Looking for negative words starting with S? You’ve landed on the right page, below I’ve put together a list of negative words that start the letter S.
I’ve included some of the more interesting, unusual, and powerful adjectives that have negative implications.
Finding the right words to describe something in the way you want can be very powerful. I hope you find the word(s) you’re looking for, good luck!
108+ Negative Words Starting With S
Sabotage – deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct (something), especially for political or military advantage.
Sack – a large bag made of a strong material such as hessian, thick paper, or plastic, used for storing and carrying goods.
Sacrificed – offer or kill as a religious sacrifice.
Sad – feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy.
Sagging – sinking or bulging downwards under weight or pressure or through lack of strength.
Sanctimonious – making a show of being morally superior to other people.
Sarcasm – the use of irony to mock or convey contempt.
Satirical – containing or using satire.
Satirize – deride and criticize by means of satire.
Savage – (of an animal or force of nature) fierce, violent, and uncontrolled.
Scam – a dishonest scheme; a fraud.
Scandal – an action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage.
Scapegoat – a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency.
Scarce – (especially of food, money, or some other resource) insufficient for the demand.
Scared – fearful; frightened.
Scarred – mark with a scar or scars.
Scathing – witheringly scornful; severely critical.
Scolded – remonstrate with or rebuke (someone) angrily.
Scorn – a feeling and expression of contempt or disdain for someone or something.
Scoundrel – a dishonest or unscrupulous person; a rogue.
Scowl – an angry or bad-tempered expression.
Scrambled – make one’s way quickly or awkwardly up a steep gradient or over rough ground by using one’s hands as well as one’s feet.
Scrap – a small piece or amount of something, especially one that is left over after the greater part has been used.
Screwed-up – (of a person) emotionally disturbed; neurotic.
Scuff – scrape or brush the surface of (a shoe or other object) against something.
Scummy – unpleasant and dirty or in bad condition.
Sedentary – (of a person) tending to spend much time seated; somewhat inactive.
Seething – filled with or characterized by intense but unexpressed anger.
Self-criticism – criticism of oneself or one’s actions.
Self-defeating – (of an action) preventing rather than achieving a desired result; futile.
Self-destructive – destroying or causing serious harm to oneself.
Self-humiliation – the act or an instance of humiliating oneself or the state of being humiliated by oneself.
Selfish – (of a person, action, or motive) lacking consideration for other people; concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure.
Senseless – (of a person) unconscious.
Severe – (of something bad or undesirable) very great; intense.
Shallow – of little depth.
Shameful – worthy of or causing shame or disgrace.
Shocking – causing indignation or disgust; offensive.
Shortsightedness – the quality of being short-sighted; inability to see things clearly unless they are relatively close to the eyes.
Shrug – raise (one’s shoulders) slightly and momentarily to express doubt, ignorance, or indifference.
Shun – persistently avoid, ignore, or reject (someone or something) through antipathy or caution.
Sickening – causing or liable to cause a feeling of nausea or disgust.
Sinful – wicked and immoral; committing or characterized by the committing of sins.
Skeptical – not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations.
Skittish – (of an animal, especially a horse) nervous or excitable; easily scared.
Slack – not taut or held tightly in position; loose.
Slanderous – (of a spoken statement) false and malicious.
Slaughtered – extremely drunk.
Slave – (especially in the past) a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them.
Sloppy – careless and unsystematic; excessively casual.
Sluggish – slow-moving or inactive.
Slur – speak (words) indistinctly so that the sounds run into one another.
Smudged – cause (something) to become messily smeared by rubbing it.
Smugly – in a way that shows excessive satisfaction or pride in oneself.
Snarky – critical or mocking in an indirect or sarcastic way.
Sneakily – in a furtive or sly way.
Sneering – contemptuous or mocking.
Snobby – relating to, characteristic of, or like a snob.
Sobering – creating a more serious, sensible, or solemn mood.
Solicitude – care or concern for someone or something.
Somber – dark or dull in colour or tone.
Sorrow – a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others.
Sorry – feeling sad or distressed through sympathy with someone else’s misfortune.
Spewed – expel large quantities of (something) rapidly and forcibly.
Spiritless – lacking courage, vigour, or vivacity.
Spiteful – showing or caused by malice.
Spoiled – (of a person, especially a child) harmed in character by being treated too leniently or indulgently.
Spooky – sinister or ghostly in a way that causes fear and unease.
Sporadic – occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated.
Squabble – a noisy quarrel about something trivial.
Squander – waste (something, especially money or time) in a reckless and foolish manner.
Squirm – wriggle or twist the body from side to side, especially as a result of nervousness or discomfort.
Stale – (of food) no longer fresh and pleasant to eat; hard, musty, or dry.
Steal – take (another person’s property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it.
Stern – (of a person or their manner) serious and unrelenting, especially in the assertion of authority and exercise of discipline.
Stiffness – inability to move easily and without pain.
Stigma – a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.
Stinging – having a sting; capable of wounding or piercing with a sting.
Stooge – a subordinate used by another to do unpleasant routine work.
Straggler – a person in a group who becomes separated from the others, typically because of moving more slowly.
Strenuous – requiring or using great effort or exertion.
Stressful – causing mental or emotional stress.
Strict – demanding that rules concerning behaviour are obeyed and observed.
Stringently – (of regulations, requirements, or conditions) strict, precise, and exacting.
Struggling – striving to achieve or attain something in the face of difficulty or resistance.
Stubborn – having or showing dogged determination not to change one’s attitude or position on something, especially in spite of good arguments or reasons to do so.
Stumped – (of a question or problem) be too hard for; baffle.
Stupidity – behaviour that shows a lack of good sense or judgement.
Sub-par – below a usual or normal level or standard subpar attendance a subpar performance.
Subdued – (of a person or their manner) quiet and rather reflective or depressed.
Submissive – ready to conform to the authority or will of others; meekly obedient or passive.
Subpoena – a writ ordering a person to attend a court.
Subservient – prepared to obey others unquestioningly.
Succumb – fail to resist pressure, temptation, or some other negative force.
Sued – institute legal proceedings against (a person or institution), typically for redress.
Suffered – experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant).
Suffocate – die or cause to die from lack of air or inability to breathe.
Sulk – be silent, morose, and bad-tempered out of annoyance or disappointment.
Sunken – having sunk or been submerged in water.
Superficial – existing or occurring at or on the surface.
Superstition – excessively credulous belief in and reverence for the supernatural.
Suppression – the action of suppressing something such as an activity or publication.
Surrender – stop resisting to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority.
Susceptible – likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.
Suspicious – having or showing a cautious distrust of someone or something.
Swamped – overwhelm or flood with water.
Swindle – use deception to deprive (someone) of money or possessions.
Syndrome – a group of symptoms which consistently occur together, or a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms.
Are there any negative words beginning with the letter S you think should be on this list? Drop me a comment, I’m always open to adding more words – thanks!
If you want to find more negative words starting with a different letter of the alphabet, just click one of the letters below:
| 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 |
Image credits – Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
Phil lives in England, UK, and has around 20 years experience as a professional life, career and executive coach. He started this blog to help others find and define their own self development journey. Blogging about a wide range of topics to help facilitate a better future.