Words beginning with P

281 words

• pacify — to calm someone who is angry or agitated
• pact — a formal agreement between parties
• painstaking — done with great care and effort
• palatable — acceptable or pleasant enough to be agreed to
• palliative — reducing the symptoms without curing the cause
• palpable — so clear that it can almost be felt
• paltry — too small to be worth considering
• panacea — a supposed remedy for all problems
• pandemic — a disease outbreak spread over many countries
• pandemonium — wild and noisy disorder
• paradigm — a typical model or pattern of thinking
• paradox — a statement that seems contradictory yet may be true
• paralyse — to make something unable to function
• paralysis — complete inability to act or function
• parameter — a limit or factor that defines how something works
• paramount — more important than anything else
• paraphrase — to express the same meaning in different words
• pardon — to officially forgive an offence and cancel the punishment
• parity — the state of being equal, especially in pay or status
• parlance — the way words are used in a particular field
• parliamentary — relating to a legislature and its procedure
• parochial — narrow in outlook, concerned only with one’s own small area
• parole — temporary release of a prisoner before the sentence ends
• parsimonious — extremely unwilling to spend money
• partial — incomplete; also unfairly favouring one side
• participatory — involving the people affected in making decisions
• partisan — strongly supporting one party or side
• partition — the division of a country or property into parts
• passive — accepting what happens without acting
• patent — obvious to everyone; also an exclusive right over an invention
• patriotism — devotion to and support for one’s country
• patrol — a regular round made to keep watch over an area
• patronage — support given by a powerful person, often in exchange for loyalty
• paucity — a shortage of something
• pauper — a very poor person with no means of support
• peasant — a small farmer of low economic status
• peculiar — strange or unusual; belonging exclusively to one thing
• pecuniary — relating to money
• pedagogy — the method and practice of teaching
• pedantic — too concerned with small rules and details
• peer — a person of the same rank or standing
• penal — relating to punishment under law
• penalise — to impose a penalty on someone
• penchant — a strong liking for something
• pending — awaiting decision or completion
• penetrate — to enter or pass through something
• penury — extreme poverty
• perceive — to become aware of or understand something
• perceptible — able to be noticed
• perception — the way something is understood or regarded
• perceptive — quick to notice and understand things
• peremptory — allowing no refusal or discussion
• perennial — lasting through the whole year or continually recurring
• perfunctory — done as a duty, without real interest or care
• peril — serious and immediate danger
• periodic — happening at regular intervals
• peripheral — of secondary importance, on the edge
• perish — to die or be destroyed
• perishable — likely to decay quickly
• perjury — the offence of lying on oath
• permanent — lasting indefinitely, not temporary
• permeate — to spread through every part of something
• permissible — allowed by the rules
• permit — an official document allowing something; to allow
• pernicious — having a harmful effect, especially a gradual one
• perpetrate — to carry out a crime or wrong
• perpetrator — a person who commits a crime or wrong
• perpetual — never ending or changing
• perpetuate — to cause something undesirable to continue
• perpetuity — a state that continues for ever
• persecute — to treat someone cruelly because of their belief or identity
• perseverance — persistence despite difficulty
• persist — to continue firmly despite difficulty
• personify — to be a perfect example of a quality
• personnel — the people employed in an organisation
• perspective — a particular way of viewing things
• persuasive — able to convince others
• pertain — to be connected with a particular subject
• pertinent — directly relevant to the matter
• perturb — to make someone anxious or unsettled
• peruse — to read through carefully
• pervasive — spreading widely through every part
• perverse — deliberately unreasonable or contrary to what is expected
• pessimism — a tendency to expect the worst
• petition — a formal written request to an authority
• petty — small and unimportant; small-minded
• phase — a distinct stage in a process
• phenomenon — a fact or event that can be observed
• philanthropy — the giving of money and effort for public good
• picket — a group posted outside a place to protest or keep watch
• piecemeal — done in small stages rather than as a whole
• pilfer — to steal small quantities repeatedly
• pilgrimage — a journey to a place of religious importance
• pinnacle — the highest point of achievement
• pinpoint — to identify something exactly
• pious — deeply religious; in official use, well-meaning but empty
• pitfall — a hidden difficulty or danger
• pittance — a very small amount of money paid as wages
• pivotal — of crucial importance to what follows
• placate — to make someone less angry by concession
• placid — calm and not easily disturbed
• plagiarism — using another person’s work as one’s own
• plaintiff — the person who brings a civil case to court
• plantation — a large area planted with trees or a single crop
• plausible — seeming reasonable or probable
• plea — an urgent request; a defendant’s answer to a charge
• plebiscite — a direct vote of all electors on one question
• pledge — a solemn promise; to promise formally
• plenary — attended by all members; full and unqualified
• plethora — an amount that is more than needed
• plight — a difficult and distressing situation
• plummet — to fall steeply and suddenly
• plunder — to steal goods violently, especially in war or a raid
• plunge — to fall or push suddenly downward
• pluralism — the coexistence of diverse groups within one society
• plurality — the state of being many and varied; the largest share of votes
• poach — to hunt or catch illegally
• poignant — causing a sharp feeling of sadness
• poised — ready and about to do something; calm and composed
• polarise — to divide people into two sharply opposed groups
• polemic — a strong written or spoken attack on an opinion
• politicise — to make an issue into a matter of party politics
• polity — an organised society and its form of government
• poll — the process of voting; a survey of opinion
• pollutant — a substance that makes air, water or soil impure
• ponder — to think about something carefully before deciding
• populace — the general public of a place
• populist — appealing to ordinary people’s immediate wishes rather than sound policy
• populous — having a large population
• portend — to be a sign that something is likely to happen
• portfolio — the set of departments held by a minister; a set of investments
• portray — to describe or represent in a particular way
• possession — the state of holding or occupying something
• posthumous — happening after a person’s death
• postpone — to arrange for something to happen later
• postulate — to assume something as true for the sake of argument
• potable — fit for drinking
• potent — having great power or effect
• poverty — the state of being extremely poor
• practicable — able to be done in practice
• practitioner — a person actively engaged in a profession
• pragmatic — dealing with things practically
• pragmatism — a practical approach to problems rather than a theoretical one
• preamble — an introductory statement setting out the purpose of a document
• precarious — unsafe, likely to collapse or fail
• precaution — a step taken in advance to avoid harm
• precede — to come before in time or order
• precedence — the right to come before others in order or importance
• precedent — an earlier decision taken as a rule for later cases
• precept — a general rule guiding behaviour
• precipitate — to cause something bad to happen suddenly
• precision — exactness and accuracy
• preclude — to prevent something from happening
• precursor — something that comes before and leads to another
• predatory — exploiting others for gain
• predecessor — the person who held a post before someone else
• predicament — a difficult situation with no easy way out
• predictable — behaving in a way that can be foreseen
• predominant — strongest or most common
• preempt — to act first so as to prevent something
• preface — an introduction to a book or a statement placed before the main text
• preferential — giving an advantage to one group over others
• prejudice — an unfair opinion formed without knowledge
• prejudicial — harmful to someone’s rights or interests
• preliminary — coming before the main part
• prelude — an event that leads up to a more important one
• premeditated — planned in advance
• premise — a statement assumed to be true as the basis of an argument
• premium — an amount paid over and above the normal price
• preparedness — the state of being ready for something
• preponderance — the fact of being greater in number or influence
• preposterous — completely unreasonable and absurd
• prerequisite — something required before something else can happen
• prerogative — a special right belonging to a particular office
• prescribe — to lay down officially as a rule
• preserve — to keep something in its existing state
• preside — to be in charge of a meeting
• pressing — needing to be dealt with immediately
• prestige — respect and admiration attached to a position
• presume — to suppose something to be true without proof
• presumption — a belief taken as true until disproved
• pretentious — trying to appear more important than one is
• pretext — a false reason given to hide the real one
• prevail — to be widespread; to win in the end
• prevalence — how widely something occurs in a population
• prevalent — commonly found in a place or time
• prevaricate — to avoid giving a straight answer
• prevention — action taken to stop something from happening
• primacy — the state of being first in importance
• principal — the most important; the head of an institution
• principle — a fundamental rule or belief that guides action
• priority — the thing treated as more important than others
• pristine — in its original, unspoilt condition
• privation — lack of the basic things needed for life
• privatisation — the transfer of a public enterprise to private ownership
• proactive — acting in advance rather than reacting later
• probation — a trial period at the start of service
• probe — an investigation; to investigate closely
• probity — complete honesty in one’s official conduct
• procedural — relating to the correct way of doing something officially
• proceedings — the official record of what is done at a meeting or in court
• proclaim — to announce something officially and publicly
• proclamation — a formal public announcement
• proclivity — a natural tendency, usually towards something undesirable
• procrastinate — to put off doing something that should be done
• procure — to obtain something, especially with effort or by purchase
• procurement — the process of obtaining supplies or crops officially
• prodigal — spending money wastefully
• prodigious — remarkably great in size or extent
• prodigy — a young person with exceptional ability
• productivity — the rate of output for a given input
• profess — to claim something, often insincerely; to declare a belief
• proficient — skilled and competent at something
• profile — a short description of a person or place with key facts
• profitability — the degree to which an activity yields profit
• profligate — recklessly wasteful with money or resources
• profound — very great in degree; showing deep understanding
• profuse — given or produced in large amounts
• prognosis — a forecast of how something will develop
• progressive — favouring reform; advancing step by step
• prohibit — to formally forbid by rule or law
• prohibition — the act of forbidding something by law
• prohibitive — so high in cost as to prevent something
• projection — an estimate of a future figure based on present data
• proliferate — to increase rapidly in number
• proliferation — a rapid increase in the number of something
• prolific — producing a great deal
• prolong — to make something last longer
• prominence — the state of being important or easily noticed
• prominent — important and widely known; easily seen
• promotion — advancement to a higher post
• prompt — done without delay; to cause an action
• promulgate — to put a law or ordinance into effect officially
• pronounced — very noticeable
• pronouncement — a formal public statement or decision
• propaganda — information spread to promote a particular view
• propagate — to spread an idea widely
• propel — to drive something forward
• propensity — a natural tendency to behave in a certain way
• prophecy — a prediction of what will happen
• propitious — giving a good indication of success
• proponent — a person who argues in favour of something
• proportion — a part considered in relation to the whole
• proportionate — corresponding in size or degree to something else
• proposition — a statement or proposal put forward for consideration
• proprietor — the owner of a business or property
• propriety — correctness of behaviour according to accepted standards
• prorogue — to end a session of a legislature without dissolving it
• prosaic — dull and lacking imagination
• proscribe — to forbid something by official order
• prosecute — to bring criminal proceedings against someone
• prosecution — the bringing of a criminal charge; the party that does so
• prospect — the possibility of something happening in future
• prosperity — the state of being successful and well-off
• protagonist — the leading figure in an event or a story
• protectionism — the policy of shielding home industry from foreign competition
• protest — an organised expression of objection
• protocol — the accepted procedure for an official occasion or process
• protracted — lasting much longer than expected
• provenance — the origin and history of something
• provident — showing foresight and providing for the future
• provincial — relating to a province; narrow in outlook
• provision — a clause in a law or agreement; a supply set aside
• provisional — arranged for the present, likely to be changed
• proviso — a condition attached to an agreement or a clause
• provocation — an action that deliberately causes anger
• provoke — to deliberately cause a strong reaction
• prowess — outstanding skill or ability
• proximity — nearness in space or time
• proxy — a person authorised to act for another
• prudent — acting with care for the future
• pseudonym — a false name used instead of one’s real name
• publicise — to make something widely known
• punctual — doing things at the agreed time
• pundit — an expert who comments publicly on a subject
• pungent — having a sharp taste or smell; sharply critical
• punitive — intended as punishment
• purge — to remove unwanted people or things thoroughly
• purport — to claim to be something, often falsely
• pursuit — the act of chasing or striving for something
• purview — the range of things a body has authority over