GRE vocab "p" words

pacific

peaceful, serene

painstaking

very thorough, careful

palatable

agreeable to the taste or one’s sensibilities

palatial

magnificent

palimpsest

something that has been changed numerous times

pall

something that covers or conceals

palliate

to reduce the severity of

pallid

lacking color

panacea

cure-all

pander

to cater to or provide satisfaction

pangs

a sudden sharp pain or painful emotion

panned

to criticize severely

paradigm

a model of excellence or perfection

pariah

an outcast

parley

discussion, usually between enemies

parochial

narrow-minded

parody

a work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner

paroxysm

a sudden outburst

parsimonious

stingy

partiality

a favorable bias

partisan

one-sided, prejudiced

pastiche

mix of incongruous parts

patent

obvious, easily recognizable

pathos

a quality that evokes pity or sadness

patois

jargon, a regional dialect

paucity

an inadequate quantity

pedantic

an adjective that describes words, phrases

pedestrian

ordinary or dull

peevish

easily irritated or annoyedp

penchant

a strong inclination or liking for something

pendulous

hanging loosely

penitent

regretful for one’s sins or mistakes

penurious

stingy, relating to great poverty

penury

extreme poverty

peons

workers forced to labor for a landlord in order to pay off a debt

peregrinate

to travel

peremptory

having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate

perennial

lasting for a long time, persistent

perfidy

treachery

perfunctory

acting routinely with little interest or care

peripatetic

wandering from place to place

peripheral

marginal

permeated

to spread throughout

permutation

to spread throughout

permutation

an alteration

pernicious

extremely harmful, deadly

perquisites

benefits and privileges

personified

was a perfect example of

perspicacious

keen, mentally sharp

pertinacious

stubbornly persistent

perturb

to disturb greatly

pervasive

widespread, prevalent

perverse

inclined to go against what is expected

petulant

irritable or short-tempered

phlegmatic

slow-moving, sluggish

physiological

having to do with an organism’s physical process

picaresque

involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers

picayune

of little value or importance

picturesque

visually attractive, especially in a quaint or pretty style

piebald

multicolored, spotted

pilfer

to steal

pillory

to expose to public contempt or ridicule

pinnacle

a high peak or point

pioneering

original

piquant

stimulating to the taste or mind

pitfall

hidden danger, concealed trap

pith

core, essence

pittance

a very small amount

pivotal

vitally important, essential

placate

to appease, soothe, pacify

plaintive

expressive of sorrow or woe

platitude

stale, overused expression

platonic

absence of romance or physical attraction

plaudits

applause, enthusiastic praise

plausible

appearing true, reasonable

plebian

common people

plenipotentiary

having full power or authority

pluck

courage

plutocracy

government by the wealthy

polarize

to break up into opposing factions or groupings

polemic

an aggressive argument against a specific opinion

politesse

politeness

politic

prudent, shrewdly conceived and developed

pomp

ceremony and splendid display

ponderous

heavy and slow moving

portentous

foreshadowing an event to come

poseur

someone who puts on an act

posit

assume as fact

posthumous

after death

pragmatic

practical

prattle

meaningless, foolish talk

precarious

dangerous, risky

precocious

talented beyond one’s age

precursor

that which comes before

predilection

preference

premonition

forewarning or foreboding of a future event

prescient

to have foreknowledge of events

pretext

a false reason, deceptive excuse

prevarication

evasiveness, lie

primed

original