SAT - P's Flashcards
Pacifist
N. one opposed to forcel antimillitarist.
During the war, though the pacfists refused to bear arms, they nevertheless served in the front lines as ambulance drivers and medical corpsmen.
Pariah
N. social outcast.
If everyone ostracized singer Mariah Carey, would she then be Mariah the pariah?
Parody
N. humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff; travesty.
The show Forbidden Broadway presents parodies spoofing the year’s new productions playing on Broadway.
Parsimony
N. stinginess; excessive frugality.
Furious because her father wouldn’t let her buy out the clothing store, Annie was accused of parsimony.
Partisan
Adj. one-sided; prejudiced; commited to a party.
On certain isues of principle, she refused to take a partisan stand, but let her conscience be her guide.
Paucity
N. scarcity.
They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it uneconomical to operate.
Penury
N. severe poverty; stinginess.
When his pension fund failed, George feared that he would end his days in penury.
Perfunctory
Adj. superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm.
The auditor’s perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors.
Peripheral
Adj. marginal; outer.
We lived, not in central London, but in one of those peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of a great city.
Periphery, N.
Pernicious
Adj. very destructive.
Crack cocaine has had pernicious effects on urban society; it has destroyed families, turned children into drug dealers, and increased the spread of violent crimes.
Perpetuate
V. making something last; preserve from extinction.
Some critics attack The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because they believe Twain’s book perpetuates a false image of Blacks in this country.
Pervasive
Adj. pervading; spread throughout every part.
Despite airing them for several hours, Martha could not get rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothballs that clung to them.
Pervade, V.
Pessimism
N. belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess.
Considering how well you have done in your course so far, you have no real rason for such pessimism about your final grade.
Phenomena
N. observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation.
We kept careful records of the phenomena we noted in the course of these experiments.
Philanthropist
N. lover of mankind; doer of good.
In his role as philanthropist and public benefactor, John D. Rockerfeller, Sr., donated millions to charity; as an individual, however, he was a tight-fisted old man.
Piety
N. religious devotion, godliness.
The nuns in the convent were noted for this piety; they spent their days in worship and prayer.
Pious, Adj.
Pitfall
N. hidden danger; concealed trap.
Her parents warned young Sophie against the many pitfalls that lay in wait for her in the dangerous big city.
Pithy
Adj. concise; meaningful; substantial; meaty.
While other girls might have gone on and on about how uncool Elton was, Liz summed it up in one pithy remark: “He’s bogus!”
Placate
V. pacify; conciliate.
The store manager tried to placate the angry customer; offering to replace the damaged merchandise or to give back her money right away.
Polemical
Adj. aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious.
Lexy was a master of polemical rhetoric; she should have worn a T-shirt with the slogan “Born to Debate.”
Ponderous
Adj. weighty; unwieldy.
His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ponderous.
Pragmatic
Adj. practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or impact of something.
This coming trip to France should provide me with a pragmatic test of the value of my conversational French class.
Prattle
V. babble.
Baby John prattled on and on about the cats and his ball and the Cookie Monster.
Precarious
Adj. uncertain; risky.
Saying the stock would be a precarious investment, the broker advised her client against purchasing it.
