SAT- P Flashcards
Paean
a tribute, a song or expression of praise
Palatable
having a good taste
Palatial
relating to a palace, magnificent
Palaver
idle talk
Palimsest
an object or place having diverse layers or aspects beneath the surface
Pall
to lose strength or interest
Palliate
to make less serious, ease
Pallid
lacking color or liveliness
Palpable
capable of being touched or felt, easily perceived
Paltry
pitifully small or worthless
Panacea
cure all
Panache
flamboyance or dash in style and action
Pandemic
Occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.
Panegyric
elaborate praise, formal hymn of praise
Panglossian
excessively hopeful, marked by the thought that all is for the best
Panoply
impressive array, large variety
Pantomime
communication through gestures
Paradigm
an outstandingly clear or typical example
Paradox
incongruity, dilemma, puzzle
Paragon
a model of excellence or perfection
Paramount
supreme, of chief importance
Paranoid
exhibiting extreme mistrust
Paraphrase
to reword, usually in simpler terms
Parasite
person or animal that lives at another’s expense
Parched
shriveled
Pare
to trim off excess, reduce
Pariah
an outcast
Parity
equality
Parley
discussion, usually between enemies
Parochial
of limited scope or outlook, provincial
Parry
to ward off or deflect
Parsimony
stinginess
Partisan
strong supporter
Passive
submissive, inactive
Pastiche
piece of literature or music imitating other works
Patent
obvious, evident
Pathetic
arousing scornful pity
Pathos
compassion
Palatable
having a good taste
Palatial
relating to a palace, magnificent
Palaver
idle talk
Palimsest
an object or place having diverse layers or aspects beneath the surface
Pall
to lose strength or interest
Palliate
to make less serious, ease
Pallid
lacking color or liveliness
Palpable
capable of being touched or felt, easily perceived
Paltry
pitifully small or worthless
Panacea
cure all
Panache
flamboyance or dash in style and action
Pandemic
Occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.
Panegyric
elaborate praise, formal hymn of praise
Panglossian
excessively hopeful, marked by the thought that all is for the best
Panoply
impressive array, large variety
Pantomime
communication through gestures
Paradigm
an outstandingly clear or typical example
Paradox
incongruity, dilemma, puzzle
Paragon
a model of excellence or perfection
Paramount
supreme, of chief importance
Paranoid
exhibiting extreme mistrust
Paraphrase
to reword, usually in simpler terms
Parasite
person or animal that lives at another’s expense
Parched
shriveled
Pare
to trim off excess, reduce
Pariah
an outcast
Parity
equality
Parley
discussion, usually between enemies
Parochial
of limited scope or outlook, provincial
Parry
to ward off or deflect
Parsimony
stinginess
Partisan
strong supporter
Passive
submissive, inactive
Pastiche
piece of literature or music imitating other works
Patent
obvious, evident
Pathetic
arousing scornful pity
Pathogenic
causing disease
Pathos
compassion
Patrician
aristocratic
Patronize
to act as patron of, to adopt an air of condescension toward, to buy from
Paucity
scarcity, lack
Peccadillo
minor sin or offense
Peculate
to embezzle
Pecuniary
relating to money
Pedagogue
teacher
Pedant
uninspired, boring academic
Peer
contemporary, equal
Pejorative
having bad connotations, disparaging
Pellucid
transparently clear in style or meaning, easy to understand
Penchant
an inclination, a definite liking
Placebo
a substance with no medical value that is given as medication
Penurious
stingy, poverty-sticken
Penury
an oppressive lack of resources, severe poverty
Perception
act or ability to see or understand
Perdition
compete and utter loss, damnation
Peregrinate
to travel on foot
Perfidious
faithless, disloyal, untrustworthy
Perfunctory
done in a routine way, indifferent
Periodic
recurring from time to time, cyclical
Peripatetic
moving from place to place
Perjure
to tell a lie under oath
Plucky
courageous, spunky
Permeate
to penetrate
Pernicious
very harmful
Perplex
to confuse
Persevere
to refuse to stop no matter how hard something is
Persistence
the act, state, or quality of not giving up
Perspicacious
shrewd, astute, keen witted
Pervade
to be present throughout, to permeate
Pestilence
epidemic, plague
Pertinacious
persistent, stubborn
Pertinent
applicable, appropriate
Portentous
foreshadowing, ominous, eliciting amazement and wonder
Pessimism
negativity
Petrify
to turn into stone, to paralyze with fear
Petulance
rudeness, peevishness
Phalanx
a compact or close knit body of people, animals, or things
Philanthropy
charity, a desire or effort to promote goodness
Philistine
a person who is guided by materialism and is disdainful of intellectual or artistic values
Philology
the study of ancient texts and languages
Phlegmatic
calm in temperament, sluggish
Physiological
related to the the functions and activities of living organisms
Pigment
substance used for coloring
Pilfer
to steal
Pious
religiously devout or moral
Pique
to arouse anger or resentment in, provoke
Pithy
profound, substantial, concise, succinct, to the point
Pittance
meager amount of wage
Placate
to soothe or pacify
Placebo
a substance with no medical value that is given as medication
Palgiarize
to pass of another’s ideas as one’s own
Plaintive
expressive of suffering or woe, melancholy
Plastic
able to be molded, altered, or bent
Platitude
overused and trite remark
Pladits
enthusiastic praise
Plausible
seeming to be true
Plebeian
crude of coarse, characteristic of commoners
Plentiful
abundant
Plethora
excess
Ploy
maneuver, plan
Plucky
courageous, spunky
Ply
to join together, to use diligently, to engage
Poignant
emotionally moving in a way that is touching
Polarize
to tend toward opposite extremes
Polemic
controversy, argument , verbal attac
Politic
shrewd and crafty in managing or dealings with things
Polyglot
a speaker of many languages
Pomp
dignified display
Pompous
pretentious
Pontificate
to speak in a pretentious manner
Pore
to read studiously or attentively
Portentous
foreshadowing, ominous, eliciting amazement and wonder
Posit
to assume as real or conceded, propose as an explanation
Postpone
to delay
Potable
suitable for drinking
Potentate
a ruler, one who wields great power
Pragmatic
practical, moved by facts rather than abstract ideal
Prank
practical joke
Proffer
to offer for acceptance
Preamble
introductory passage
Precarious
lacking in security or stability, dependent on chance or uncertain conditions
Precedent
earlier example of a similar situation
Precept
principle
Precious
valuable, beloved
Precipitate
to cause to happen, to throw down from a height
Precipitous
steeply, hastily
Precis
short summary of facts
Preclude
prevent, exclude
Precocious
unusually advanced or talented at an early age
Predetermine
to decide in advance
Predicament
a difficult situation
Predictable
expected beforehand
Predilection
preference, liking
Predominant
most important or conspicuous
Prepossessing
attractive, engaging
Presage
something that foreshadows, a feeling of what will happen in the future
Prescient
having foresight
Preserve
to protect, to keep unchanged
Prestidigitation
a cleverly executed trick or deception, sleight of hand
Pretense
false appearance or action
Pretentious
pretending to be important, intelligent or cultured
Preternatural
existing outside of nature, extraordinary, supernatural
Prevaricate
to lie, evade the truth
Primary
main, first, earliest
Primeval
ancient, primitive
Pristine
fresh and clean, uncorrupted
Privation
lack of usual necessities or comforts
Probity
honesty, high-mindedness
Proclaim
announce officially
Proclivity
tendency, inclination
Procrastinate
to put off doing work
Procure
to acquire, obtain, to get
Prod
poke, nudge, in the literal and figurative sense
Prodigal
recklessly extravagant, wasteful
Prodigious
vast, enormous, extraordinary
Prodigy
person with exceptional talents
Profane
impure, contrary to religion, sacrilegious
Proffer
to offer for acceptance
Profligate
corrupt, degenerate
Profound
deep, meaningful, far-reaching
Profusion
abundance, extravagance
Progenitor
an ancestor in the direct line, forefather, founder
Prohibit
to forbid, prevent
Proliferate
to grow by rapid production of new parts, increase in number
Prolific
productive, fertile
Prominence
importance
Promote
to contribute to the progress of
