"P-" Vocabulary Flashcards
Paean
A song or expression of praise and thanksgiving (n)
Palliate
To make something appear less serious, gloss over (v)
Panacea
A remedy for all diseases or ills (n)
Panache
A grand or flamboyant manner (adj)
Pandemic
Widespread; occurring over a large area or affecting an unusually large percentage of the population (adj)
Panegyric
Formal expression of praise (n)
Paradigm
Something that serves as a model, example or pattern (n)
Paradox
Contradiction; a seemingly self-contradictory statement (n)
Paragon
Something regarded as a model of excellence or perfection in some way (n)
Pariah
An outcast, a rejected and despised person (n)
Parody
A humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, (n)
Parry
To block, evade, or ward off (v)
Parsimonious
Cheap, miserly (adj)
Partisan
One-sided, committed to a party, biased or prejudiced (adj)
Pastoral
Having the simplicity, charm, serenity, or other characteristic generally attributed to rural areas (adj)
Paucity
Sarcity, a lacking of (adj)
Peccadillo
A slight offense; literally, a minor sin (n)
Pedagogy
The art or profession of training, teaching or instructing (n)
Pedantic
Ostentatious display of learning excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules, unimaginative (adj)
Pedestrian
Commonplace, trite, unremarkable (adj)
Pellucid
Clear in meaning, expression, or style; translucent (adj)
Penchant
Strong inclination, a liking (n)
Pentential
Expressive of regret for one’s wrongdoing (adj)
Penurious
Penny-pinching, excessively thrifty; ungenerous (adj)
Peremptory
Admitting of no contradiction, putting an end to further debate, haugty, imperious (adj)
Perennial
Reccurent through the year or many years, happening repeatedly (adj)
Perfidy
Intentional breach of faith, treachery (n)
Perfunctory
Cursory, done without care of interest (adj)
Peripatetic
Itinerant, traveling, nomadic (adj)
Pernicious
Extremely harmful, potentially causing death
Personable
Pleasing in appearance, attractive (adj)
Perspicacious
Acutely perceptive, having keen discernment (adj)
Peruse
To examine with great care (v)
Pervade
To permeate throughout (v)
Petrous
Like a rock; hard, stony (adj)
Petulant
Impatient, irritable (adj)
Philanthropic
Humanitarian; benevolent (adj)
Philistine
A crass indvidual guided by material rather than intellectual or artisitic values (n)
Phlegmatic
Calm, sluggish, unemotional (adj)
Picaresque
Involving clever rogues or adventurers (adj)
Pied
Multicolored, usually in blotches (adj)
Pillory
To punish, hold up to public scorn (v)
Pine
To yearn intensely, to lose vigor (v)
Pious
Extremely reverent or devout (adj)
Piquant
Agreeably pungent, spicy, stimulating (adj)
Pique
Resentment, feeling of irritation due to hurt pride (n)
Pirate
To use o reproduce illegally (v)
Pith
The essential or central part (n)
Placate
To appease, to calm by making concessions (v)
Plaintive
Mournful, melancholy, sorrowful (adj)
Plangent
Punding, thundering, resounding (adj)
Plastic
Moldable, pliable, not rigid (adj)
Platitude
A superficial or trite remark (n)
Plethora
An overabundance, a surplus (n)
Pluck
Courage, spunk, fortitude (n)
Plumb
To measure the depth, to examine critically (v)
Plummet
To plunge or drop straight down (v)
Poignant
Distressing, pertinent, touching, stimulating, emotional (adj)
Polemical
Controversial, argumentative (adj)
Portentous
Ominously significant or indicative (adj)
Pragmatic
Practical rather than idealistic (adj)
Prate
Chatter, babble (v)
Prattle
To babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner (v)
Precarious
Uncertain, risky, dangerous (adj)
Precept
Rule establishing standards of conduct, a doctrine that is taught (n)
Precipitate
Acting with excessive haste or impulse (adj)
Precursor
Something that precedes and indicates or announces another (n)
Predilection
A disposition in favor of something, preference (n)
Preeminent
Superior to others; surpassing (adj)
Preempt
To replace, to supersede, to appropriate (v)
Preen
To dress up, groom oneself with elaborate care (v)
Premonitory
Serving to warn beforehand (adj)
Prescience
Knowing of events prior to their occurring (n)
Presumptuous
Overstepping bounds, as of propriety or courtesy (adj)
Prevaricate
To deliberately avoid the truth, mislead (v)
Pristine
Pure, uncorrupted, clean (adj)
Prize
To pry, press, or force with a lever (v)
Probity
Adherence to highest principles (adj)
Proclivity
A natural predisposition or inclination (n)
Prodigal
Recklessly wasteful, extravagant, lavish (adj)
Prodigious
Abundant in size, force, or extent (adj)
Profligate
Excessively wasteful, recklessly extravagant (adj)
Prolific
Producing large volumes or amounts (adj)
Prolix
Long-winded, verbose (adj)
Promulgate
To make known by open declaration, proclaim formally, or put into operation (v)
Propensity
A natural inclination or tendency, penchant (n)
Propinquity
Nearness in time or place (adj)
Propitiate
To appease or pacify (v)
Propitious
Auspicious, favorable (adj)
Propriety
Appropriateness, conformity with standards of acceptable behavior (n)
Prosiac
Dull, unimaginative (adj)
Proscribe
To outlaw or prohibit (v)
Provident
Frugal, looking to the future (adj)
Puerile
Childish, immature (adj)
Pugnacious
Contentious, quarrelsome, given to fighting, belligerent (adj)
Punctilious
Precise, paying attention to trivialities, especially in regard to etiquette (adj)
Pundit
An authority on a subject (n)
Pungent
Characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste, penetrating (adj)
Pusillanimous
Cowardly, craven (adj)
Putrefy
To rot, decay and give off a foul odor (v)
