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Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

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sensuous adj. sensory, sybaritic, epicurean, hedonist(ic), sumptuous, luxurious, rich: She felt sensuous delight in the scents and sounds of the island.

sentence n. judgement, decision, ruling, verdict, decree, determination; punishment, Slang rap: It is up to the judge to announce the sentence of the court. Asked by his teacher for an example of a short sentence, Johnny replied, 'Thirty days'.

sentiment n. 1 attitude, feeling, sensibility, emotion, susceptibility, tenderness, tender-heartedness, sentimentality, sentimentalism: He wanted to preserve the old village square more out of sentiment than because it was historically important. 2 Often, sentiments. view, outlook, opinion, position, attitude, judgement, thought, belief, feeling, emotion: His sentiments regarding apartheid are better left unexpressed.

sentimental

adj. 1 emotional, sympathetic, compassionate, tender, warm-hearted, tender-hearted: Has he returned for sentimental reasons or for practical and mercenary ones? 2 romantic, nostalgic, emotional, maudlin, mawkish, over-emotional, tender, tearful, weepy, sickening, nauseating, simpering, sweet, saccharine, Colloq sloppy, gooey, sticky, tacky, mushy, slushy, gushy, soppy, drippy, tear-jerking, ill-making, sick-making, Slang corny, schmaltzy, icky, yucky or yukky: His last tune is always some sentimental ballad like 'Good Night, Sweetheart'.

sentimentality

n. romanticism, nostalgia, pathos, emotionalism, maudlinism, bathos, mawkishness, over-emotionalism, tenderness, tearfulness, weepiness, sweetness, Colloq sloppiness, gooeyness, mushiness, slushiness, gushiness, soppiness, drippiness, US stickiness, tackiness, Slang corn, corniness, schmaltz, schmaltziness, ickiness, yuckiness or yukkiness: The role of the bereaved

mother was overplayed with enough gushing sentimentality to make one sick.

sentinel n. sentry, guard, watchman, watch, picket, lookout, patrol: The sentinels measured out the ramparts of the fortress with their regular paces.

separable adj. distinguishable, segregable, detachable, divisible,

severable, removable, fissile, scissile: Unfortunately, as history demonstrates, morality and religion are separable.

separate v. 1 disjoin, pull or take or break apart, come or fall apart, fall or take or break to pieces, split or divide or break (up), split or break (off or away), disconnect, disengage, part, partition, sort (out), uncouple, disarticulate, disassemble, unhook, detach, disunite, unyoke, disentangle, unravel: In order to clean it, I first have to separate all the individual elements of the motor. The glue didn't hold, and the vase separated into a dozen fragments. Separate this yarn into different piles. 2 distinguish, discriminate, analyse, sort, break down, classify, segregate, single out, sequester, type, codify, organize, split up; group, collate: What criteria are used to separate the men from the boys, the sheep from the goats, or the wheat from the chaff? 3 split or break up, part (company), divide (up), disband, divorce: After ten years we separated, and each went our own way. 4 fork, split (up or off), bifurcate, diverge, branch: Beyond the river, the road to Norton separates from the main road.

--adj. 5 divided, separated, disjoined, disconnected, detached, isolated, discrete, distinct, individual, independent, solitary, different: Sort these books by subject into separate piles. 6 different, independent, unrelated, other: How you behave when you are not at home is a separate matter. 7 withdrawn,

solitary, alone, shut or closed off or away, apart, detached, removed, cloistered, secluded, sequestered, isolated, separated: He prefers a separate existence, far away from the rest of the world.

separately

adv. individually, independently, singly, one by one, one at a time, personally, alone, severally: Each child approached separately to wish her Bon Voyage.

separation

n. 1 rift, break, split, split-up, divorce, break-up, disunion, estrangement: Their separation, after forty years, was a surprise. 2 partition, division, split, schism, dividing line, dissociation, disassociation, severance: The United States constitution provides for the separation of church and state. 3 disintegration, shattering, break-up, fragmentation,

dismemberment, taking or keeping apart, segregation, division, disjoining, disjunction, fission, scission, rupture, schism, splitting, split, fracturing, fracture, break: After a crash, investigators supervise the separation of the aeroplane into its tens of thousands of component parts.

sepulchre n. tomb, mausoleum, burial-vault, grave, crypt, pyramid, burial-place: Beneath the floor of the church are the sepulchres of important people.

sequel n. follow-up, upshot, issue, result, consequence, development, supplement: The ruling went against him, but there was a curious sequel when he was suddenly offered an out-of-court settlement. They are showing the film Jean de Florette ,

together with its sequel Manon des Sources .

sequence n. succession, progression, order, series, chain, string, course, cycle, arrangement, organization, train, line, set, run, concatenation, system: His description conflicts with the sequence of events as recorded by the video camera. Some of these dates are out of sequence.

sequential

adj. successive, ordered, orderly, serial, progressive,

organized, systematic, cyclic, continuous: Would you please put these periodicals into sequential order?

seraphic adj. angelic, celestial, divine, heavenly, blissful, sublime, empyrean, Elysian, ethereal, holy, saintly, godly: In her later years, Anna's beauty took on a detached, seraphic quality.

serene adj. 1 peaceful, tranquil, calm, pacific, peaceable, restful, halcyon, idyllic, bucolic, pastoral, undisturbed, unruffled, imperturbable, unperturbed, untroubled, quiet, still: With the turmoil of the love affair behind her, Sharon looked ahead to a more serene life. 2 calm, cool, collected, placid, composed, self-possessed, poised, unexcitable, even-tempered, temperate, nonchalant, easygoing, cool-headed, easy, Colloq unflappable: Beneath William's serene exterior lay a seething, churning miasma of violent lust.

serenity n. 1 peacefulness, peace, tranquillity, calm, calmness, restfulness, quiet, stillness: The serenity of the warm

summer's evening was shattered by an enormous explosion. 2 tranquillity, peacefulness, peaceableness, unexcitability, calmness, calm, composure, self-possession, poise, aplomb, even-temperedness, temperance, nonchalance, cool-headedness, placidity, Colloq unflappability: The serenity of her nature was like a safe harbour to the friends who sought comfort from the turbulence of their lives.

serious adj. 1 grave, solemn, earnest, unsmiling, poker-faced, straight-faced, sedate, sober, pensive, thoughtful; humourless, sombre, grim, dour, severe: One should be wary of the person who is always serious, who cannot see the ludicrous side of life. 2 grave, important, vital, dangerous, weighty,

significant, momentous, crucial, consequential, life-and-death or life-or-death, urgent, pressing; no laughing matter, of

consequence or moment or importance: Things like the greenhouse effect and the hole in the ozone layer are serious concerns for

all mankind. 3 sincere, straightforward, not joking or fooling, genuine, honest: Is he serious about wanting me to fetch him a left-handed wrench? 4 acute, critical, life-threatening, bad, dangerous, nasty, perilous, alarming, grave, severe, precarious: His condition is serious and we might have to operate tonight. She had no idea that measles could be such a serious illness.

seriously adv. 1 gravely, badly, severely, critically: Two men were seriously injured in the explosion. 2 really, honestly, Scout's honour, sincerely, truly, candidly, openly, Colloq joking or kidding aside, no joking or kidding or fooling, cross one's heart (and hope to die): Seriously, kids, I meant what I said about going to bed on time, or no treats tomorrow at the beach. 3 soberly, earnestly, unquestioningly, without a doubt, at face value: What teacher takes seriously that old story about a grandmother's illness as an excuse for absence?

sermon n. 1 lecture, lesson, preaching, reprimand, reproach, reproof, remonstration, remonstrance, scolding, harangue, Colloq talking-to, dressing-down: Mother gave me a long sermon last night about getting home late. 2 homily, address, exhortation, lesson, lecture, speech, talk, discourse: We thought that

Father Keiller's sermon on vanity was especially appropriate.

serpentine

adj. 1 evil, bad, diabolical, satanic, Mephistophelian,

reptilian, devilish, wily, cunning, conniving, sneaky, shrewd, artful, crafty, slick, sly, insidious, shifty, tricky, scheming, plotting, Machiavellian: With serpentine deceit she swore that she had returned the ring. 2 twisting, winding, tortuous, snaking, snakelike, sinuous, anfractuous, roundabout, meandering, ambagious, indirect, devious, crooked, labyrinthine, vermicular, vermiculate, complex, complicated, Byzantine: The amulet was traced through a serpentine trail of ownership back to Xerxes.

serrated adj. sawlike, saw-shaped, sawtoothed, toothed, notched, zigzag, jagged, serrate, serriform, serratiform, serrulate(d),

crenellated, crenulate, crenate, denticulate: A knife with a serrated edge would cut the meat more easily.

serried

adj. ranked, tiered, row on row, ranged, assembled, packed,

close, compacted, compact: The serried army of brightly clad

warriors stretched as far as the eye could see.

servant

n. 1 domestic (servant), help, retainer; maid, maidservant,

parlour-maid, upstairs maid, lady's maid, cleaner, cleaning man, cleaning woman, amah; housekeeper, chatelaine, major-domo, factotum, steward, seneschal, butler, houseman, houseboy, boy, page; valet, man, gentleman's gentleman, manservant, serving-man, footman, foot-boy, chauffeur, driver, attendant, groom; governess, au pair (girl), nurse, nursemaid, ayah; cook, chef, waiter, waitress, stewardess, wine steward, sommelier (des vins); menial, lackey, dogsbody, Archaic servitor, Historical coachman, postilion, serving-woman, serving-girl, servant-girl, serving-wench, scullery-maid, scullion, Literary cup-boy, Ganymede, Chiefly Brit nanny, Brit boots, charwoman, charlady, daily, tweeny, US scrubwoman: Who can afford to keep domestic servants these days? 2 civil servant. civil-service employee or worker, public servant, (government or State) official, office-holder, government worker: In his capacity as a civil servant, Richard has worked for several different governments.

serve v. 1 attend (to), wait on or upon, minister to, look after (the needs of), be at (someone's) beck and call, assist, help, be of assistance or help, be in the service of, oblige, accommodate, gratify: After a patron is seated and settled, approach him and ask, 'May I serve you, Sir (or Madam, as the case may be ) ?' We serve all customers with equal consideration. 2 fulfil or carry

out or perform or discharge (a function or a duty or one's duty), work (for), do (duty) (as or for), do one's part, suffice, be used or of use or useful (to or for), function (as or to), act (as or to), fill the bill, be serviceable (as or for), be available (for), answer (for), be sufficient or

adequate or suitable, suit, be advantageous or of advantage (to); fight (for), be obedient (to), take one's part: This

catch will serve to keep the door closed. I had no screw driver, but a coin served just as well. They also serve who only stand and wait. 3 distribute, deal out, dole out, give out, present,

set out, provide, supply, offer, pass out or about or around, make available, come (a)round with, dish up or out: They will serve hors-d'oeuvres at seven-thirty. Dinner is served, Madam. 4 be convenient or opportune or favourable (to): If the opportunity serves me, I shall repay you many times over. 5 not fail, not play tricks (on), work or function (for), be accurate

or correct: If memory serves, he was last here about ten years ago. 6 go through, complete, spend, last, endure, survive: Henryson served ten years in Dartmoor for that crime.

service n. 1 help, assistance, aid, use, usefulness, utility, benefit, advantage: May I be of service to you? You could do me a great service by not saying anything of this to my mother. 2 maintenance, overhaul, servicing, checking, repair, mending: Must we send the copier out for service or can they do it in the office? 3 serving, accommodation, amenities, waiting, care: The food is good but the service leaves much to be desired. 4 employment, employ: How long have you been in my service, Jones? 5 use, utilization, usage, handling: This old teapot

has seen much service. 6 assignment, post, appointment, Military Brit secondment: Oscar was on service in the Far East during the war. 7 rite, ceremony, ritual, worship: I shall be attending a memorial service for Grimes on Saturday. 8 Often, services. army, navy, air force, marines; armed forces or services, military: He was a pianist before joining the

service. 9 Often, services. talents, help, professional care, work, advice: You will need the services of a good accountant. 10 serve, serving; putting into play: Clarke's tennis service

is faster and more accurate than before.

serviceable

adj. 1 workable, working, functional, functioning, usable, useful, operative, operating: It seems unlikely that the old

tractor will still be serviceable. 2 hard-wearing, long-wearing, durable, utilitarian, long-lasting, tough, wear-resistant: I need to buy a serviceable pair of hiking boots.

servile adj. submissive, subservient, menial, craven, acquiescent, abject, cringing, slavish, mean, fawning, deferential, mean-spirited, vile, low, base, ingratiating, grovelling, obsequious, toadying, toadyish, sycophantish, sycophantic, truckling, wheedling, unctuous, slimy, flattering, time-serving, boot-licking, Colloq chiefly Brit smarmy, US and Canadian apple-polishing, Slang Brit arse-kissing, US ass-kissing, Taboo slang brown-nosing, Brit arse-licking, US ass-licking: Victor is constantly trying to gain favour with the directors in the most servile way.

servility n. submissiveness, submission, subservience, servileness, acquiescence, abjectness, abjection, cringing, slavishness, meanness, fawning, mean-spiritedness, vileness, baseness, grovelling, obsequiousness, obsequence, toadying, toadyism, sycophancy, sycophantism, truckling, wheedling, unctuousness, sliminess, flattery, boot-licking, Colloq chiefly Brit smarminess, US and Canadian apple-polishing, Slang Brit arse-kissing, US ass-kissing, Taboo slang brown-nosing, Brit arse-licking, US ass-licking: We are sick of the servility with which Victor treats the directors.

servitude n. bondage, slavery, thraldom, serfdom, subjugation, enslavement, subjection, vassalage: They were sentenced to ten years' penal servitude.

session

n. 1 sitting, seating, assembly, conference, meeting, hearing:

 

Parliament is in session at this very moment. 2 term, period:

 

The bill will be introduced again at the next session of

 

Parliament.

set

v.

1 set down, place, put, situate, locate, site, plant,

position, station, stand, lay, install or instal, lodge, mount, park, deposit, plump, drop, plunk or plonk (down): Please set that blue box over here. 2 go down, sink, decline, subside: The sun is setting. 3 jell or gel, congeal, freeze, solidify, stiffen, harden, clot, coagulate, thicken, cake: The concrete takes a long time to set in this weather. 4 establish, fix,

fasten on, appoint: The date of the wedding has been set for May 23rd. 5 focus on, home or zero in on, pinpoint, pin down: When Ivor sets his mind on doing something, it usually gets done. 6 adjust, regulate, turn, synchronize, fix, calibrate, coordinate: Set your watches to Greenwich Mean Time. Set the counter back to zero. 7 present, introduce, establish,

determine, stipulate, lay down, define, indicate, designate, specify; set or mark off, delineate: Who set the pattern for such behaviour? You'll have to set the rules. 8 prepare, set up, concoct, lay, arrange, fix: I think we ought to set a trap for the burglar. 9 set forth, propound, present, devise, work out or up, make up, select, choose, decide, settle, establish: Who is going to set the questions for the examination? 10 arrange, lay, spread: If you set the table, I'll serve dinner. 11

adjust, move, tilt, fix, place, position, lodge: He set his hat at a jaunty angle and strode out of the restaurant. 12 set about. a get or make ready, start, begin, get to work, set in motion, get under way, start the ball rolling, break the ice, undertake, launch, tackle, address oneself to, enter upon,

Colloq get cracking: It's time you set about deciding what you want to do for a living. b attack, assail, assault, beat up:

The gang set about him with clubs. 13 set against. a compare, evaluate, rate, balance, weigh, juxtapose, contrast: If you set his assets against his liabilities, he comes off pretty well. b antagonize, set at odds, alienate, divide, disunite: They succeeded in setting brother against brother. 14 set apart. a distinguish, separate, differentiate: His talent for language sets him apart from the others. b reserve, put or set aside, store, earmark, put away, lay away, set by, save, keep back: I set apart this piece of chocolate just for you. 15 set aside.

a See 14 (b), above. b annul, cancel, nullify, declare or render null and void, reverse, repudiate, abrogate, quash, overturn, overrule, discard: The judge set aside the ruling of the lower court. 16 set back. put back, hinder, slow, hold up, retard, delay, impede, obstruct, stay, thwart, frustrate, inhibit: Completion has been set back because the materials failed to arrive. 17 set down. a write (down), put in writing, put down, record, register, mark or jot down, list: The secretary laboriously set down every word the official said. b ascribe, assign, attribute, impute, charge: She set down her

failure to win promotion to prejudice on the part of management. c put down, land: See if you can set the plane down in that

field over there. 18 set forth. a express, voice, propose,

propound, state, offer, submit, suggest, broach, make a motion, move: Hugo set forth various proposals for the expansion of the company. b set out or off, put forth or out, begin, start

(out), get under way, go, embark, sally forth, push off, depart, leave: After much hemming and hawing, Clive finally set forth on his big adventure. c set out, present, declare, describe, propose, state, articulate, enunciate: Hermione's theory is set forth in a lengthy report. 19 set in. begin, become

established, arrive, come: Winter has set in quite early this year. 20 set off. a ignite, kindle, detonate, light, touch off, trigger, trip: That little spark set off an explosion that destroyed the entire plant. b dramatize, enhance, highlight, throw into relief, show (off), display: The engraving is beautifully set off by the new mat and frame. c See 18 (b),

above. 21 set on. set upon, attack, assault, pounce on or upon, fall on or upon, fly at: You were set on by a pack of dogs in the park? 22 set out. a See 17 (b) and (c), above. b put out, lay out, arrange, dispose, display: The stallholders are all setting out their wares for the jewellery fair this morning. 23 set up. a build, put up, erect, assemble, construct, raise, elevate, put together, arrange, prepare: They are setting up the Christmas displays over the weekend. b start, begin, initiate, organize, establish, found; finance, fund, invest in, back, subsidize: The Crockers are setting up their third shop in Halsted. His father set him up in business. 24 set upon. attack, assault, ambush, beat up, fall upon, set about Colloq

mug: The gang set upon him as he was getting home from work.

--n. 25 collection, group, combination, number, grouping, assortment, selection, arrangement, series: Brackenhall bought a set of Hogarth etchings from the gallery. 26 clique, coterie, group, company, circle, ring, crowd, faction, sect, gang: The set she associates with think nothing of flying to Rio for the weekend. 27 kit, outfit, rig; equipment, apparatus: When I was ten, my father bought me a chemistry set. 28 setting, stage set or setting, scene, mise en scŠne, mounting, scenery: Hunter's set for Waiting for Godot won a prize.

--adj. 29 fixed, established, determined, predetermined, arranged, prearranged, decided, customary, usual, normal, regular, agreed, conventional, habitual, definite, defined, firm, unvarying, unvaried, unchanging, wonted, rigid, strict, settled, scheduled: There is a set order in which these things

are done. 30 stereotyped, trite, hackneyed, routine, standard, traditional, unchanged, unvaried, invariable: He made his set welcoming speech, as usual dripping with condescension, to the incoming classes. 31 prepared, ready, fit, primed: Are you all set to go?

set-back n. hindrance, hitch, check, reverse, reversal, impediment, block, obstruction, defeat, hold-up, delay, check, rebuff, upset; relapse; Colloq hiccup: The reduction in arts funding has resulted in some severe set-backs in certain programmes. Derek has suffered a set-back and will remain in hospital for a while.

setting n. mounting, scenery, background, backdrop, locale, location, surroundings, habitat, home, environs, environment, milieu, frame, context, site, placement; stage set or setting, mise en scŠne, scene: It is quite interesting to see how the animals

live in their natural setting. The setting of Hardy's novels is in the West Country.

settle v. 1 arrange, order, dispose, organize, straighten out, put in or into order, compose, sort out, classify, coordinate, resolve, set to rights, reconcile: Ben settled his affairs before undergoing surgery. 2 Often, settle on or upon. fix (on), decide (on), establish, appoint, set, confirm, affirm, conclude, make sure or certain (of), determine, agree (upon or on), pick, choose, select: Have you been able to settle on a suitable time

to visit Max and Maddy? 3 decide, reconcile, resolve, put an end to, conclude, clear up, patch up, adjust, negotiate, mediate:

We have settled our differences. 4 Often, settle down. take up residence, go or come or move to, dwell, reside, make one's home, abide, remain, stay, live, set up home or house,put down roots, locate, inhabit, US set up housekeeping, locate: They have decided to settle in Australia after George retires. 5 Sometimes, settle down. light, alight, land, come down, put down, set down, (come to) rest or (roost), descend, perch: The butterfly settled on the tip of Alice's nose. 6 populate,

people, colonize, pioneer: That part of the country wasn't settled till late in the 19th century. 7 Usually, settle down.

calm down, subside, quiet down, be or become tranquil, Chiefly Brit quieten (down): The class settled down and we began the lesson. I must settle down and get back to work. 8 calm, quiet, soothe, tranquillize, relax, Chiefly Brit quieten: He drank