Advanced Words VII Flashcards
Overwrought
Overly nervous, agitated, or excited; too ornate, elaborate, or fussy; overdone
Palatial
Suitable for or resembling a palace, magnificent
Palliate
Make less serious or severe; relieve symptoms of an illness
Pallid
Abnormally pale; lacking color or vitality
Panache
Flair, style, swagger; a flamboyant or grand way of acting
Panegyric
Formal or lofty expression of praise
Panoply
Splendid, wide-ranging, impressive display or array
Paragon
Model of excellence, perfect example
Pare
Peel or cut off the outer layer, reduce or trim as if cutting off the outer parts
Parley
Discussion, negotiation, esp. between enemies; to have such a discussion
Parry
Deflect or avoid, esp. a blow or attack; skillfully evade
Pastiche
Mix of incongruous parts; artistic work imitating the work of other artists, often satirically
Pathogenic
Capable of producing disease
Pedant
Person who pays excessive attention to book learning and rules, or who uses his or her learning to show off
Peddle
Travel around while selling; sell illegally; five out or disseminate
Pejorative
Disparaging, derogatory, belittling; a name or word that is disparaging
Pellucid
Transparent, translucent; clear, easy to understand
Penitent
Regretful, feeling remorse for one’s sins or misdeeds; a person who feels this way
Penumbra
Outer part of a shadow from an eclipse; any surrounding region, fringe, periphery; any area where something “sort of” exists
Penury
Extreme poverty or scarcity
Per se
Intrinsically; by itself; in itself
Peregrinate
Travel from place to place, esp. on foot
Perennial
Lasting through the years or indefinitely, enduring; recurring
Perfunctory
Done superficially, without much care, or merely as routine
Peripatetic
Journeying from place to place; traveling on foot
Pernicious
Very harmful or destructive, deadly
Perspicacious
Having penetrating insight or good discernment
Phalanx
Formation of soldiers carrying shields close together for defense; any very close group of people
Philistine
Person deficient in or hostile to culture
Phlegmatic
Apathetic, sluggish, not easily excited or made emotional
Platitude
A shallow, overused statement; cliché
Plebeian
Of the common people
Plethora
Excess; excessive amount
Plucky
Brave, spirited
Plutocracy
Rule by the wealthy
Polemic
Controversial argument, esp. one attacking a specific idea
Politic
Shrewd, pragmatic; tactful or diplomatic
Polyglot
Speaking or composed of many languages; a person who knows several languages
Posit
Presume, suggest, put forward
Prattle
Talk in an idle, simple-minded, meaningless, or foolish way; chatter, babble
Precipitate
Cause to happen suddenly or prematurely; fling, plunge, or hurl down
Précis
Concise summary, abstract
Predilection
Preference, tendency, or favorability towards
Prescient
Having foreknowledge or foresight, seeing the future
Preternatural
Exceptional, supernatural
Prevaricate
Lie, stray from the truth, mislead
Primacy
The state of being first or most important
Proclivity
Inclination, natural tendency
Prolix
Excessively long and wordy
Propagate
Reproduce, spread, increase