Difficult Words-P Flashcards

1
Q

Painstaking

A

done with oremployinggreat care andthoroughness.

“painstaking attention to detail”

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2
Q

Palliate

A

make (a disease or its symptoms) less severe without removing the cause.

“treatment works by palliating symptoms”

Disguise the seriousness of

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3
Q

Palpable

A

so intense as to seem almost tangible.

“a palpable sense of loss”

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4
Q

Paltry

A

very small or meagre.

“she would earn a paltry £33 more a month”

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5
Q

Panacea

A

a solution orremedyfor all difficulties or diseases.

“the panacea for all corporate ills”

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6
Q

Paradigm

A

a typical example or pattern of something; a pattern or model.

“society’s paradigm of the ‘ideal woman’”

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7
Q

Paradox

A

a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true
It’s acuriousparadoxthatdrinkinga lot ofwatercan often make youfeelthirsty.

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8
Q

Parochial

A

having a limited or narrow outlook or scope.

“parochial attitudes”

Similar:

narrow-minded

small-minded

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9
Q

Parsimonious

A

veryunwillingto spend money or use resources.

“even the parsimonious Joe paid for drinks all round”

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10
Q

Partisan

A

a strong supporter of a party, cause, or person.

“partisans of the exiled Stuarts”

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11
Q

Patent

A

a legal document granting an inventor exclusive rights to their invention, preventing others from making, using, or selling it without permission.

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12
Q

Pathology

A

Pathology is the medical discipline that provides diagnostic information to patients and clinicians

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13
Q

Patrician

A

an aristocrat or nobleman

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14
Q

Patronize

A

If someone patronizes you,they speak or behave toward you in a way that seems friendly, but that shows that they think they are superior to you in some way.

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15
Q

Paucity

A

the presence of something in only small or insufficient quantities or amounts.

“apaucity ofinformation”

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16
Q

Peccadillo

A

a relatively minor fault or sin.

“the sexual peccadilloes of celebrities aren’t necessarily news”

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17
Q

Pedantic

A

someone who annoys others by correcting small errors, caring too much about minor details, or emphasizing their own expertise especially in some narrow or boring subject matter.

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18
Q

Pejorative

A

Disparaging ,derogatory

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19
Q

Penchant

A

a strong orhabitualliking for something or tendency to do something.

“he has apenchant foradopting stray dogs”

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20
Q

Penitent

A

feeling or showingsorrowand regret for having done wrong; repentant.

“a penitent expression”

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21
Q

Pensive

A

engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought.

“a pensive mood”

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22
Q

Peremptory

A

insistingon immediate attention orobedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way.

“‘Just do it!’ came the peremptory reply”

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23
Q

Perennial

A

any plant that persists for several years, usually with new herbaceous growth from a part that survives from growing season to growing season.

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24
Q

Perfidy

A

the state of beingdeceitfulanduntrustworthy.

“it was an example of his perfidy”

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25
Q

Perfunctory

A

carried out without real interest, feeling, or effort.

“he gave a perfunctory nod”
She gave the list only a perfunctory glance.

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26
Q

Peripatetic

A

travelling from place to place, in particular working or based in various places for relatively short periods.

“the peripatetic nature of military life”

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27
Q

Periphery

A

the outside boundary or surface of something.

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28
Q

Perjury

A

theoffenceofwilfullytelling anuntruthor making amisrepresentationunderoath.

“he claimed two witnesses at his trial had committed perjury”

झूठी गवाही

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29
Q

Permeate

A

spread throughout (something); pervade.

“the aroma of soup permeated the air”

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30
Q

Pernicious

A

having a harmful effect, especially in agradualor subtle way.

“the pernicious effects of air pollution”

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31
Q

Perquisite

A

a benefit which one enjoys or is entitled to on account of one’s job or position.

“the perquisites of celebrity are intoxicating”

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32
Q

Pertinent

A

relevant or applicable to a particular matter; apposite.

“she asked me a lot of very pertinent questions”

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33
Q

Perturb

A

make (someone)anxiousorunsettled.

“they were perturbed by her capricious behaviour”

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34
Q

Peruse

A

read (something), typically in a thorough or careful way.

“he has spent countless hours in libraries perusing art history books and catalogues”

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35
Q

Pervade

A

spread through and be perceived in every part of.

“a smell of stale cabbage pervaded the air”

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36
Q

Petulant

A

of a person or their manner)childishlysulky or bad-tempered.

“he was moody and petulant”

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37
Q

Philistine

A

a person who ishostileorindifferentto culture and the arts.

“I am a complete philistine when it comes to paintings”

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38
Q

Pious

A

devoutlyreligious.

“a deeply pious woman”

39
Q

Pivotal

A

of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something else.

“Japan’s pivotal role in the world economy”

40
Q

Placate

A

make (someone) less angry orhostile.

“they attempted to placate the students with promises”

41
Q

Plaintive

A

soundingsad and mournful.

“a plaintive cry”

42
Q

Platitute

A

aremarkor statement, especially one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting orthoughtful.

“he masks his disdain for her with platitudes about how she should believe in herself more

Cliche

43
Q

Plebian

A

A commoner

44
Q

Plethora

A

a large or excessive amount of something.

“a plethora ofcommittees and subcommittees”

45
Q

Poignant

A

evokinga keen sense ofsadnessor regret.

“a poignant reminder of the passing of time

46
Q

Polarize

A

Topolarizeis to divide. Something that’s beenpolarizedhas been split into two sides that are so different, it seems as though they’re from opposite ends of the earth — like the North Pole and the South Pole.

47
Q

Polemic

A

a speech or piece of writing expressing a strongly critical attack on or controversial opinion about someone or something.

“hispolemic againstthe cultural relativism of the Sixties”
Noun and adj

48
Q

Ponderous

A

slow and clumsy because of great weight.

“a swarthy, ponderous giant of a man”

especially of speech or writing) dull or laborious.

“the show is loaded down with ponderous one-liners”

49
Q

Portent

A

a sign or warning that amomentousorcalamitousevent is likely to happen.

“many birds are regarded as being portents of death”

50
Q

Postulate

A

suggest or assume the existence, fact, or truth of (something) as a basis forreasoning, discussion, or belief.

“his theory postulated a rotatory movement for hurricanes”

51
Q

Pragmatic

A

dealing with thingssensiblyandrealisticallyin a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.

“a pragmatic approach to business ethics”

52
Q

Precedent

A

an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances.

“there are substantial precedents for using interactive media in training”

53
Q

Percept

A

A mental impression of something perceived by the senses, serving as a basic component in the formation of concepts; a sense datum.

54
Q

Precipitate

A

cause (an event or situation, typically one that isundesirable) to happen suddenly,unexpectedly, orprematurely.

“the incident precipitated a political crisis”

55
Q

Precipitous

A

dangerouslyhigh or steep.

“the track skirted a precipitous drop”

done suddenly and without careful consideration.

“precipitous intervention”

56
Q

Preclude

A

prevent from happening; make impossible.

“the secret nature of his work precluded official recognition”

57
Q

Precursor

A

a person or thing that comes before another of the same kind; a forerunner.

“a three-stringed precursor of the violin”

He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger

58
Q

Predilection

A

a preference or special liking for something; a bias in favour of something.

“mypredilection forAsian food”

59
Q

Preeminent

A

surpassingall others; very distinguished in some way.

“the world’s pre-eminent expert on asbestos”

60
Q

Preempt

A

take action in order to prevent (an anticipated event) happening; forestall.

“the second session will focus on policies to pre-empt problems”

acquire or appropriate (something) in advance.

“many tables were already pre-empted by family parties”

61
Q

Premise

A

a previous statement orpropositionfrom which another isinferredor follows as a conclusion.

“if the premise is true, then the conclusion must be true”

62
Q

Prepossess

A

topossessor dominate mentally beforehand, as a prejudice does.
But still there have been great acts of cruelty committed; quite enough to prepossess us against you as a body

63
Q

Prerogative

A

a right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class.

“in some countries, higher education is predominantly the prerogative of the rich”

64
Q

Prevail

A

prove more powerful or superior.

“it is hard for logic toprevail overemotion”

persuade (someone) to do something.

“she was prevailed upon to give an account of her work”

65
Q

Pristine

A

in its original condition;unspoilt.

“pristine copies of an early magazine”

clean and fresh as if new; spotless.

“a pristine white shirt”

66
Q

Prodigal

A

spending money or using resources freely andrecklessly; wastefully extravagant.

“prodigal habits die hard”

67
Q

Prodigious

A

remarkablyorimpressivelygreat in extent, size, or degree.

“the stove consumed a prodigious amount of fuel”

unnatural or abnormal.

“rumours of prodigious happenings, such as monstrous births”

68
Q

Prodigy

A

a young person with exceptional qualities or abilities.

“a Russian pianist who was a child prodigy in his day”

69
Q

Profane

A

not relating to that which is sacred or religious; secular.

“a talk that tackled topics both sacred and profane”

notrespectfulof religious practice; irreverent.

“a profane person might be tempted to violate the tomb”

treat (something sacred) withirreverenceordisrespect.

“it was a serious matter to profane a tomb”

70
Q

Profess

A

claim that one has (a quality or feeling), especially when this is not the case.

“he had professed his love for her only to walk away”

affirmone’s faith in orallegianceto (a religion or set of beliefs).

“a people professing Christianity”

71
Q

Proficient

A

competent or skilled in doing or using something.

“I wasproficient atmy job”

72
Q

Profligate

A

recklesslyextravagant or wasteful in the use of resources.

“profligate consumers of energy”
licentious; dissolute.

“he succumbed to drink and a profligate lifestyle”

73
Q

Profound

A

very great or intense.

“profound feelings of disquiet”
having or showing great knowledge or insight.

“a profound philosopher”

thedeepestpart of something, especially the ocean.

“nor billowy surge disturbs the vast profound”

74
Q

Profuse

A

veryplentiful; abundant.

“I offered my profuse apologies

(of a person)extravagant.

“they areprofuse inhospitality”

75
Q

Proletariate

A

working-classpeople regardedcollectively(often used with reference to Marxism).

“the growth of the industrial proletariat”

76
Q

Proliferate

A

increase rapidly in number; multiply

77
Q

Prolific

A

producing much fruit orfoliageor manyoffspring.

“in captivity tigers are prolific breeders

Present in large numbers

78
Q

Promulgate

A

promote or make widely known (an idea or cause).

“these objectives have to be promulgated within the organization”

79
Q

Propensity

A

an inclination or natural tendency tobehavein a particular way.

“hispropensity forviolence”

80
Q

Propitious

A

giving or indicating a good chance of success; favourable.

“the timing for such a meeting seemed propitious”

81
Q

Proponent

A

a person whoadvocatesa theory, proposal, or course of action.

“a strong proponent of the free market and liberal trade policies”

Supporter

82
Q

Proprietary

A

relating to an owner or ownership.

“the company has a proprietary right to the property”

83
Q

Propriety

A

relating to an owner or ownership.

“the company has a proprietary right to the property”

84
Q

Prosaic

A

having or using the style ordictionofproseas opposed to poetry; lacking imaginativeness ororiginality.

“prosaic language can’t convey the experience”

85
Q

Proscribe

A

forbid, especially by law.

“strikes remained proscribed in the armed force

86
Q

Proselytize

A

convert or attempt to convert (someone) from one religion, belief, or opinion to another.

“the programme did have a tremendous evangelical effect, proselytizing many”

Promote or advocate a belief

87
Q

Protagonist

A

an advocate or champion of a particular cause or idea.

“he’s a strenuous protagonist of the new agricultural policy”

the leading character or one of the major characters in a play, film, novel, etc.

88
Q

Protract

A

prolong.

“he had certainly taken his time, even protracting the process”

89
Q

Provident

A

making or indicative of timely preparation for the future.

“she had learned to be provident”

90
Q

Provisional

A

arranged or existing for the present, possibly to be changed later.

“provisional bookings”

91
Q

Proximity

A

nearness in space, time, or relationship.

“do not operate microphones in close proximity to television sets”

92
Q

Prudent

A

marked by wisdom or judiciousness
He always listened to her prudent advice

93
Q

Purported

A

appearing or stated to be true, though not necessarily so; alleged.

“the purported marriage was void”

94
Q

Putative

A

generally considered orreputedto be.

“the putative author of the book”