98 Adjectives That Start With “S”

Sometimes the stars align, and you’re serendipitous enough to know a letter as sensational as “S.” It’s one of the most steadfast letters in the alphabet, working its way into so many words and starting off so many more. That includes a stellar array of adjectives to help you describe every person, place, and object in your life.

Staying positive isn’t always as simple as it sounds, but building a vocabulary of positive “S” adjectives can help you develop a singular attitude that tends toward positivity. You also get all the sumptuous words to describe your selfless family, stylish friends, and scintillating conversations.

Adjective	Definition	Synonyms
sacred	worthy of respect	holy, venerable, revered
sacrosanct	most holy	untouchable, hallowed, inviolate
sage	having wisdom	philosophical, intelligent, learned
salient	standing out from the rest	principal, noticeable, obvious
salubrious	favorable to health	wholesome, pleasant, beneficial
sanative	restoring health	curative, healing, invigorating
sartorial	well-dressed	elegant, flashy, stylish
scintillating	fascinatingly clever and witty	dazzling, brilliant, exciting
selfless	benefiting others rather than yourself	altruistic, unselfish, magnanimous
sensational	exceptionally good	astonishing, interesting, amazing
serendipitous	having good fortune	lucky, favorable, fortuitous
serene	perfectly calm and pleasant	composed, easygoing, peaceful
sharp	very smart and exact	keen, perceptive, attentive
sinewy	muscular and firm	powerful, athletic, brawny
singular	exceptional, better than others	remarkable, outstanding, noteworthy
sophisticated	having worldly knowledge	cosmopolitan, cultured, refined
spiritual	connected to one’s soul	divine, incorporeal, religious
spirited	lively, full of energy	energetic, enthusiastic, vivacious
splendid	worthy of high praise	illustrious, grand, glorious
stately	grand and dignified in manner	regal, unhurried, majestic
steadfast	unwavering in position or support	loyal, devoted, reliable
stellar	exceptional and amazing	outstanding, excellent, noteworthy
stimulating	capturing interest, bringing to action	interesting, exciting, energizing
striking	makes a notable impression	arresting, visible, distinctive
stunning	impressively attractive	gorgeous, extraordinary, spectacular
stylish	current in dress and manner	elegant, modish, chic
sublime	awe-inspiring excellence	exalted, majestic, glorious
sumptuous	expensively magnificent	luxurious, resplendent, lavish

Of course, staying too positive all the time can come off as saccharine and insincere. Sometimes, you do just need some negative adjectives that start with “S” to describe your slanderous enemies, spineless cowards, and spoiled brats.

Adjective	Definition	Synonyms
saccharine	artificially sweet	mawkish, cloying, lachrymose
sanctimonious	acting better than everyone	unctuous, moralizing, holier-than-thou
sappy	too sentimental	corny, hokey, mushy
savage	attacking with cruelty or violence	brutal, fierce, pitiless
scandalous	morally indecent	offensive, dishonorable, unseemly
scary	causing fear	frightening, alarming, appalling
scathing	harsh and critical	injurious, caustic, acerbic
scornful	having contempt for others	derisive, disparaging, mocking
scummy	dirty and unpleasant	vile, hateful, disgusting
seedy	not well-regarded	corrupt, unsavory, rough
self-absorbed	ignoring others for the sake of yourself	egocentric, pompous, narcissistic
self-aggrandizing	exaggerating your accomplishments and attributes	boastful, arrogant, bombastic
selfish	only caring about yourself	egotistical, stingy, self-serving
shameful	causing disgrace	indecent, offensive, immoral
sheepish	meekly embarrassed	chagrined, contrite, hangdog
slanderous	damaging one’s reputation with lies	libelous, pejorative, defamatory
sleazy	having low morals or quality	cheap, vulgar, disreputable
snobby	excluding others	pretentious, arrogant, aloof
snooty	looking down on others	haughty, pompous, conceited
sordid	morally distasteful	degrading, unsavory, tawdry
spineless	lacking courage	cowardly, feeble, irresolute
spiteful	purposely causing harm	malicious, bitter, mean
spoiled	selfish due to overpampering	coddled, greedy, self-absorbed
squalid	very dirty, repulsive	wretched, miserable, dismal
stingy	not generous to others	miserly, parsimonious, frugal
strenuous	requiring great energy	challenging, exhausting, taxing

Nearly all of the above adjectives are super for describing people, but you don’t have to be stingy with your personality adjectives that start with “S.” Having all the right personality adjectives can help you describe your self-reliant sister, sincere friend, and suave crush.

Adjective	Definition	Synonyms
sanguine	cheerfully confident	optimistic, bouyant, upbeat
sarcastic	saying the opposite of what you mean to mock others	contemptuous, derisive, ridiculing
sardonic	speaking scornfully	disdainful, cynical, jeering
sassy	spirited and lively	audacious, flippant, cheeky
savvy	understanding a situation	astute, clever, canny
scrupulous	detailed and precise; morally correct	principled, conscientious, painstaking
secretive	keeping secrets	reticent, taciturn, enigmatic
self-reliant	able to depend on yourself	independent, liberated, self-sufficient
sensitive	shows emotions easily	empathetic, keen, perceptive
sequacious	easily influenced by others	servile, compliant, impressionable
shrewd	showing good judgment in a crafty way	astute, cagey, clever
shy	reluctant to speak	timid, quiet, nervous
sincere	honest and genuine	heartfelt, earnest, credible
sly	sneaky and cunning	guileful, conniving, devious
sociable	friendly to others	affable, amiable, cordial
solemn	serious and calm	formal, dignified, pensive
solicitous	showing concern for others	attentive, thoughtful, tender
spry	full of energy	nimble, active, lively
sprightly	lively and brisk	perky, agile, animated
stalwart	reliable and brave	dependable, indomitable, tenacious
staunch	loyal and unwavering	ardent, trustworthy, dedicated
suave	charmingly appealing	debonair, urbane, gallant
sympathetic	expressing compassion or agreement	comforting, encouraging, genial

It’s okay if you’re not satisfied just yet because there are a substantial number of descriptive adjectives starting with “S” that will keep you solid no matter the occasion. Not too shabby, if we say so ourselves!

Adjective	Definition	Synonyms
savory	having a spicy or salty flavor	piquant, tangy, appetizing
scenic	a view of beautiful scenery	picturesque, lovely, pleasing
scorching	extremely hot	blazing, fiery, blistering
scrawny	unattractively thin	slim, bony, skinny
screeching	having a high-pitched cry	wailing, yelling, howling
scruffy	untidy in appearance	tattered, mangy, worn
searing	suddenly very hot	boiling, burning, roasting
serpentine	snake-like	meandering, circuitous, twisting
shabby	run down, worn out	neglected, dilapidated, ramshackle
shaggy	having long, messy hair	unkempt, unshorn, disheveled
shimmering	to shine in the light	glistening, gleaming, bright
shiny	reflecting light on a smooth surface	bright, glossy, polished
shrieking	a frantic, piercing yell	screaming, bellowing, shouting
silky	smooth and soft	lustrous, velvety, glossy
snug	fitting in a tight or comfortable way	cozy, compact, sheltered
sonorous	having a deep, rich sound	resounding, resonant, full
spacious	having plenty of space	commodious, roomy, palatial
sparkling	reflecting beams of light	gleaming, brilliant, glittering
stationary	not moving, staying still	inactive, still, idle
stentorian	extremely loud	booming, powerful, thunderous
stocky	solidly built	sturdy, thickset, broad

Now that you have all these searing words in your brain, its time to put them to use. Seeing these “S” adjectives in some sage sentences can provide a more scenic view of of how you can incorporate these words into your vocabulary.

My new car is spacious and comfortable.
The sanctimonious man lectured the children about the evils of stealing, but he snuck candy into his own pockets.
Penelope got in trouble for answering the teacher's question in a sarcastic way.
The sassy girl always lets people know what she doesn’t like.
I did not want to leave the dinner party because the conversation was so scintillating.
The shy kid hated parties and crowds.
Be respectful at this solemn occasion.
He made a sincere effort to do well on the test.
I have a singular purpose: to learn grammar.
The baby squirrel was skinny and hungry.
At our country club, many members are snobby and mean.
The sly kid stole the cookies.
I like to wear sophisticated outfits when I go to fancy places.
My grandmother is a very spry woman, considering her age.
Olivia is so stylish, so we invited her to the fashion show.
Please get a haircut before you get too shaggy.
The mayor’s relationship was so scandalous that he had to leave his office.
His apology was saccharine and fake, so I didn’t accept it.
Paula was sheepish when we caught her stealing the candy bar.
I met my wife in a serendipitous moment — we both reached for the same newspaper.

There are even more stimulating “S” words outside of just adjectives. Learning nouns, verbs, and other parts of speech can turn you into a more salient individual, while improving your writing and speaking abilities.

98 Adjectives That Start With “S”

Positive Adjectives That Start With “S”

Negative Adjectives That Start With “S”

Personality Adjectives That Start With “S”

Descriptive Adjectives That Start With “S”

Example Sentences for Adjectives Starting With “S”

Speak for Yourself With More “S” Words