134 words starting with P

• paean noun

  a song or piece of writing full of praise or joy

  The poem is a paean to the beauty of the Himalaya at sunrise.

  Like tribute, hymn, ode

• palaver noun

  a long, pointless fuss or talk

  There was so much palaver over seating that the meeting started an hour late.

  Like fuss, bother, rigmarole

• palimpsest noun

  a manuscript written over earlier, partly erased writing; something with visible layers from its past

  Scientists used ultraviolet light to read the older text hidden in the palimpsest.

• pall noun

  a dark cloud of smoke or dust; a gloomy feeling that hangs over something

  A pall of smoke hung over the valley after the farmers burned their fields.

  Like cloud, shroud, gloom

• palliate verb

  to make something less severe without curing it; to make a fault seem less serious

  The ointment palliates the itch but does not cure the rash.

  Like alleviate, ease, soothe

• pallid adjective

  pale, as from illness; lacking color or liveliness

  After a week indoors with the flu, his face looked pallid.

  Like pale, wan, ashen

• panache noun

  confident, stylish flair in the way something is done

  She played the final chess move with panache, smiling as she checkmated her opponent.

  Like flair, style, verve

• pander verb

  to please people by giving them what they want, even when it is wrong or low in quality

  The TV channel pandered to viewers with silly gossip instead of real news.

  Like indulge, gratify, play to

• panegyric noun

  a speech or writing full of formal, elaborate praise

  At the retirement party, the principal delivered a long panegyric to the old teacher.

  Like eulogy, tribute, encomium

• panoply noun

  a large, impressive collection or display of things

  The museum shows a full panoply of tools the early Himalayan expeditions used.

  Like array, display, range

• parable noun

  a short simple story that teaches a moral or religious lesson

  The teacher told a parable about a lazy farmer to teach us about hard work.

  Like fable, allegory, moral tale

• paragon noun

  a perfect example of a quality

  Our science teacher is a paragon of patience; she never loses her temper.

  Like model, epitome, exemplar

• pariah noun

  a person rejected and avoided by everyone

  After he cheated in the final, the player became a pariah in his own team.

  Like outcast

• parley noun

  a talk between opposing sides to settle a dispute

  The two captains held a parley to agree on the rules before the match.

  Like talks, negotiation, conference

• parochial adjective

  narrow in outlook and concerned only with local matters

  Traveling abroad helped him see past his parochial views about food.

  Like provincial, narrow-minded, insular

• parse verb

  to break a sentence into parts and explain their grammar; to examine closely

  In Nepali class, we parsed each sentence to find its subject and verb.

  Like analyze, dissect, break down

• parsimonious adjective

  extremely unwilling to spend money; stingy

  The parsimonious landlord refused to fix the leaking roof.

  Like stingy, miserly, tightfisted

• parvenu noun

  a person who has suddenly become rich or important but lacks the manners of that class

  The old families looked down on the parvenu who had made his fortune overnight.

  Like upstart, social climber, nouveau riche

• pastiche noun

  a work of art that imitates or mixes the styles of other works

  The film is a pastiche of old detective stories, with every classic twist included.

  Like imitation, medley

• patrician adjective

  belonging to the aristocracy or upper class; refined in manner

  His patrician accent and fine clothes made him stand out in the village.

  Like aristocratic, noble, upper-class

• paucity noun

  the state of being too few or too little

  A paucity of rain left the rice fields dry and cracked.

  Like scarcity, shortage, dearth

• peccadillo noun

  a small, unimportant fault or wrongdoing

  Eating the last sweet without asking was a peccadillo his mother forgave.

  Like slip, lapse, indiscretion

• pecuniary adjective

  relating to or involving money

  The club offers no pecuniary reward, only a certificate and a medal.

  Like financial, monetary

• pedagogue noun

  a teacher, especially a strict or old-fashioned one

  The old pedagogue insisted that we copy every word from the board.

  Like teacher, educator, schoolmaster

• pedant noun

  a person too concerned with small details or rules, especially in learning

  The pedant in our group corrected every tiny grammar mistake in the chat.

  Like nitpicker, stickler, purist

• pellucid adjective

  completely clear, letting light through; very easy to understand

  Her pellucid explanation of gravity finally made sense to the whole class.

  Like clear, transparent, lucid

• penance noun

  an act done to show sorrow for a wrongdoing

  As a penance for breaking the vase, he did the dishes for a week.

  Like atonement, amends, expiation

• penitent adjective

  feeling sorry for having done something wrong

  The penitent boy returned the borrowed bicycle and apologized to its owner.

  Like repentant, remorseful, contrite

• penumbra noun

  the partly shaded outer region of a shadow, as in an eclipse

  During the eclipse, the moon passed through Earth’s penumbra and dimmed slightly.

  Like half-shadow, partial shade

• penurious adjective

  extremely poor; extremely unwilling to spend money

  The penurious old miser lived on rice and lentils despite his wealth.

  Like stingy, miserly, impoverished

• penury noun

  extreme poverty

  The novel’s hero rose from penury to become a famous engineer.

  Like poverty, destitution, want

• perambulate verb

  to walk or travel through a place, especially at a leisurely pace

  We perambulated around the lake in Pokhara after dinner.

  Like stroll, wander, walk

• percipient adjective

  quick to notice and understand things

  The percipient reader will spot the clue on the first page.

  Like perceptive, discerning, astute

• perdition noun

  eternal punishment after death; complete and lasting ruin

  The old preacher warned that laziness was the road to perdition.

  Like damnation, ruin, doom

• peremptory adjective

  demanding immediate obedience, without allowing any discussion

  “Sit down now,” the coach said in a peremptory tone.

  Like imperious, commanding, curt

• perfidious adjective

  deliberately breaking trust or promises; treacherous

  The perfidious partner sold the shop’s secret recipe to a rival.

  Like treacherous, disloyal, faithless

• perfidy noun

  the act of betraying someone’s trust

  The hero felt hurt by the perfidy of the friend who had revealed his plans.

  Like treachery, betrayal, disloyalty

• perforce adverb

  because it is necessary or cannot be avoided

  The road was closed, so we perforce spent another night in the village.

  Like necessarily, unavoidably, inevitably

• perfunctory adjective

  done quickly and without care or interest, only as a routine

  He gave the car a perfunctory wash, leaving mud on the wheels.

  Like cursory, superficial, careless

• peripatetic adjective

  traveling from place to place, especially for work

  The peripatetic music teacher visited three different schools each week.

  Like itinerant, traveling, nomadic

• permeable adjective

  allowing liquids or gases to pass through

  Sandy soil is permeable, so rainwater drains through it quickly.

  Like porous, penetrable

• perquisite noun

  an extra benefit that comes with a job, in addition to pay

  A free lunch is one perquisite of working at the hotel.

  Like perk, benefit, privilege

• perspicacious adjective

  very quick to notice and understand what is not obvious

  A perspicacious student noticed the error in the textbook’s diagram.

  Like perceptive, astute, shrewd

• perspicacity noun

  the ability to notice and understand things that are not obvious

  Her perspicacity helped her solve the puzzle that had stumped the whole class.

  Like insight, perceptiveness, acumen

• perspicuous adjective

  clearly expressed and easy to understand

  The guide’s perspicuous instructions made assembling the telescope easy.

  Like lucid, clear, plain

• pertinacious adjective

  stubbornly determined to keep going and not give up

  The pertinacious reporter called the office every day until she got an interview.

  Like persistent, tenacious, dogged

• pestilence noun

  a deadly disease that spreads quickly among many people

  Medieval towns feared pestilence, so they built hospitals outside the city walls.

  Like plague, epidemic

• petulant adjective

  childishly bad-tempered and sulky when not getting one’s way

  The petulant child kicked the table when he was told to turn off the TV.

  Like sulky, peevish, irritable

• philippic noun

  a bitter, angry speech attacking someone

  The coach launched into a philippic against the referee’s decisions.

  Like tirade, diatribe, harangue

• philistine noun

  a person who does not care about or understand art and culture

  Only a philistine would call the old temple carvings “just wood.”

  Like lowbrow

• phlegmatic adjective

  calm and not easily excited or upset

  The phlegmatic pilot landed the plane in the strong wind as if it were a sunny day.

  Like calm, unflappable, stolid

• picaresque adjective

  telling the adventures of a likable rogue who wanders from place to place

  Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a picaresque novel about a clever boy’s adventures along a river.

• piety noun

  deep respect and devotion to religion or to duty

  The old woman’s piety was clear in her daily visits to the temple.

  Like devotion, devoutness, reverence

• pillory verb

  to criticize or mock someone harshly in public

  The newspapers pilloried the company for its dirty factory.

  Like criticize, ridicule, denounce

• piquant adjective

  pleasantly sharp or spicy in taste; interesting and exciting

  The piquant tomato pickle made the plain momos taste wonderful.

  Like spicy, tangy, zesty

• pique noun

  a feeling of irritation caused by hurt pride

  In a fit of pique, she left the game after losing the first round.

  Like resentment, irritation, annoyance

• pithy adjective

  short but full of meaning and to the point

  Grandmother’s pithy advice was: “Eat less, walk more.”

  Like concise, succinct, terse

• pittance noun

  a very small, inadequate amount of money

  The young helpers were paid a pittance for a full day of hard work.

  Like trifle, peanuts

• plangent adjective

  loud, deep, and sad-sounding, like a ringing bell

  The plangent sound of temple bells drifted across the valley at dusk.

  Like resonant, mournful, reverberating

• platitude noun

  a dull remark that has been said too often to be useful

  “Every cloud has a silver lining” is a platitude that rarely helps anyone.

  Like cliché, banality, truism

• plaudit noun

  praise or approval, often given publicly

  The young scientist earned plaudits for her work on clean water.

  Like praise, acclaim, applause

• plebeian adjective

  belonging to ordinary people; lacking refinement

  He mocked dal bhat as plebeian food, but he ate two plates of it.

  Like common, lowly, unrefined

• plenitude noun

  a full or more than enough amount of something

  The orchard produced a plenitude of apples this autumn.

  Like abundance, plenty, profusion

• plethoric adjective

  too full or excessive in amount

  The plethoric report had a hundred pages of tables but no clear conclusion.

  Like excessive, overfull, bloated

• pliant adjective

  easily bent; easily influenced by others

  Bamboo is pliant enough to bend in storms without breaking.

  Like flexible, pliable, supple

• plumb verb

  to explore or understand something completely; to measure the depth of water

  The scientists plumbed the depths of the lake with a weighted rope.

  Like fathom, probe, sound

• polemic noun

  a strong written or spoken attack on an idea or opinion

  The author wrote a polemic against plastic bags that convinced many shopkeepers.

  Like attack, diatribe, broadside

• polemical adjective

  strongly attacking or defending an opinion

  His polemical essay sparked a heated debate in the school magazine.

  Like argumentative, combative, contentious

• politic adjective

  wise and sensible in a way that avoids trouble

  It would be politic to finish your homework before asking to go out.

  Like prudent, wise, diplomatic

• poltroon noun

  an utter coward

  In the comedy, the boastful soldier turns out to be a poltroon who hides from a goat.

  Like coward, craven, dastard

• polyglot noun

  a person who knows and uses several languages

  The polyglot guide switched between Nepali, English, Hindi and Japanese all day.

  Like linguist

• pontificate verb

  to give opinions in a self-important way, as if they were facts

  My uncle loves to pontificate about cricket, though he has never played.

  Like lecture, preach, sermonize

• portend verb

  to be a sign that something, usually bad, is about to happen

  The dark clouds over the hills portended a heavy storm.

  Like foreshadow, presage, herald

• portent noun

  a sign or warning that something important is about to happen

  Ancient people saw comets as portents of great events.

  Like omen, sign, harbinger

• portentous adjective

  warning of something bad to come; trying too hard to seem important

  A portentous silence fell over the room before the results were read.

  Like ominous, foreboding, pompous

• portly adjective

  rather fat, especially in a solid and dignified way

  The portly shopkeeper sat on a stool outside his store, greeting customers.

  Like stout, plump, rotund

• poseur noun

  a person who acts in a fake way to impress others

  He is a poseur who carries thick books but never reads them.

  Like pretender, show-off, fraud

• posit verb

  to suggest something as a basic fact for an argument or theory

  Scientists posit that the Himalaya formed when two plates collided.

  Like propose, assume, postulate

• postulate verb

  to suggest something as true, as a starting point for reasoning

  Einstein postulated that the speed of light is the same for every observer.

  Like posit, hypothesize, assume

• potentate noun

  a ruler with great power

  The visiting potentate arrived with a hundred horses and many servants.

  Like monarch, sovereign, ruler

• potpourri noun

  a mixture of dried petals and spices for scent; a mixed collection of things

  The concert was a potpourri of folk songs, film tunes and classical pieces.

  Like medley, mixture, hodgepodge

• prattle verb

  to talk at length about silly or unimportant things

  The little children prattled happily about their toys on the bus.

  Like chatter, babble, jabber

• preamble noun

  an opening part that introduces a speech or document

  The preamble explains the purpose of the rules before listing them.

  Like introduction, preface, prelude

• precept noun

  a general rule meant to guide behavior or thought

  “Treat others as you want to be treated” is a precept in many cultures.

  Like principle, rule, maxim

• precipitous adjective

  dangerously high and steep; very sudden and fast

  The trail ran along a precipitous cliff above the river.

  Like steep, sheer, abrupt

• preen verb

  of a bird, to clean its feathers; to fuss over one’s looks with pride

  The peacock preened its feathers before spreading its tail.

  Like groom, primp

• prefatory adjective

  serving as an introduction

  The author’s prefatory note explains how the book began.

  Like introductory, preliminary, opening

• preponderance noun

  the state of being greater in number or importance

  A preponderance of the evidence suggests that the bridge was built in 1850.

  Like majority, predominance, bulk

• preponderant adjective

  greater in number, influence, or importance

  Farming is the preponderant job in the villages of the hills.

  Like predominant, dominant, prevailing

• prepossessing adjective

  attractive or making a good first impression

  The small house was not very prepossessing from the outside, but the garden was lovely.

  Like appealing, attractive, charming

• presage verb

  to be a warning sign of something that will happen

  The first swallows presage the coming of spring.

  Like portend, foreshadow, herald

• prescient adjective

  knowing or seeming to know about things before they happen

  Her prescient warning about the flood saved the village’s crops.

  Like farsighted, prophetic, visionary

• presentiment noun

  an uneasy feeling that something, usually bad, is going to happen

  He had a presentiment that the bus would be late, so he left early.

  Like premonition, foreboding, hunch

• preternatural adjective

  beyond what is normal or natural

  The chess prodigy showed a preternatural calm during the final match.

  Like extraordinary, uncanny

• prevaricate verb

  to avoid giving a direct, honest answer

  When asked where the cake had gone, my brother prevaricated and talked about the weather.

  Like equivocate, hedge, dodge

• prim adjective

  very formal and proper, easily shocked by anything rude

  The prim librarian frowned whenever anyone laughed out loud.

  Like prudish, proper, starchy

• primordial adjective

  existing from the very beginning of time or of the world

  Scientists study primordial gas clouds to learn how the first stars formed.

  Like primeval, primal, original

• privation noun

  a lack of basic needs such as food and warmth

  The early explorers endured cold and privation on their way to the Pole.

  Like hardship, deprivation, want

• probity noun

  complete honesty and strong moral principles

  The treasurer’s probity was never questioned in thirty years.

  Like integrity, honesty, uprightness

• proclivity noun

  a natural tendency to do something, often something bad

  My dog has a proclivity for stealing socks from the laundry basket.

  Like tendency, inclination, propensity

• prodigal adjective

  spending money or resources wastefully

  The prodigal son spent his whole allowance on sweets in a single day.

  Like wasteful, extravagant, spendthrift

• proffer verb

  to offer something for someone to accept

  The host proffered a plate of sel roti to every guest.

  Like offer, extend, present

• profligate adjective

  wildly wasteful with money or resources

  The profligate use of water left the town’s tanks empty by summer.

  Like wasteful, extravagant, spendthrift

• profusion noun

  a very large quantity of something

  In spring, the hills bloom with a profusion of rhododendrons.

  Like abundance, wealth, plethora

• progeny noun

  a person’s or animal’s children or descendants

  The farmer’s prize cow and all her progeny won ribbons at the fair.

  Like offspring, descendants, young

• prognosticate verb

  to predict what will happen, often from signs

  The old farmer prognosticated a wet monsoon from the ants’ behavior.

  Like predict, forecast, foretell

• prolix adjective

  using too many words; tediously long

  His prolix report could have been half the length.

  Like wordy, verbose, long-winded

• promulgate verb

  to announce something officially and make it widely known

  The school promulgated the new uniform rules at the morning assembly.

  Like proclaim, announce, publicize

• propinquity noun

  nearness in place, time, or relationship

  The propinquity of the two schools made it easy to share a playground.

  Like proximity, closeness, nearness

• propitiate verb

  to win or regain someone’s favor by doing something to please them

  Villagers offered rice and flowers to propitiate the river goddess.

  Like appease, placate, pacify

• propitious adjective

  giving a good chance of success; favorable

  Clear skies made it a propitious morning to begin the trek.

  Like favorable, auspicious, promising

• propound verb

  to put forward an idea or theory for others to consider

  Darwin propounded the theory of evolution by natural selection.

  Like propose, advance, put forward

• proscribe verb

  to forbid something officially

  The rules proscribe the use of phones during exams.

  Like forbid, prohibit, ban

• proselytize verb

  to try to convert people to one’s own religion or beliefs

  He spent the trip proselytizing for his favorite football club.

  Like evangelize, convert, preach

• protean adjective

  able to change form or take on many different roles easily

  The protean actor played a king, a beggar and a dog in the same play.

  Like versatile, adaptable, changeable

• protract verb

  to make something last longer than needed

  Endless questions protracted the meeting until well after dark.

  Like prolong, extend, drag out

• provident adjective

  careful to plan and save for the future

  The provident ant stores food all summer for the winter.

  Like prudent, farsighted, thrifty

• proviso noun

  a condition attached to an agreement

  You may borrow the camera, with the proviso that you return it by Friday.

  Like condition, stipulation, provision

• prudish adjective

  too easily shocked by anything slightly improper

  Our prudish neighbor complained that the cartoon on the poster was too rude.

  Like prim, priggish, straitlaced

• puckish adjective

  playfully mischievous

  With a puckish grin, he hid his sister’s shoes behind the door.

  Like mischievous, impish, playful

• puerile adjective

  childishly silly in a way that is not suitable for an adult

  The grown men’s puerile jokes embarrassed everyone at dinner.

  Like childish, juvenile, immature

• pugilist noun

  a boxer, especially a professional one

  The young pugilist trained every morning in a small gym near Thamel.

  Like boxer, fighter, prizefighter

• pugnacious adjective

  eager to argue or fight; quick to pick quarrels

  The pugnacious debater challenged every point before the other team had finished speaking.

  Like combative, belligerent, quarrelsome

• puissance noun

  great power, strength, or influence

  The puissance of the river in the monsoon surprised the visiting engineers.

  Like power, might, strength

• pulchritude noun

  physical beauty, especially of a person

  The old painting celebrated the pulchritude of the young dancers in the royal court.

  Like beauty, loveliness, comeliness

• pulverize verb

  to crush or grind something into fine powder or dust

  The students used a stone mortar to pulverize the dried chilies for the pickle.

  Like crush, grind, powder

• pummel verb

  to hit something again and again with the fists

  The baker pummeled the dough until it was smooth and soft.

  Like pound, beat, thump

• punctilio noun

  a small, exact point of good manners or correct procedure

  My grandfather never forgot a single punctilio of the guest-welcoming rituals during Dashain.

  Like nicety, formality

• punctilious adjective

  very careful about doing every detail correctly and properly

  Our punctilious science teacher checked that every label in the lab faced the same way.

  Like meticulous, scrupulous, fastidious

• purloin verb

  to take something that is not yours, usually secretly and in a small way

  Someone purloined the last cookie from the jar while everyone was watching the match.

  Like pilfer, filch, steal

• purport verb

  to claim to be or do something, often falsely

  The website purports to cure colds overnight, but there is no evidence for it.

  Like claim, profess, allege

• purveyor noun

  a person or business that supplies goods, especially food, as a trade

  The shop in Asan has been a purveyor of spices to Kathmandu families for generations.

  Like supplier, seller, provider

• pusillanimous adjective

  lacking courage; timid and afraid to take risks

  It was pusillanimous of the captain to avoid the hard match by claiming a sore toe.

  Like cowardly, timid, fainthearted

• putative adjective

  generally believed or assumed to be so, though not proven

  The putative author of the old poem may not have written it at all.

  Like supposed, reputed, presumed