361-400 Flashcards
pariah
n. social outcast.
If everyone ostracized singer Mariah, would she then be Mariah the pariah?
parsimony
n. stinginess; excessive frugality.
Furious because her father wouldn’t let her buy out the clothing store, Annie accused him of parsimony.
partisan
adj. one-sided; prejudiced.
On certain issues of principle, she refused to take a partisan stand, but let her conscience be her guide.
paucity
n. scarcity
They closed the restaurant because the paucity if customers made it uneconomical to operate.
penury
n. severe poverty; stinginess.
When his pension fund failed, George feared he would end his days in penury.
perfunctory
adj. superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, enthusiasm
The auditor’s perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors.
pernicious
adj. very destructive.
Crack cocaine has had a pernicious effect on urban society.
perpetuate
v. make something last; preserve from extinction.
Some critics attack Tom Sawyer because they believe Twain’s book perpetuates a false image of Blacks in this country.
pervasive
adj. pervading; spread throughout every part.
v. pervade.
Despite airing them for several hours, Martha could not rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothballs.
phenomena
n observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation.
We kept careful records of the phenomena we noted in the course of these experiments.
philanthropist
n. lover of mankind.
In his role as a philanthropist, John donated millions of dollars to charity.
piety
n. religious devotion; godliness.
adj. pious.
The nuns in the convent were noted for their piety; they spent their days in worship and prayer.
pitfall
n. hidden danger.
Her parents warned Sophie against the many pitfalls that lay in wait for her in the dangerous big city.
pithy
adj. concise; meaningful.
While other girls might have gone on and on about how uncool Elton was, Liz summed it up in one pithy remark.
polemical
adj. aggressive in verbal attack.
Lexy was a master of polemical rhetoric.
ponderous
adj. weighty; unwieldy.
His humor lacked the light tough; his jokes were always ponderous.
pragmatic
adj. practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or impact of something.
This coming trip to France should provide me with a pragmatic test of the value.
prattle
v. babble.
Baby John prattled on and on about the cats and his ball and the Cookie Monster.
precarious
adj. uncertain; risky.
Saying the stock would be a precarious investment, the broker advised her client against purchasing it.
preclude
v. make impossible; eliminate.
The fact that the band was already booked to play in Hollywood on New Year’s Eve precluded their accepting the New Year’s Eve gig in London they were offered.
precocious
adj. advanced in development.
n. precocity.
Listening to the grown-up way the child discussed serious topics, we couldn’t help remarking how precocious she was.
predecessor
n. former occupant of a post.
I hope I can live up to the fine examples set by my late predecessor in this office.
presumptuous
adj. overconfident; taking liberties.
Matilda thought it was somewhat presumptuous of the young man to have addressed her without first having been introduced.
pretentious
adj. making unjustified claims; showing off.
None of the other prize winners are wearing their medals; isn’t it a bit pretentious of you to wear yours?
prevalent
adj. widespread; generally accepted.
A radical committed to social change, Reed had no patience with the conservative views prevalent in the America of his day.
prodigal
adj. wasteful; reckless with money.
Don’t be so prodigal spending my money.
profane
v. violate; desecrate; treat unworthily.
The members of the mysterious Far Eastern cult sought to kill the British explorer because he had profaned the sanctity of their holy goblet by using it as an ashtray.
profligate
adj. dissipated; wasteful; wildly immoral.
Although surrounded by wild and profligate companions, she nevertheless managed to retain some sense of decency.
profusion
n. overabundance; lavish expenditure; excess.
Freddy was so overwhelmed by the profusion of choices on the menu that he knocked over his wine glass and soaked his host.
proliferation
n. rapid growth; spread; multiplication.
v. proliferate
Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage the proliferation of countless get-rich-quick schemes.
prolific
adj. abundantly fruitful.
My editors must assume I’m a prolific writer: they expect me to revise six books this year!
provincial
adj. pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated.
As provincial government, Sir Henry administrated the Queen’s law in his remote corner of Canada.
