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.
Preclude
V. make impossible; eliminate.
The fact that the band was already booked to play in Hollywood in New Year’s Eve precluded their accepting in New Year’s Eve gig in London they were offered.
Precocious
Adj. advanced in development.
Listening to the grown-up way the child discussed serious topics, we couldn’t help remarking how precocious she was.
Precocity, N.
Predator
N. creature that seizes and devours another animal; person who robs or exploits others.
Not just cats, but a wide variety of predators–owls, hawks, weasels, foxes—catch mice for dinner.
Predecessor
N. former occupant of a post.
I hope I can live up to the fine example set by my late predecessor in this office.
Presumptuous
Adj. overconfident; impertinently bold; taking liberties.
Matilda thought that it was somewhat presumptuous of the young man to have addressed her without first having been introduced.
Pretentious
Adj. ostentatious; pompous; making unjustified claims; overly amibitous.
None of the other prize winners are wearing their medals; isn’t it a bit pretentious of you to wear yours.
Prevalent
Adj. widespread; generally accepted.
A radical committed to social change, Reed had no patience with the conservative views prevalent in the America of his day.
Prodigal
Adj. wasteful; reckless with money.
Don’t be so prodigal spending my money; when you’ve earned some money yourself, you can waste it as much as you want!
Also N.
Profane
V. violate; desecrate; treat unworthily.
The members of the mysterious Far Eastern cult sought to kill the British explorer because he had profaned the sanctity of their holy goblet by using it as an ashtray.
Also, Adj.
Profligate
Adj. dissipated; wasteful; wildly immortal.
Although surrounded by wild and profligate companions, she neverthless managed to retain some sense of decency.
Profound
Adj. deep; not superficial; complete.
Freud’s remarkarble insight into human behavior caused his fellow scientists to honor him as a profound thinker.
Profoundity, N.
Profusion
N. overabundance; lavish expenditure; excess.
Freddy was so overwhelmed by the profusion of choices on the menu that he knocked over his wine glass and soaked the host.
Proliferation
N. rapid growth; spread; multiplication.
Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage the proliferation of countless get rich-quick schemes.
Proliferate, V.
Prolific
Adj. abundantly fruitful.
My editors must assume I’m a prolific writer; they expect me to revise six books this year!
Provincial
Adj. pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated.
As provincial governor, Sir Henry administrated the Queen’s law in his remote coner of Canada.
Proximity
N. nearness.
Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the proximity of objects around them.
Prudent
Adj. cautious; careful.
A miser hoards money not because he is prudent, but because he is greedy.
Prudence, N.
