Set 4 Flashcards
Provocative
angering, inflammatory
Puerile
juvenile, infantile, childish
Pugnacious
bellicose, combative, aggressive
Punctilious
fastidious, meticulous
Pungent
bitter, acrid, acrimonious
Quagmire
stalemate, checkmate, impasse
Quandary
predicament, conundrum, enigma
Querulous
Complaining in a petulant manner, “she became querulous and demanding”
Quixotic
impractical, unrealistic
raconteur
storyteller, teller of tails
Rambunctious
boisterous, rowdy
Rancorous
resentful, spiteful, vengeful
Rapacious
predatory, ravenous, voracious
Rarified
lofty, elevated, exalted
Raucous
strident, shrill, piercing, harsh
Recalcitrant
disobedient, defiant
Recant
retract, abrogate, abjure
Reciprocate
respond in kind, return the favor
Reclamation
restoration, regeneration
Recluse
hermit, loner
Redoubtable
formidable, awesome, powerful
Perspicuous
lucid, clear, pellucid
Pertinacious
stubborn, obstreperous
Peruse
scrutinize, examine carefully
Philistine
hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts
Picayune
trivial, of minor importance
Pertinent
germane, relevant, to the point
Petulant
easily angered, ill-humored
Pinion
fetter, shackle, handcuff
Pique
irritate, annoy
Plebeian
proletarian, common, insignificant
Poignant
profound, compelling
Potentate
magnate, tycoon, celebrity
Precept
canon, rubric, guideline
Precocious
gifted or talented beyond one’s years
Prescience
clairvoyance, preternatural, foreknowledge
Probity
honesty, integrity
Profligate
degenerate, corrupt, libertine
Profundity
scholarly, intellectual, abstruse
Propitious
fortuitous, serendipitous
Prosaic
ordinary, not original
Protean
varied, eclectic
Piquant
pungent, sharp
Platitude
cliche, hackneyed
Precipitate
hasten, trigger, accelerate
Prevaricate
lie, falsify, distort
Pariah
outcast, exile
Parochial
narrow-focused, provincial, unsophisticated
Parsimonious
stingy, miserly, penurious
Pastoral
serene, tranquil, halcyon, placid
Pathos
pity, sympathetic response
Patronizing
condescending, scornful, disdainful, arrogant
Paucity
scarcity, dearth
Pedagogue
educator, pedant, strict instructor
Pellucid
translucent, diaphanous, crystal clear
Penchant
inclination, proclivity, predilection, tendency
Pendulous
hanging, swinging, swaying
Penitent
remorseful, regretful
Percipient
insightful, perspicacious, astute
Perfidious
pernicious, virulent, treacherous
Perfunctory
cursory, superficial, shallow
Permute
alter, change, mutate
Perquisite
profit, gain, benefit
Personify
embody, incarnate
Perspicacious
insightful, discerning, astute
Parity
equality
Patrician
aristocrat, nobleman
Omnifarious
multifold, of all shapes
Omnipotence
all-powerful
Omniscient
all-knowing, wise, sagacious
Onus
burden, millstone, encumbrance
Opacity
vague, abstruse, erudite
Opine
consider, surmise, conjecture
Opprobrious
dishonorable, disgraceful
Opulent
wealthy, rich, profuse
Oracle
wise man, sage, prophet
Orthodox
conventional, conformist
Ostentatious
showy, pompous
Ossify
become hardened, inflexible, intransigent, stubborn
Ostracize
exclude, banish, exile
Overweening
excess, overdone
Pacific
peaceful, tranquil
Palliate
mollify, mitigate, extenuate, assuage
Pallid
pale, feeble
Panacea
magic solution, cure-all
Panache
flamboyance, ostentation, elegance
Panegyrize
praise, eulogize, laud, tout
Paradigm
example, archetype, prototype
Nihilist
anarchist, extremist, skeptic
Nocuous
harmful, noisome, perfidious
Noisome
disgusting, repugnant, sickening
Maverick
independent, nonconformist
Nonpareil
peerless, without equal, unrivaled
Nostalgia
longing for, yearning, musing, reminiscence
Obdurate
stubborn, obstinate
Obeisance
homage, adoration, reverence, veneration
Obfuscate
obscurity, murkiness, confusion
Obloquy
disrepute, discredit, ignominy
Obsequious
submissive, docile
Obstinate
obdurate, stubborn
Obtrusive
prominent, obvious, bold, conspicuous
Odious
loathsome, detestable, heinous, ignominious
Nomenclature
terminology, classification
mettle
fortitude, tenacity, determination