Perfidious

(adj.) faithless; treacherous

1. The trust between the business associates was broken after the perfidious actions by one of the partners.

Perfunctory

(adj.) done in a routine, mechanical way, without interest

1. Change in career is a good cure for someone who has become bored with their occupation and is currently performing their duties in a perfunctory fashion.
2. The girl will not improve unless she changes her perfunctory attitude.

Peripheral

(adj.) marginal; outer

1. Those are peripheral problems; let's look at the central challenge.
2. The peripheral shrubs were used to create a fence-like blockade.
He thought he was my best friend, when in fact, he was a peripheral acquaintance.

Perjury

(n.) the practice of lying

1. The already sensational trial of a star athlete turned all the more so when it turned out that a police detective had committed perjury.
2. Lying while on the witness stand is perjury.

Permeable

(adj.) porous; allowing to pass through

1. Because the material was permeable, the water was able to drain.

Pernicious

(adj.) dangerous; harmful

1. Standing oil combined with a fresh rain on the asphalt can have a pernicious impact on a driver's control of the road.
2. The pernicious fire engulfed four blocks of homes.

Perpetual

(adj.) never ceasing; continuous

1. Perpetual pain keeps the woman from walking.

Perquisite

(n.) extra payment; a tip

1. After working overtime, I had enough money to make a perquisite on my loan.

Pertinent

(adj.) related to the matter at hand

1. During a trial everyone should concentrate on the same subject, stating only pertinent information.

Peruse

(v.) to read carefully; to study

1. A vast majority of time was spent perusing the possible solution to the dilemma.

Pervade

(v.) to occupy the whole of

1. Her perfume was so strong that it pervaded the whole room.

Pervasive

(adj.) spreading throughout

1. The home was filled with the pervasive aroma of baking bread.

Pessimism

(n.) seeing only the gloomy side; hopelessness

1. After endless years of drought, pessimism grew in the hearts of even the most dedicated farmer.

Petty

(adj.) unimportant; of subordinate standing

1. With all of the crime in the world, stealing bubble gum is considered petty theft.

Petulant

(adj.) peevish; cranky; rude

1. The long illness put the boy in a petulant mood.
2. The tone of his voice and the things that he says become quite petulant when he has not gotten enough sleep.

Phenomenon

(n.) exceptional person; unusual occurrence

1. Not for nothing do they call Yankee Stadium "The House that Ruth Built"-the Babe was a phenomenon.
2. The northern lights are a rare phenomenon for those not living near the Arctic Circle.

Philanthropy

(n.) charity; unselfishness

1. After years of donating time and money to the children's hospital, Mrs. Elderwood was commended for her philanthropy.

Phlegmatic

(adj.) without emotion or interest; sluggish and dull

1. The playwright had hoped his story would take theatergoers on an emotional roller coaster, but on opening night they just sat there, stonefaced and phlegmatic.
2. The phlegmatic child rarely went outside to play.

Phobia

(n.) morbid fear

1. Fear of heights is a not uncommon phobia.

Pied

(adj.) colored, blotched together

1. The extreme heat caused the colors to become pied.

Pinioned

(adj.) bound fast

1. The two rafts were pinioned by steel wire.

Pious

(adj.) religious; devout; dedicated

1. The religious couple believed that their pious method of worship would bring them eternal life.
2. The statues of the saints have pious symbolism.
3. Many people think of this land as pious territory.

Pique

(n.; v.) resentment at being slighted; to provoke

1. Being passed over for the promotion aroused his pique.
2. The more he piqued her, the redder she grew.

Pithy

(adj.) terse and full of meaning

1. Columnist William Safire, a former presidential speech writer, has a way with words that often yields pithy comments.

Pittance

(n.) a small amount

1. The reward money was only a pittance compared to the money lost.
2. The little girl received a pittance every week for keeping her room clean.

Placate

(v.) to appease or pacify

1. The entire family attempted to placate the stubborn child.
2. With a soothing voice and the promise of a juicy steak, the trainer placated the escaped lion so that he wouldn't hurt anyone.

Placid

(adj.) undisturbed and calm

1. The placid lake's water was completely motionless.

Plaintive

(adj.) being mournful or sad

1. His wife's death made Sam plaintive.

Platonic

(adj.) idealistic or impractical; not amorous or sensual

1. The platonic advice of the doctor was to stay away from all odors.
2. Our relationship is platonic now, but I hope it will someday be otherwise.

Plausible

(adj.) probable; feasible

1. After weeks of trying to determine what or who was raiding the chicken coop, the farmer came up with a plausible explanation.
2. After scrimping and saving for a decade, it was now plausible to send his daughter to college.

Plenary

(adj.) full; entire; complete

1. A plenary class of students staged the protest.

Plethora

(n.) a superabundance

1. There was a plethora of food at the royal feast.

Plumb

(adj.; v.) perfectly straight down; to solve

1. The two walls met plumb at the corner.
2. I was able to plumb the riddle in a few seconds.

Polemic

(adj.) controversial

1. The polemic decision caused a stir in the community.

Polemicist

(n.) a person skilled in argument

1. The polemicist could debate any case skillfully.

Pommel

(n.) the rounded, upward-projecting front of a saddle

1. The woman was so nervous about being on the horse she would not let go of the pommel.

Ponderous

(adj.) unwieldy from weight; dull or labored

1. The ponderous piano posed a serious challenge to having it pulled up to the 16th floor.
2. As if being grainy wasn't bad enough, the film's ponderous story made it tough to get through.

Portend

(v.) to be an omen of; signify

1. The distant roll of thunder portends of an oncoming storm.

Potable

(adj.; n.) drinkable; a beverage that is drinkable

1. The liquid was not potable, but rather poisonous.
2. Sea water isn't potable.

Potent

(adj.) having great power or physical strength

1. He took very potent medication and felt better immediately.

Pragmatic

(adj.) matter-of-fact; practical

1. Since they were saving money to buy a new home, the pragmatic married couple decided not to go on an expensive vacation.
2. A pragmatic solution to the car's continual repairs would be to purchase a new car.

Prate

(v.) talking foolishly; chatter

1. It is not uncommon for people to prate when they become nervous about speaking to a superior.

Prattle

(n.; v.) childish babble; to babble while speaking

1. I've listened to his prattle for far too long.
2. The toddler does more prattling than talking.

Precarious

(adj.) depending upon another; risky, uncertain

1. The precarious plans fell through when the second couple changed their plans.
2. My position in the negotiations was precarious at best.

Precept

(n.) a rule or direction of moral conduct

1. The organization believed their members should abide by certain precepts.

Precipitate

(v.; adj.) to cause to happen; happening quickly

1. A rude comment may precipitate an argument.
2. The precipitating flood caught the village off-guard.

Preclude

(v.) inhibit; make impossible

1. A healthy diet and lifestyle will not preclude you from getting ill, although it improves your immune system.
2. Exercise may help to preclude heart disease.

Precocious

(adj.) developed or matured earlier than usual

1. The precocious eight year-old wanted to read the romance novel.

Predecessor

(n.) one who has occupied an office before another

1. Although her predecessor did not accomplish any goals that would help the poor, the new mayor was confident that she could finally help those in need.

Prefatory

(adj.) coming before

1. The prefatory comments informed the audience of what was to come.