Meaning
Usage

sickeningly sweet

Example: Tom’s saccharine manner, although intended to make him popular, actually repelled his classmates.

shrewdness, soundness of perspective

Example: With remarkable sagacity, the wise old man predicted and thwarted his children’s plan to ship him off to a nursing home.

a greeting

Example: Andrew regularly began letters with the bizarre salutation “Ahoy ahoy.”

giving a hypocritical appearance of piety

Example: The sanctimonious Bertrand delivered stern lectures on the Ten Commandments to anyone who would listen, but thought nothing of stealing cars to make some cash on the side.

to satisfy excessively

Example: Satiated after eating far too much turkey and stuffing, Liza lay on the couch watching football and suffering from stomach pains.

sparkling

Example: The ice skater’s scintillating rhinestone costume nearly blinded the judges.

vulgar, coarse

Example: When Bruno heard the scurrilous accusation being made about him, he could not believe it because he always tried to be nice to everyone.

a visual signal

Example: Anne and Diana communicated with a semaphore involving candles and window shades.

involving sensory gratification, usually related to sex

Example: With a coy smile, the guest on the blind-date show announced that he considered himself a very sensual person.

luck, finding good things without looking for them

Example: In an amazing bit of serendipity, penniless Paula found a $20 bill in the subway station.

subservient

Example: The servile porter crept around the hotel lobby, bowing and quaking before the guests.

sedate, calm

Example: Jason believed that maintaining his sobriety in times of crisis was the key to success in life.

believing that oneself is all that exists

Example: Colette’s solipsistic attitude completely ignored the plight of the homeless people on the street.

sleepy, drowsy

Example: The somnolent student kept falling asleep and waking up with a jerk.

having absolute authority in a certain realm

Example: The sovereign queen, with steely resolve, ordered that the traitorous nobleman be killed.

false but designed to seem plausible

Example: Using a spurious argument, John convinced the others that he had won the board game on a technicality.

sedate, serious, self-restrained

Example: The staid butler never changed his expression no matter what happened.

unaffected by passion or feeling

Example: Penelope’s faithfulness to Odysseus required that she be stoic and put off her many suitors.

requiring tremendous energy or stamina

Example: Running a marathon is quite a strenuous task. So is watching an entire Star Trek marathon.

to astonish, make insensible

Example: Veronica’s audacity and ungratefulness stupefied her best friend, Heather.