GRE Words N-P Flashcards
Narcissism
Excessive fascination with oneself
Nefarious
Extremely wicked
Negate
To cancel out; to nullify
Neophyte
Beginner
Nepotism
Favoritism on the basis of family relationship
Obdurate
Stubborn
Obfuscate
To darken or conceal
Obsequious
Servile; ready to serve
Obviate
To make unnecessary
Odious
Hateful
Officious
Aggressively authoritative in offering help or advice, especially when dealing with trivial matters
Onus
Burden
Opprobrium
Infamy that results from shameful behavior
Oscillate
To waver or switch between different positions or beliefs
Ostentation
A display of vanity; showiness
Painstaking
Characterized by being very careful and diligent
Palpable
Readily seen, heard, or perceived
Panache
A grand or flamboyant manner or style
Parable
A short story designed to teach a lesson
Paragon
Model of perfection
Parsimonious
Sparing in spending of money; stingy
Partisan
One-sided; committed to one party
Pathos
Having a quality that rouses emotion or sympathy
Paucity
Scarcity, insufficiency
Pejorative
Having a disparaging or derogatory effect
Penchant
Strong Inclination
Penurious
Excessively sparing in the use of money; extremely stingy
Perennial
Something long-lasting
Perfidy
Treachery, betrayal
Permeable
Penetrable; porous
Pernicious
Tending to kill or hurt
Pervasive
Spread throughout
Phlegmatic
Slow moving; not easily roused to feeling or emotion
Pious
Religious
Placate
To soothe; to bring from a hostile state to a calm one
Placid
Peaceful
Platitude
Trite or commonplace statement
Plethora
Excess; abundance
Plumb
To make vertical; to reach the deepest point
Polarize
To divide into sharply opposing factions
Pompous
Ostentatiously lofty or arrogant
Ponder
To consider something thoroughly and thoughtfully
Ponderous
Massive, awkward, unwieldy
Pontificate
Express an opinion in an annoying fashion
Porous
Full of holes; spongy, absorbent
Portend
Foretell
Poseur
A person who attempts to impress others by assuming a manner other than his true one
Pragmatic
Practical
Precarious
Hazardous, perilous
Percipitate
To hasten the occurrence of
Precocious
Mature beyond one’s age, typically in respect to mental abilities, talents or skills
Preeminent
A step above others; distinguished, renowned
Prescience
Knowledge of events before they happen
Presentiment
A feeling or impression that something is about to happen
Prevaricate
To use ambiguous language for the purpose of deceiving
Proclivity
Natural inclination
Prodigal
Wasteful or lavish
Prodigious
Immense
Prodigy
A person, usually a child, having extraordinary talent
Profound
Deep, significant
Prognosticate
To predict something in the future
Proliferate
To grow rapidly
Propensity
Natural Inclination
Prophetic
Ability to predict the future
Propitious
Presenting favorable conditions
Prosaic
Commnplace or dull
Protean
Changeable in shape or form
Prudence
Cautious wisdom
Puerile
Chidish
Pugnacious
Quarrelsome or combative
Pungent
Stinging; sharp in taste or smell
Pusillanimous
Cowardly; fainthearted