Adjectives That Start With S

May 1, 2023

The letter S might be the 19th letter of the alphabet, but if you start thinking about adjectives that start with S, chances are you will quickly recall at least a dozen. Let’s take a look closer at some of these adjectives that you can use for an essay, poem, and even for a friendly word game with your friends!

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Table of Contents

Common Adjectives That Start With S

The following 16 words are among the many adjectives that start with S. As you will see, more than one definition may apply. Remember that some of the words below are nominal, meaning they can function as nouns or adjectives.

Savage: Able or purposely willing to inflict pain, offense, suffering, or violence. It is characterized by menacing behavior and a lack of etiquette and social filters.
Subconscious: Action, idea, tactic, or mental concept that lies just below the edge of consciousness.
Substitute: Used in place of someone or something else. In some team sports, substitute players can fill in one or more positions. You can describe an alternative as a substitute.
Sorrow: The correct usage is “sorrowful,” which denotes deep distress and great sadness. In some cases, you can use it to describe deep regret and disappointment that has brought unhappiness.
Slow: Anything that takes a long time to happen. In music, the adjective by itself refers to a lower tempo or fewer beats per minute. A person who does not learn or understand new concepts quickly can be slow.
Selfish: The opposite of generous, charitable, or sympathetic. You can use this adjective to describe individuals, personalities, actions, or ideas that are self-centered and mostly focused on self-serving results.
Sleepy: Used to describe persons whose appearance indicates they are ready to snooze, nap, or turn in for the night. When used to refer to neighborhoods, towns, or regions, sleepy can mean bucolic, quiet, and peaceful.
Sorry: Individual or situation without merit, dejected, unfortunate, regretful, sorrowful, or in a bad state. In some cases, sorry can be used to denote an unfortunate situation.
Sad: Experiencing, eliciting, or demonstrating a certain degree of sorrow. Anything that brings sadness, such as bad news or breakup songs, can be inherently described as sad.
Secretive: Persons, situations, or organizations that are tight-lipped for various reasons. Depending on the context, it may also indicate subterfuge.
Simple: Easy and lacking in complexity. Concerning spaces or design, it describes a lack of ornamentation. As part of demeaning speech, it describes people who lack intellectual acuity or sophistication.
Simultaneous: Happening at once, at the same time, or in tandem.
Sloppy: Careless, disorderly, loose, and the opposite of sharp. When used in the context of performance, it describes a lack of technique.
Skinny: Very slim, thin, or narrow. In archaic New England slang, a penny-pinching individual was said to be skinny.
Smart: Intelligent, alert, clever, elegant, sharp, or brisk.
Stable: Balanced and able to support itself.

Positive Adjectives That Start With S

There are many S adjectives that you can use for statements and sentences with a positive connotation. Here are some positive words that you can use:

Spiritual: Used to describe matters concerning the spirit, the soul, or the most individual aspects of religious faith.
Self-Reliant: Independent and being able to rely on oneself instead of others.
Sublime: Grand, amazing, or the opposite or inferior. A glorious situation, a performance worthy of adoration, or a person who should be revered.
Self-assured: Confident and with a great sense of assurance.
Solitary: Alone and removed from groups.
Safe: Does not pose a danger or risk; instead, it may offer protection.
Sincere: Possessing the sublime traits of honesty and frankness.
Sociable: Friendly, gregarious, and able to get along with others.
Strong: The opposite of weak regarding physical, emotional, or general strength and fortitude.
Stunning: When positive, it means dazzlingly beautiful. When neutrally descriptive, an alarming situation.
Satisfying: Inspires or transmits feelings of satisfaction through appearance or actions.
Sensational: Causing great excitement or controversy. It can also imply being overly dramatic or exaggerated in a negative context.