 | Term | Definition |
| |
pedagogue |
a teacher |
| |
pedestrian |
common, ordinary, banal (2nd meaning) |
| |
penchant |
strong taste or liking |
| |
peripheral |
unimportant |
| |
pervade |
to spread throughout |
| |
petulant |
rude; cranky |
| |
philanthropy |
donating to charity |
| |
piquant |
pungent |
| |
pivotal |
crucial |
| |
placate |
to ease or soothe |
| |
placid |
calm; peaceful |
| |
plumb |
to measure the depth of something |
| |
polemic |
argument of refutation |
| |
pragmatic |
practical; down to earth |
| |
precipitate |
to cause to happen abruptly |
| |
prelude |
to prevent; to make impossible; to shut out |
| |
pristine |
original; unspoiled; pure |
| |
prodigal |
extravagant; wastefull |
| |
prodigious |
enormous; extraordinary |
| |
prodigy |
exceptional occurance |
| |
profuse |
flowing; extravagant |
| |
propinquity |
nearness |
| |
propriety |
properness; good manners |
| |
prosaic |
dull; unimaginative |
| |
proselytize |
to convert someone from one religion to another |
| |
provincial |
limited outlook (metaphorically), narrow |
| |
provocative |
attracting attention |
| |
prudent |
careful |
| |
pundit |
forecful; sharp or biting to taste or smell |
| |
qualify |
to modify or restrict |
| |
rampart |
a fortification; defense |
| |
recalcitrant |
stubbornly defiant of control |
| |
reciprocal |
mutual; shared; interchangeable |
| |
recondite |
over one's head |
| |
refute |
to disprove |
| |
rejuvenate |
to make strong and young again |
| |
relegate |
to banish or send away |
| |
reprehensible |
worthy or blame |
| |
reproach |
to scold |
| |
reprobate |
a wicked, sinful, depraved person |
| |
repudiate |
to reject or deny |
| |
rescind |
to take back formally |
| |
resignation |
reluctant acceptance of a bad situation |
| |
resolute |
determined; unwavering |
| |
ribald |
vulgar, indecent language, a "ribald joke" |
| |
rivet |
to fix one's attention on |
| |
saccharine |
sweet (excessively) |
| |
sagacious |
wise; possessing wisdom from learning |
| |
sage |
wise; wise person |
| |
salubrious |
promoting health |
| |
sanction |
authorize or approve |
| |
saturnine |
sluggish; gloomy temperament |
| |
savor |
to linger to the taste or smell of something |
| |
scrupulous |
strict; careful; hesitant for ethical reasons |
| |
servile |
submissive |
| |
sinuous |
having many curves |
| |
solemn |
serious; grave |
| |
solicit |
ask for; to seek |
| |
spendthrift |
wasteful with money |
| |
spurious |
bogus; false |
| |
squalid |
filthy; degraded |
| |
stoic |
indifferent to pleasure or pain (outwardly) |
| |
stringent |
restrictive |
| |
subjugate |
to enslave or dominate |
| |
sullen |
gloomy or dismal |
| |
supercilious |
haughty; patronizing |
| |
superfluous |
extra; unnecessary |
| |
surreptitious |
sneaky; secret |
| |
sycophant |
one who sucks up to others |
| |
synthesis |
combining of parts to form a whole |
| |
tacit |
not spoken; implied |
| |
taciturn |
untalkative by nature |
| |
palpable |
tangible |
| |
tedious |
boring |
| |
temerity |
boldness; recklessness |
| |
temperate |
moderate |
| |
tenacious |
tough; hard to defeat |
| |
tentative |
experimental; temporary; uncertain |
| |
timbre |
quality of sound independent of pitch and loudness |
| |
torpor |
sluggishness, apathy |
| |
tractable |
easily controlled; obedient |
| |
transitory |
not staying or a long time |
| |
trepidation |
fear; nervous trembling |
| |
truculent |
savagely brutal; hostile |
| |
turptitude |
shamefull wickedness |
| |
unprecedented |
happening for the first time |
| |
untoward |
unfortunate or improper |
| |
vacillate |
to waver back and forth |
| |
vacuous |
lacking intelligence or ideas |
| |
vehement |
urgent; passionate |
| |
venerate |
to revere, treat as something holy |
| |
verbose |
wordy; overly talkative |
| |
vex |
to annoy; pester; confuse |
| |
vilify |
to say vile things; to defame |
| |
vindicate |
to clear from all blame |
| |
viruoso |
masterful musician or practicioner in some other field |
| |
virulent |
poisonous; full of hate |
| |
viscous |
sticky and thick |
| |
volatile |
quick to evaporate; unstable; explosive |
| |
volition |
will; conscious choice |
| |
voluminous |
very large; spacious (this word has nothing to do with sound) |
| |
welter |
confused mass; turmoil |
| |
willful |
inistent on having one's way |
| |
zealous |
enthusiastically devoted to something |
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