SAT VOCABS (P)
Terms
undefined, object
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- panacea
- something that cures everything
- pristine
- original; unspoiled; pure
- plaintive
- expressing sadness or sorrow
- precipitous
- steep
- provincial
- limited in outlook to one's own small corner of the world; narrow
- plebeian
- common; vulgar; low class; bourgeois
- proselytize
- to convert (someone) from one religion or doctrine ot another; to recruit converts to a religion or doctrine
- poignant
- emotional; exremely moving; sharp or astute
- platitude
- a dull or trite remark; a cliche
- predilection
- a natural preference for something
- prodigious
- extraordinary; enormous
- propitious
- marked by favorable signs or conditions
- palpable
- capable of being touched; obvious; tangible
- proliferate
- to spread or grow rapidly
- polemic
- a powerful argument often made to attack or refute a controversial issue
- promulgate
- to proclaim; to publicly or formally declare something
- premise
- an assumption; the basis for a conclusion
- prepossess
- to preoccupy; to influence beforehand or prejudice; to make a good impression on beforehand
- paradox
- a true statement or phenomenon that nonetheless seems to contradict itself; an untrue statement of or phenomenon that nonetheless seems logical
- proficient
- throughly competent; skillful; very good (at something)
- parsimonious
- stingy
- purported
- rumored; claimed
- philistine
- a smugly ignorant person with no appreciation of intellectual or artistic matters
- prodigal
- wastefully extravagant
- paltry
- insignificant; worthless
- protract
- to prolong
- placate
- to pacify; to appease; to soothe
- preempt
- to seize something by prior right
- paradigm
- a model or example
- protagonist
- the leading character in a noverl, play, or other work; a leader or champion
- prevail
- to triumph; to overcome rivals; (with on, upon, or with) to persuade
- palliate
- to relieve or alleviate something without getting rid of the problem; to assuage; to mitigate
- painstaking
- extremely careful; taking pains
- portent
- an omen; a sign of something coming in the future
- philanthropy
- love of mankind, especially by doing good deeds
- prosaic
- dull; unimaginative; like prose (as opposed to poetry)
- profane
- not having to do with religion; irreverent; blasphemous
- postulate
- something accepted as true without proof; an axiom
- proprietary
- characteristic of an owner of property; constituting property
- prodigy
- an extremely talented child; an extraordinary accomplishment or occurrence
- profligate
- extravagantly wasteful and, usually, wildly immoral
- preclude
- to prevent something from ever happening
- prerogative
- a right or privilege connected exclusively with a position, a person, a class, a nation, or some othe rgroup or classification
- precedent
- an earlier example or model of something
- profess
- to declare; to declare falsely or pretend
- precept
- a rule to live by; a principle establishing a certain kind of action or behavior; a maxim
- proscribe
- to outlaw; to prohibit
- pervade
- to spread throughout
- precipitate
- to cause to happen abruptly
- prolific
- abundantly productive; fruitful or fertile
- pivotal
- crucial
- polarize
- to break up into opposing factions or groupings
- putative
- commonly accepted; supposed; reputed
- parochial
- narrow or confined in point of view; provincial
- propensity
- a natural inclination or tendency; a predilection
- preeminent
- better than anyone else; outstanding; supreme
- pragmatic
- practical; down to earth; based on experience rather than theory
- pious
- reverent or devout; outwardly (and sometimes falsely) reverent or devout; hypocritical
- proximity
- nearness
- profound
- deep (in several senses)
- parody
- a satirical imitation
- ponderous
- so large as to be clumsy; massive; dull
- proletariat
- the industrial working class
- provisional
- conditional; temporary; tentative
- petulant
- rude; cranky; ill-tempered
- plethora
- an excess
- provident
- preparing for the future; providing for the future; frugal
- precursor
- forerunner; something that goes before and anticipates or paves the way for whatever it is that follows
- proponent
- an advocate; a supporter of a position
- propriety
- properness; good manners
- profuse
- flowing; extravagant
- prudent
- careful; having foresight