Adjectives That Start with S

Thinking about adjectives that start with "S?" The letter "S" finds its origins in ancient Egyptian hieroglyph drawings of a sword. The ancient Egyptians used the "S" sound a lot, and at one time had nine different symbols that represented various versions of an "s" or "sh" sound! Fortunately, when the Phoenicians began to develop the modern alphabet from which our alphabet is derived, they dropped most of those drawings and sounds and created one main version of the letter "S." The ancient Greeks and Romans made a few more changes, and even our own English alphabet did a bit of experimenting with the "S" (for example, 17th century English writers used a letter that looks like a lowercase "F" to represent the "S" sound). Finally, though, the twists and turns that comprise our current letter "S" were adopted, and "S" became the 19th letter in the alphabet and a very super letter.

Adjectives That Start with S

The "S" is a popular letter in the English language. There are hundreds of adjectives that start with "S" in the English language. It is one of the letters given to contestants for the final puzzle in the television game show The Wheel of Fortune, along with R, T, L, N and E.

"S" adjectives range from positive to negative and everything in between. Although it would be silly to try to list them all, here is a list of 20 "S" adjectives.

1. Sad - Unhappy.  The sad girl cried at everything.
2. Sanctimonious - Pretending to be holy or righteous. The sanctimonious men lectured the children about the evils of stealing, but he snuck candy into his own pockets too.
3. Sanguine - Blood colored. The sanguine red wine stained the carpet when it spilled.
4. Sarcastic - Sneering, mocking. The sarcastic boy got in trouble for answering the teacher's question with a taunting answer.
5. Sassy - Impudent and saucy. The sassy girl got lots of attention for her overly confident actions.
6. Scintillating - Fascinating. I did not want to leave the dinner party because the conversation was so scintillating.
7. Sedentary - Keeping still, not moving or migrating. Snails are very sedentary animals.
8. Shy - Timid, uneasy around people. The shy girl hated parties and crowds.
9. Sincere - Honest. He made a sincere effort to do well on the test.
10. Singular - Only one. I have a singular purpose: to learn grammar.
11. Skinny - Thin. The skinny girl did not like to eat a lot of food.
12. Sleepy - Tired. The sleepy boy wanted to take a long nap.
13. Smart - Intelligent. The smart girl won the prize at the science fair.
14. Sneaky - Dishonest. The sneaky boy stole the cookies while his mother was on the telephone.
15. Sophisticated - Not simple. I like to wear sophisticated clothing when I go to fancy places.
16. Special - Out of the ordinary. When I get complimented, it makes me feel special.
17. Spry - Full of life. My grandmother is a very spry woman, considering her age.
18. Strong - Powerful. The strong man was able to life 100 pounds of weight without effort.
19. Stylish - Current in style, dress, manner. The stylish girl liked to attend fashion shows and buy new clothing.
20. Sweet - Agreeable, like sugar. The sweet girl was well liked by everyone.

Savvy English speakers should be able to list many more, and it should be simple to make such a list.

Sound Off with "S"

Although its origins are confusing, the letter "S" always sounds the same - like "ess."

Despite the fact that it always sounds the same, some people with speech difficulties often have a difficult time with the letter "S."  Some people leave the "S" off entirely when pronouncing words, while others pronounce it like a "th" sound or over-pronounce the "s" and speak with a lisp.

The proper way to make the "S" sound is to place your tongue behind your lower gums, curving up. Your vocal chords should be relaxed when you make the "S" sound. The tongue should touch the side of your teeth, and you should feel air travel over your lungs when you make the "S" sound.