adjective meaning expressed briefly and clearly; prized in professional and test writing.
succedaneous
An adjective describing something that replaces or succeeds another, often used in technical contexts.
supererogatory
An adjective for actions that go beyond duty or what is required; a formal moral/legal term.
supercilious
An adjective meaning disdainfully haughty or arrogantly superior.
supraorbital
An anatomical adjective meaning above the eye socket; used in medicine and anatomy.
surcease
A somewhat archaic verb meaning to cease or come to an end, often literary.
surreptitious
An adjective meaning secretive or stealthy, often implying wrongdoing or concealment.
susurration
A noun for a soft, whispering, rustling sound; a poetic alternative to ‘murmur’.
sybaritic
An adjective meaning devoted to luxury and pleasure; high-register and evocative.
sycophant
A noun for a servile flatterer who seeks favor by insincere praise.
syllogism
A noun for a form of deductive reasoning with premises and conclusion; central to logic.
synecdoche
A noun for a figure of speech where a part stands for the whole or vice versa.
syncretism
A noun for the blending of beliefs or practices from different traditions, often in religion or culture.
synesthesia
A noun for the neurological condition or rhetorical device where senses blend (e.g., ‘blue perfume’).
synchronicity
A noun (Jungian/popular) for meaningful coincidences not explained causally.
syzygy
A noun in astronomy for alignment of three celestial bodies, notable for its rare spelling and sound.
splanchnic
An anatomical adjective relating to the internal organs, especially the abdominal viscera.
steganography
A noun for hidden writing or concealed messages, important in information security history and practice.
sanguinolent
An adjective meaning blood-stained or bloody; a vivid, slightly archaic descriptor.
sphygmomanometer
A technical noun for the instrument that measures blood pressure, common in medicine.
sepulchral
An adjective meaning funereal, gloomy, or tomb-like; useful for dark atmospheres in writing.
sententious
An adjective meaning concise and aphoristic, sometimes pompously moralizing.
serpiginous
An adjective meaning spreading with a creeping or snakelike pattern, used in medicine and description.
stentorian
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