Difficult Words From P

mohit R.
100 words 2 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. precis
    a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument
  2. philatelist
    a collector and student of postage stamps
  3. paradisiacal
    relating to or befitting Paradise
  4. postmodernism
    genre of art and literature and especially architecture in reaction against principles and practices of established modernism
  5. prestidigitation
    manual dexterity in the execution of tricks
  6. pelagic
    relating to, occurring in, or living in the open ocean
  7. pejorative
    expressing disapproval
  8. putsch
    a sudden attempt to overthrow the government
  9. poseur
    a person who habitually pretends to be something he is not
  10. pluralistic
    of the doctrine that reality consists of basic substances
  11. perihelion
    periapsis in solar orbit
  12. pidgin
    a simplified language allowing communication between groups
  13. panache
    distinctive and stylish elegance
  14. philistine
    a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
  15. purgation
    purging the body by the use of a cathartic to stimulate evacuation of the bowels
  16. proselytize
    convert or try to convert someone to another religion
  17. platonic
    free from physical desire
  18. pogrom
    organized persecution of an ethnic group, especially Jews
  19. peripatetic
    traveling especially on foot
  20. posit
    take as a given; assume as a postulate or axiom
  21. parenthetical
    qualifying or explaining
  22. phantasmagoria
    a constantly changing medley of real or imagined images
  23. plutocracy
    a political system governed by the wealthy people
  24. peculation
    the fraudulent appropriation of funds or property entrusted to your care but actually owned by someone else
  25. puissance
    power to influence or coerce
  26. parvenu
    a person who has suddenly risen to a higher economic status
  27. positivism
    a quality or state characterized by certainty or acceptance or affirmation and dogmatic assertiveness
  28. pediment
    a triangular gable between a horizontal entablature and a sloping roof
  29. puritanical
    morally rigorous and strict
  30. palpitation
    a rapid and irregular heart beat
  31. panoply
    a complete and impressive array
  32. patois
    a regional dialect of a language
  33. petulantly
    in an easily irritated or annoyed manner
  34. palaver
    loud and confused and empty talk
  35. pertinacious
    stubbornly unyielding
  36. pariah
    a person who is rejected from society or home
  37. pugnacious
    ready and able to resort to force or violence
  38. pugilism
    boxing with bare hands
  39. pontifical
    proceeding from or ordered by or subject to a pope
  40. pittance
    an inadequate payment
  41. pilfer
    make off with belongings of others
  42. proviso
    a stipulated condition
  43. patron saint
    a saint who is considered to be a defender of some group or nation
  44. patronizing
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
  45. punitive
    inflicting punishment
  46. prude
    a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum
  47. pantheism
    the belief that God exists in and is the same as all things
  48. polity
    the form of government of a social organization
  49. preceptor
    a teacher or tutor, especially at Cambridge or Oxford
  50. predilection
    a predisposition in favor of something
  51. prate
    speak about unimportant matters rapidly and incessantly
  52. perturbation
    the act of causing disorder
  53. parochial
    relating to or supported by or located in a parish
  54. pantheon
    a temple to all the gods of antiquity
  55. precocious
    characterized by exceptionally early development
  56. phalanx
    any closely ranked crowd of people
  57. perdition
    the place or state in which one suffers eternal punishment
  58. portly
    fairly large
  59. pert
    characterized by a lightly saucy or impudent quality
  60. proxy
    a person authorized to act for another
  61. plucky
    showing courage
  62. prattle
    speak about unimportant matters rapidly and incessantly
  63. papacy
    the government of the Roman Catholic Church
  64. proletariat
    a social class comprising those who do manual labor
  65. potentate
    a powerful ruler, especially one who is unconstrained by law
  66. portentous
    of momentous or ominous significance
  67. predicate
    involve as a necessary condition or consequence
  68. proscribe
    command against
  69. palisade
    a strong fence made of stakes driven into the ground
  70. philology
    the humanistic study of language and literature
  71. presumptuous
    going beyond what is appropriate, permitted, or courteous
  72. proverbial
    widely known and spoken of
  73. preclude
    make impossible, especially beforehand
  74. parody
    a composition that imitates or misrepresents a style
  75. promulgate
    state or announce
  76. politic
    marked by artful prudence, expedience, and shrewdness
  77. promontory
    a natural elevation
  78. perusal
    the act of examining or reading carefully
  79. perjure
    make oneself guilty of telling untruths in a court of law
  80. poach
    hunt illegally
  81. pernicious
    exceedingly harmful
  82. plumb
    exactly vertical
  83. pedant
    a person who is preoccupied with rules and learning
  84. parity
    functional equality
  85. profuse
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
  86. pompous
    puffed up with vanity
  87. profusion
    the property of being extremely abundant
  88. peremptory
    putting an end to all debate or action
  89. privation
    the act of stripping someone of food, money, or rights
  90. parable
    a short moral story
  91. prerogative
    a right reserved exclusively by a person or group
  92. pall
    burial garment in which a corpse is wrapped
  93. pervert
    corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality
  94. perverse
    deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper
  95. posterity
    all future generations
  96. ply
    use diligently
  97. prodigious
    great in size, force, extent, or degree
  98. precedent
    an example that is used to justify similar occurrences
  99. pathos
    a quality that arouses emotions, especially pity or sorrow
  100. province
    the territory in an administrative district of a nation
Created on Wed Sep 19 14:45:52 EDT 2012

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