P
palatable
Good enough to eat or drink
They could make powdered eggs into palatable omelets.
pallid
Very pale, in a way that looks unhealthy and not attractive
Next to his tanned face, hers seemed pallid and unhealthy.
palpable
so obvious that it can easily be seen or known, or (of a feeling) so strong that it seems as if it can be touched or physically felt
palpitate
(of the heart) to beat very fast and in a way that is not regular
My heart was palpitating with fear.
panache
A stylish, original, and very confident way of doing things that makes people admire you:
paradigm
A model of something, or a very clear and typical example of something:
Some of these educators are hoping to produce a change in the current cultural paradigm.
paragon
A person or thing that is perfect or has an extremely large amount of a particular good characteristic
parity
Equality, especially of pay or position
Firefighters are demanding pay parity with police.
parochial
Relating to a parish (= an area that has its own church or priest):
parochial boundaries
paroxysm
A sudden and powerful expression of strong feeling, especially one that you cannot control
parry
to defend yourself from a weapon or an attack by pushing the weapon away or by putting something between your body and the weapon
parsimonious
Not willing to spend money or give something:
She's too parsimonious to heat the house properly.
patently
In a way that is clear
It's patently obvious that he doesn't care.
paucity
The fact that there is too little of something
There is a paucity of information on the ingredients of many cosmetics.
pecuniary
Relating to money
pecuniary interest/loss/benefit
a pecuniary matter
peevish
Easily annoyed
A peevish, bad-tempered person
penchant
A liking for or a habit of doing something, esp. something that other people might not like:
perfidy
Behaviour that is not loyal
perpetrate
To commit a crime or a violent or harmful act
Federal soldiers have been accused of perpetrating atrocities against innocent people.
perverse
strange and not what most people would expect or enjoy
She took a perverse pleasure in hearing that her sister was getting divorced.
petulant
Easily annoyed and complaining in a rude way like a child
picayune
Having little value or importance
The misery suffered in this war makes your own problems seem pretty picayune.
pious
Strongly believing in religion, and living in a way that shows this belief:
She is a pious follower of the faith, never missing her prayers.
pithy
(of speech or writing) expressing an idea cleverly in a few words:
a pithy remark
plaintive
Used to describe something that sounds slightly sad:
the plaintive sound of the bagpipes
plebeian
Belonging to a low social class
He retained a plebeian taste in food and drink.
plethora
A very large amount of something, especially a larger amount than you need, want, or can deal with
plunder
To steal goods violently from a place, especially during a war:
Tragically, the graves were plundered and the contents scattered.
ponderous
Slow and awkward because of being very heavy or large
He had a slow and ponderous manner.
portend
To be a sign that something bad is likely to happen in the future
potable
Clean and safe to drink
potable water
potion
A liquid that is believed to have a magical effect on someone who drinks it
a love/magic potion
predilection
A strong liking or preference
a predilection for spicy foods
predisposed
To be more likely than other people to have a medical condition or to behave in a particular way:
prelusory
Providing support or help
Campaigning to change government policy is ancillary to the charity's direct relief work.
prepossessing
Interesting, attractive, or impressive
He wasn't a very prepossessing sort of person.
presence
The fact that someone or something is in a place
She was overawed by the presence of so many people.
prevaricate
To avoid telling the truth or saying exactly what you think
He accused the minister of prevaricating.
proclivity
the fact that someone likes something or likes to do something, especially something considered morally wrong:
prodigious
Extremely great in ability, amount, or strength:
She wrote a truly prodigious number of novels.
prodigy
Someone with a very great ability that usually shows itself when that person is a young child:
progeny
The young or offspring of a person, animal, or plant:
His numerous progeny are scattered all over the country.
prognosis
A doctor’s judgment of the likely or expected development of a disease, or a statement of what the likely future situation is:
prolific
Producing a great number or amount of something:
He was probably the most prolific songwriter of his generation.
prone
Likely to do, get, or suffer from something:
As a child, he was prone to ear infections.
propinquity
The fact of being near something
Don't let geographical propinquity determine your choice.
propitious
Likely to result in success, or showing signs of success
With the economy in recession, it was not a propitious time to start a company.
propriety
Correct moral behaviour or actions
She was careful always to behave with propriety.
protract
Lasting for a long time or made to last longer than necessary
a protracted argument/discussion
proviso
A statement in an agreement, saying that a particular thing must happen before another can
pseudonym
A name someone uses instead of their real name, especially on a written work
She writes under a pseudonym.
puerile
Behaving in a silly way, not like an adult
I find his sense of humour rather puerile.
pugnacious
Wanting to start an argument or fight, or expressing an argument or opinion very forcefully
punitive
Intended as a punishment
The UN has imposed punitive sanctions on the invading country.
purloined
To steal something
I was using a pen that I'd purloined from the office.
