Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

208

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

smooth

adjective not rough or bumpy

» Pebbles have a smooth

surface, worn down by the sea.

glassy, glossy, polished,

silky, sleek

antonym: rough

smug

adjective pleased with yourself

» Rory felt smug after

he scored the winning goal.

complacent, conceited,

self-satisfied, superior

snag

noun a small problem or

disadvantage » The snag was

that I had no way to get home.

catch, difficulty,

disadvantage, drawback,

glitch, problem, downside,

stumbling block

sneak^1

verb to go somewhere quietly

» I like to sneak up on

my brother and surprise him.

creep, lurk, sidle, slip, steal,

skulk, slink

sneak^2

verb to put or take something

somewhere secretly

» I sometimes sneak an extra

banana from the fruit bowl.

slip, smuggle, spirit

sneaky

adjective doing things secretly

or things being done secretly

» My cat took a sneaky

mouthful of our tuna salad.

crafty, deceitful, devious,

dishonest, mean, slippery,

sly, underhand,

untrustworthy

snoop^1

noun a person who interferes

in other people’s business

» The guy was a snoop and

kept asking lots of questions.

busybody, detective,

eavesdropper, meddler,

private detective, snooper,

stickybeak (Australia and

New Zealand; informal),

busybody, nosy parker

snoop^2

verb to interfere in other

people’s business » She

snooped into my private locker.

interfere, intrude, meddle,

nose around, peek, peep,

pry, spy

soak

verb to make something very

wet » The spray soaked us.

bathe, permeate, steep,

wet, drench, saturate

sociable

adjective enjoying the company

of other people » The girl was

sociable and liked to spend

time with her friends.

friendly, gregarious,

outgoing, companionable,

convivial

society^1

noun the people in a particular

country or region » She

comes from a traditional society.

civilization, culture

society^2

noun an organization for people

with the same interest or aim

» He signed up to the school

debating society to improve

his public speaking skills.

association, circle, club,

fellowship, group, guild,

institute, league,

organization, union

soft^1

adjective not hard, stiff, or firm

» Eric quickly fell asleep

on the soft, comfy bed.

flexible, pliable, squashy,

supple, yielding, bendable,

ductile, gelatinous,

malleable, tensile

antonym: hard

soft^2

adjective quiet and not harsh

» Oscar could just about hear

the soft tapping at the door.

gentle, low, mellow, muted,

quiet, subdued, dulcet,

mellifluous

software

noun computer programs used

on a particular system

» The computer’s software

needed updating.

app, application, code,

program

soil^1

noun the surface of the earth

» The soil is full of nutrients

that plants use as food.

clay, dirt, earth, ground

soil^2

verb to make something dirty

» The towel was soiled after

he dried the muddy dog with it.

dirty, foul, pollute, smear,

spatter, stain, befoul,

begrime, defile, sully

antonym: clean

solemn

adjective not cheerful or

humorous » Angela’s speech

was solemn and thoughtful.

earnest, grave, serious,

sober, sombre, staid

solid^1

adjective hard and firm

» The sculpture was carved

from a block of solid ice.

firm, hard

solid^2

adjective not likely to fall down

» The solid tower had stood

for hundreds of years.

stable, strong, sturdy,

substantial

solitude

noun the state of being alone

» Jem needed solitude so she

could finish writing her story.

isolation, loneliness,

privacy, seclusion

solve

verb to find the answer

to a problem or question

» We solved the big mystery.

clear up, crack, decipher,

get to the bottom of,

resolve, work out

sometimes

adverb now and then

» Stefan sometimes felt like

bouncing on the trampoline.

at times, every now and

then, every so often,

from time to time,

now and again,

now and then, occasionally,

once in a while

soon

adverb in a very short time

» I’ll see you soon.

any minute now,

before long, in a minute,

in the near future,

presently, shortly

antonym: later

sophisticated^1

adjective having refined tastes

» The new restaurant was

fashionable and sophisticated.

cosmopolitan, cultivated,

cultured, refined, urbane

sophisticated^2

adjective advanced and

complicated » The airport

had sophisticated eye-scanning

security equipment.

advanced, complex,

complicated, elaborate,

intricate, refined

antonym: simple

sore

adjective causing pain and

discomfort » The cut on

Stephanie’s finger was sore.

inflamed, painful, raw,

sensitive, smarting, tender

smooth

Pebbles have a smooth surface,

worn down by the sea.

The spray soaked us.

194-223_S.indd 208 13/01/17 10:53 am