Deck 32 Flashcards
peripatetic
wandering; traveling continually; itinerant
periphery
- the outside edge of something
- peripheral interest: secondary or side interest
perjury
lying under oath
pernicious
deadly; extremely evil
perpetrator
the one who committed the act
perquisite
a privilege that goes along with a job; a “perk”
peruse
to read carefully
pervade
to spread throughout
perverse
contrary; stubborn
phantasm
apparition; ghost; phantom
philistine
a smugly ignorant person with no appreciation of intellectual or artistic matters
phlegmatic
calm or indifferent; not easily roused to excitement
pivotal
crucial
placebo
a fake medication; a fake medication used as a control in tests of the effectiveness of drugs
plaintive
expressing sadness or sorrow
platitude
a dull or trite remark, a cliche
pliable
flexible; easy to bend; easy to convince, persuade, or mold
plight
a dangerous, distressing, or unpleasant situation
plunder
to loot, to ransack
pluralism
a condition of society in which distinct groups exist and function together yet retain their own identities
poignant
painfully emotional; extremely moving; sharp or astute
polarize
to break up into opposing factions or groupings
polemic
a powerful argument often made to attack or refute a controversial issue
ponderous
so large as to be clumsy; massive; dull
pointificate
to speak pompously or dogmatically