pansy, n. heart’s-ease, love-in-idleness.
pant, n. gasp, gasping.
pant, v. gasp; long, hunger, yearn, thirst.
panther, n. puma, cougar, jaguar.
panting, n. anhelation, gasping; longing, hunger, desire, thirst.
pantry, n. buttery, larder, ambry.
pants, n. pl (Colloq.) trousers, breeches, pantaloons; drawers; knickerbockers, skilts, smallclothes, kneebreeches; overalls; chaparejos, chapareras (leather breeches).
paper, n. document; essay, dissertation, article; journal, newspaper, periodical, gazette, courant. Associated Words: papyrus, parchment, papeterie, tablet, stationer, stationery, papier-mâché, portfolio.
papery, a. chartaceous.
par, n. equality, equivalence.
parade, n. pomp, display, ostentation, show; procession, pageant, cavalcade; promenade.–v. display, flaunt, show off.
paradise, n. garden of Eden; Elysium; Heaven.
paragon, n. model, pattern.
parallel, a. like, similar, equal, analogous.
paralysis, n. palsy.
paralyze, v. benumb, deaden, stun, unnerve.
paralyzed person. paralytic.
paraphernalia, n. equipments, accouterments, ornaments.
parasite, n. hanger-on, toady, sycophant, fawner, flunky; zoō parasite, entozoa.
parcel, n. bundle, package; collection, lot; tract, plot, piece.
parch, v. torrefy.
parchment, n. vellum, pell, palimpsest.
pardon, n. absolution, remission, amnesty, forgiveness, condonation. Antonyms: retribution, vengeance, retaliation, implacability, penalty.
pardon, v. absolve, remit, forgive, condone.
pardonable, a. venial, excusable. Antonyms: unpardonable, inexcusable.
pare, v. peel.
parentage, n. extraction, descent, pedigree, ancestry, family, birth, lineage.
parish, n. Associated Words: parochial, parochialism, parishioner, parochialize.
parry, v. ward off, avert, prevent; avoid, evade, elude.
parson, n. See clergyman.
parsonage, n. rectory; manse; living, benefice.
part, n. portion, fraction, division, piece, constituent, installment, element, section, subdivision; quarter, region, district; share, portion, lot, allotment, assignment, duty, participation, function; rôle, character; clause, section, paragraph, chapter, passage, division.
part, v. divide, sever, disunite, dissever, sunder, dissociate, disconnect, detach, separate; intervene; apportion, share, mete out, allot, distribute.
partable, a. partible, separable. Antonyms: impartible, indivisible.
partake, v. share, participate in.
partaker, n. participant, participator, sharer.
partaking, n. participation.
parted, a. separated, divided, severed, disunited, isolated, detached, riven, cleft, sundered.
partial, a. warped, biased, prejudiced; imperfect, incomplete. Antonyms: See impartial.
partiality, n. bias, favoritism; predilection, inclination, fondness, predisposition, bent.
partible, a. separable, divisible, detachable, dissoluble, severable. Antonym: impartible.
particle, n. See bit; atom, molecule, monad.
particular, a. special, especial, specific; minute, precise, detailed, circumstantial; individual, separate, sole, single; characteristic, distinctive, individual, personal, peculiar; fastidious, finical, scrupulous, precise, strict. Antonyms: indiscriminate, slatternly, promiscuous, general.
particular, n. detail.
particulars, n. pl. details, minutiæ.
parting, a. farewell, valedictory.
parting, n. division, disunion, severance, separation; leave-taking, farewell.
partisan, a. factionary.
partition, n. division, distribution, apportionment, allotment.
partner, n. copartner, coadjutor; colleague, associate, confederate, accessory, ally, accomplice, partaker, confrère.
partnership, n. copartnership, cahoot (Slang).
parts, n. pl. talents, gifts, faculties, endowments; regions, districts, quarters.
party, n. clique, faction, set, circle, ring, cabal, coterie, junto; function, reception, salon, soirée, levee, matinée, drawing-room; company, squad, detachment, troop; partaker, participant; person, somebody.
party-colored, a. variegated.
party man. partisan.
pass, v. elapse, lapse; transmit, deliver, hand; go, move, proceed, advance; disappear, vanish, recede, depart; pass by, omit, pretermit; overstep, overpass; transude.
pass, n. passageway, defile, passage; thrust, passado, lunge, allonge; condition, plight, predicament, state, conjuncture, situation; passport, safe-conduct.
passable, a. navigable, traversable, penetrable; tolerable, mediocre, middling, so-so, ordinary, fair. Antonyms: impassable, impervious, impenetrable.
passage, n. transit; fare; clause, sentence, paragraph; enactment; corridor, hall; gangway; slype; pass, defile.
passing, a. exceeding, surpassing; transient, momentary, transitory, fleeting, impermanent.
passing, adv. exceedingly, surpassingly.
passion, n. suffering, pain, agony; emotion, ardor, feeling, pathos; wrath, fury, anger; love, infatuation, transport.
passionate, a. irascible, quick-tempered, choleric, excitable, waspish; ardent, fervid, vehement, impassioned, fervent.
passionless, a. impassive, phlegmatic, stoical, unemotional, dispassionate, apathetic.
passive, a. inactive, quiet, inert, receptive, quiescent, patient, unresisting, submissive.
pass over. traverse.
passport, n. pass, safe-conduct; sea letter.
password, n. countersign, watchword, sesame.
past, n. Associated Words: preterist, preterition, pretermission, preteritive, preterit, aorist, aoristic, retrospect, retrospective, retrospection, antiquary, antiquity, antiquarian, quondam, antecedent, antecedence, antecedents.
past, a. bygone, elapsed; preterite, preterit.
pastime, n. amusement, sport, diversion, recreation, divertisement, entertainment, play, fun.
pastor, n. See clergyman.
pat, a. suitable, fit, convenient, timely, pertinent, appropriate.
patch, n. clout; tract, plot, parcel.–v. mend, repair, vamp, revamp.
patent, a. evident, obvious, manifest, apparent.
path, n. footway, runway, course, passage, route, avenue, trottoir, trail; towpath, heelpath, berm.
pathetic, a. plaintive, pitiable, piteous, mournful, sad.
pathless, a. untrodden, unexplored, trackless, impenetrable.
patience, n. long-suffering, fortitude, resignation, submission, sufferance; indulgence, leniency, forbearance; persistence, diligence, perseverance. Antonyms: impatience, restiveness, resistance.
patient, a. uncomplaining, submissive, resigned, passive, long-suffering, indulgent; diligent.
patriotism, n. _amor patriæ_. Antonyms: incivism, chauvinism.
patron, n. supporter, promoter, defender, guardian, benefactor; customer.
patronizing, a. condescending.
pattern, n. model, exemplar, original, prototype, archetype; specimen, example; copy, reproduction; delineator, protractor. Associated word: exemplary.
pattern, v. model, copy, imitate, follow.
paunch, n. abdomen.
pauperism, n. penury, indigence.
pauperize, v. impoverish.
pause, n. intermission, suspension, break; hesitation; break, cæsura.
pause, v. stop, hesitate, desist, waver, intermit.
pawn, v. pledge, impawn.
pay, v. compensate, remunerate, recompense, requite, indemnify, reward, commute; retaliate, punish; liquidate, defray, settle, discharge; be profitable; disburse (payout). Antonyms: repudiate, protest, bilk, defraud.
pay, n. compensation, remuneration, recompense, requital, emolument, salary, wages, fee, tip, honorarium, stipend, reward, hire, allowance, perquisite.
payable, a. due, unpaid, outstanding; remunerable.
pay back. reimburse, refund, restore, repay, requite, indemnify; retaliate.
paying, a. profitable, lucrative, gainful, remunerative.
paying back. reimbursement, refunding, restitution, requital, indemnification, restoration, repayment; retaliation, requital, reprisal, retribution.
paymaster, n. purser.
payment, n. paying, compensation, remuneration liquidation, discharge, reparation, settlement, recompense, defrayment, amends; retaliation, retribution, paying back. Antonyms: nonpayment, protest, repudiation, default, defalcation, appropriation.
peace, n. concord, amity, harmony; tranquillity, quietness, repose, calmness, serenity; reconciliation, compromise, pacification; armistice, truce.
peaceable, a. amicable, inoffensive; tranquil, serene, undisturbed, placid, peaceful, quiet. Antonyms: bellicose, belligerent, contentious, rebellious, pugnacious.
peaceably, adv. amicably.
peaceful, a. amicable, tranquil, peaceable, halcyon.
peacemaker, n. mediator, intercessor, pacificator, make-peace, arbitrator, intermediary.
peacemaking, a. pacificatory, conciliatory, intercessory, propitiatory, mediatorial, irenic, intercessional.
peacemaking, n. mediation, pacification, reconciliation, intercession, propitiation, pacation, compromise, intervention, arbitration, negotiation, irenics, irenicon.
peace-offering, n. atonement, reparation, amends.
peach, v. (Colloq.) tell on, betray.
peacock, n. bird of Juno, Pavo. Associated word: pavonine.
peak, n. apex, pinnacle, summit, crest, spire, point, top, crown, finial.
peaked, a. pointed; (Cottoq.) sickly, thin, pale, emaciated.
peal, v. resound, reverberate, echo, boom.
peal, n. reverberation, resounding.
peanut, n. groundnut, earthnut, goober.
pear cider. perry.
pearl, n. margarite; jewel, gem; baroque pearl; nacre (mother-of-pearl).
pearl-producing, a. margaritiferous.
pearly, a. nacreous, pearlaceous, pellucid, iridescent.
pear-shaped, a. pyriform.
peart, a. (Colloq.) lively, active, smart, brisk.
peasant, n. rustic, swain, hind.
pease, n. pl. legumes, pulse; hastings. Associated Word: leguminous.
pea-shaped, a. pisiform.
peck at. carp at, nag, tease, importune, twit.
peculation, n. embezzlement.
peculator, n. embezzler.
peculiar, a. individual, personal, particular; singular, eccentric, erratic, queer, odd, exceptional, unique, bizarre, grotesque, nondescript, unusual, unconventional.
peculiarity, n. characteristic, trait, attribute, idiosyncrasy, eccentricity, oddness.
peddle, v. hawk, vend.
peddler, n. hawker, huckster, vender, chapman, cadger, packman, coster.
peddler’s pack. wallet.
peddling, n. hucksterage, hawking.
pedigree, n. lineage, ancestry, descent, extraction, genealogy.
peek, v. peep.
peel, n. rind, skin.–v. pare, decorticate. Antonym: pulp.
peep, v. chirp, cheep, pule; peer, peek, pry.
peer, n. equal, match, mate, compeer; nobleman, noble, lord.
peerless, a. matchless, unrivalled, inimitable, incomparable, unsurpassed, superlative, nonpareil, transcendent, supreme, unequalled.
peevish, a. petulant, querulous, captious, spleeny, fretful, impatient, cross.
peg, n. pin, spilikin; pretext, support, reason; degree, step.
pellmell, adv. disorderly, confusedly, helter-skelter.
pelt, n. woolfell, fell.
pelt, v. batter, beat, assail, pepper.
pen, v. confine, coop, encage, corral.
pen, n. coop, sty, cote, enclosure, hutch, paddock, pound, pinfold, corral, stockade.
penalty, n. punishment, retribution; forfeiture, fine, mulct.
pending, a. undecided, unsettled.–prep. during.
penetrable, a. permeable, pervious. Antonym: impenetrable.
penetrate, v. pierce, perforate; comprehend, understand; explore; interpenetrate.
penetrating, a. piercing, subtile, penetrant, sharp; acute, discerning, penetrative.
penetration, n. piercing, perforation; acuteness, discernment, sharpness; interpenetration.
peninsula, n. chersonese.
penis, n. Associated Words: penial, foreskin, prepuce, glans, urethra, chordee, erection, orgasm, _corpus spangiosum_, priapism, phimosis, smegma, phallus, bougie.
penitence, n. contrition, repentance, remorse, compunction. Antonym: impenitence.
penitent, a. contrite, remorseful. Antonyms: impenitent, incontrite.
penitentiary, n. prison.
penman, n. calligrapher, calligraphist, chirographer, chirographist, writer.
penmanship, n. writing, calligraphy, pencraft, chirography.
pen name. pseudonym, _nom de plume_.
penniless, a. impecunious, indigent, destitute. See poor.
pennilessness, n. impecuniosity, indigence, poverty, destitution.
penny, n. cent; groat, stiver; denarius.
penny-a-liner, n. hack, hack writer.
pensive, a. meditative, dreamy, lackadaisical, introspective, thoughtful, sad, grave.
Pentecost, n. Whitsunday, Whitsuntide.
penthouse, n. lean-to.
pent up. confined, restrained, restricted.
penurious, a. miserly, stingy, niggardly, parsimonious, avaricious, grasping.
penury, n. poverty, indigence.
people, n. folks; inhabitants, population, citizens; populace, commonalty, rabble, canaille; relatives, relations, kindred; laity.
people, v. populate, colonize.
peopled, a. inhabited, populated.
pepper, n. capsicum.
peppery, a. pungent; irascible, hot-tempered, choleric.
perceive, v. see, discern, observe; apprehend, comprehend, understand. See see.
perception, n. cognizance, discernment; sensation, feeling. Antonym: imperception.
perch, n. roost.
perchance, adv. perhaps, peradventure, possibly, maybe.
perchers, n. pl. Insessores.
percolate, v. ooze, strain, filter, transude.
percolation, n. filtration, straining, transuding.
perdition, n. ruin, wreck, destruction; hell.
perennial, a. perpetual, undying, imperishable.
perfect, a. consummate, faultless, flawless, exquisite, inviolate, impeccable, infallible, correct, mature, ideal, irreproachable, blameless. Antonyms: See imperfect.
perfect, v. consummate, elaborate, retouch, develop.
perfection, n. faultlessness, consummation, impeccability.
perfidious, a. See unfaithful.
perfidy, n. treachery, faithlessness, disloyalty, unfaithfulness.
perforate, v. bore through, pierce, penetrate, drill.
perforation, n. piercing, penetration; hole, opening, pertusion, aperture. Antonyms: imperforation, imperforable.
perforator, n. cephalotome.
perform, v. accomplish, execute, do.
performance, n. execution, achievement, accomplishment; trick, feat, exploit, stunt, deed, act.
performer, n. acrobat, funambulist, equilibrist, tumbler, contortionist, aerosaltant, actor, player, impersonator.
perfume, n. fragrance, aroma, redolence, sachet, incense, emanation, odor; attar, musk, patchouli, frankincense, civet, myrrh, pastil, pulvillio. Associated Words: exhale, exhalation, cassolette, perfumer, perfumery.
perhaps, adv. perchance, peradventure, possibly, haply.
peril, n. See danger.
perilous, a. dangerous, hazardous, imperiled, unsafe. Antonyms: See safe.
period, n. interval.
perishable, a. destructible, impermanent, mortal. Antonyms: imperishable, permanent.
perjury, n. oath-breaking. Associated Words: suborn subornation, suborner, perjurer, perjurous, forswear.
perk, a. vain, trim, spruce, smart, jaunty.
permanence, n. durability, imperishability, stability, permanency.
permanent, a. stable, immutable, durable, imperishable, unchangeable, abiding, indestructible. Antonyms: impermanent, evanescent, ephemeral, transient.
permeable, a. penetrable, pervious, pervadible. Antonym: impermeable.
permission, n. consent, allowance, license, leave, permit, authorization, warrant. Antonyms: refusal, denial, embargo, injunction, veto, prohibition, resistance.
permit, v. allow, consent to, suffer, tolerate, let, authorize, indulge, license, empower. Antonyms: refuse, disallow, prohibit, resist.
permit, n. warrant, license, leave, permission.
pernicious, a. deleterious, harmful, noisome, baleful, vicious.
pernickety, a. (Colloq.) finical, particular, fastidious, fussy.
perpendicular, a. upright, vertical. Antonyms: horizontal oblique.
perpetual, a. See everlasting.
perplex, v. bewilder, puzzle, pose, confuse, mystify, distract, disconcert, entangle.
perplexed, a. bewildered, confused, puzzled, disconcerted.
perplexing, a. bewildering, confusing, carking, mystifying, puzzling.
perplexity, n. bewilderment, distraction, confusion, disconcertion, doubt, uncertainty, predicament, dilemma, plight, quandary, difficulty, strait.
persecute, v. harass, oppress, tyrannize, torment, dragoon, importune, annoy, hector, badger.
persecution, n. oppression, molestation, importunity.
perseverance, n. persistence, diligence, constancy, indefatigableness, assiduity, pertinacity.
persevere, v. persist, continue.
persevering, a. persistent, steadfast, untiring, indefatigable, pertinacious, unremitting, indomitable. Antonyms: inconstant, fickle, unsteadfast.
persist, v. persevere.
persistency, n. perseverance, doggedness, pertinacity, obstinacy, contumacy, insistence.
persistent, a. contumacious, persevering, insistent, pertinacious, tenacious, importunate, constant.
personality, n. individuality; reflection, stricture, animadversion, criticism.
personally, adv. individually.
personate, v. impersonate.
personation, n. impersonation.
perspiration, n. See sweat.
perspire, v. sweat.
persuade, v. induce.
persuasion, n. inducement, suasion, incitement; creed, belief. Antonyms: dissuasion, coercion, constraint.
persuasive, a. persuasory.
pert, a. sprightly, dapper, nimble; forward, bold, saucy, malapert.
pertain, v. appertain.
pertinacious, a. resolute, determined, stubborn.
pertinacity, n. resoluteness, persistence, doggedness, stubbornness.
pertinence, n. relevancy, applicability, propriety. Antonyms: impertinence, irrelevance.
pertinent, a. relevant, apposite, applicable, proper. Antonyms: impertinent, irrelevant.
perturb, v. disquiet, excite, disturb, agitate, discompose, distress.
perturbation, n. excitement, agitation, discomposure, distress, disconcertion, worry. Antonyms: composure, imperturbation, calmness.
perturbed, a. excited, distressed, worried, discomposed, agitated.
perusal, n. reading.
peruse, v. read.
perverse, a. perverted, misdirected, erring, depraved, vitiated; intractable, obstinate, stubborn, contrary, headstrong, indocile. Antonyms: See obedient.
perversion, n. debasement, vitiation, corruption, falsification.
pervert, v. lead astray, corrupt, debase, vitiate; misuse, misapply, misinterpret, distort, falsify.
pervious, a. permeable, penetrable. Antonym: impervious.
pesky, a. (Colloq.) vexatious, troublesome.
pessimistic, a. gloomy, foreboding, hopeless.
pest, n. pestilence, plague, scourge; curse, nuisance, annoyance, infliction, bane.
pester, v. plague, badger, harass, harry, tease, torment, hector, disturb, molest.
pest house, n. lazaretto, lazar-house.
pestiferous, a. infectious, contagious, pestilential; noxious, noisome.
pestilence, n. plague, scourge, fatal epidemic.
pestilent, a. pestiferous.
pet, n. fondling, darling, favorite; cosset; tiff.
pet, v. humor, coddle, fondle, cosset, caress, indulge.
pet, a. favorite, petted, cade.
peter out. (Slang) dwindle.
petition, n. entreaty, supplication, prayer.
petition, v. entreat, supplicate, pray.
petitioner, n. suppliant, applicant, solicitor.
petrifaction, n. lapidification, petrescence, lapidescence; fossil, stone.
petrify, v. lapidify, fossilize.
petticoat, n. underskirt; balmoral.
petty, a. small, insignificant, trivial, trifling.
petulant, a. See cross.
pew, n. slip.
phantom, n. spectre, apparition, ghost.
phantomlike, a. spectral, ghostly.
pharmaceutist, n. apothecary, druggist.
pharmacist, n. apothecary, druggist, pharmaceutist.
phase, n. aspect, appearance.
phase, v. (Colloq.) disconcert, disturb, discompose, affect.
philistine, a. uncultured, commonplace.
phiz, n. (Colloq.) face, visage, countenance, physiognomy.
phlegm, n. mucus.
phlegm, n. dullness, sluggishness, coldness, indifference.
phlegmatic, a. unemotional, cold, dull, sluggish.
phonograph, n. graphophone.
photograph, n. heliograph.
photography, n. heliography.
phrase, n. idiom; diction, phraseology.
phrenologist, n. craniologist.
phrenology, n. craniology.
physic, n. medicine; cathartic, purge, purgative.
physic, v. purge.
physical, a. material, bodily.
physical structure. physique.
physician, n. See doctor.
piano, n. pianoforte.
piazza, n. veranda, portico, stoop, porch.
pick, v. pluck; pick out, select, choose, cull, glean.
pick, n. pickax; choice; spike, pike; plectrum.
picket, n. stake, pale, paling; sentry, guard, watchman, sentinel.
pickle, n. brine; (Colloq.) dilemma, predicament, plight; marinade.
pickpocket, n. cutpurse, _chevalier d’industrie_ (French).
picture, v. delineate, sketch, draw, represent, depict.
picture, n. drawing, painting, engraving, half- tone, photograph, print, miniature, daguerreotype, chromo, icon, chromotype, mezzotint, pastel, lithograph, lithotint, cartoon, sketch, etching, chromolithograph, pasticcio, tableau, portrait, illustration, cyclorama, silhouette, carte-de-visite, minette, caricature, vignette, draught, aquarelle, thermotype, tintype, ambrotype, cabinet, heliograph, chrysotype, photogravure, oleograph, cut, negative, study, likeness, scene, landscape, view, stereogram, stereograph, panorama, aristotype, heliotype, diorama, diaphanotype, decalcomania, mosaic, photoengraving, inconograph.
piddle, v. trifle.
piddling, a. trifling, inconsiderable, insignificant, piffling, inconsequential.
piebald, a. spotted, dappled, pied, pintado, pinto, party-colored.
piece, n. scrap, swatch, clout, chunk, slice, clipping, chip, hunk, hunch, fragment, fillet, shard; essay, article, composition; étude (Mus.).
piece, v. patch, repair; augment.
pied, a. mottled, spotted, piebald, dappled, party-colored.
pieplant, n. rhubarb.
pier, n. wharf, dock, jetty, buttress.
pierce, v. transfix, stab, impale, gore; penetrate, bore, perforate, drill.
pierced, a. perforated, penetrated.
piercer, n. stiletto, eyeleteer, gimlet, awl, bodkin.
piercing, a. penetrating, keen, sharp, thrilling, poignant.
piercing, n. penetration, perforation, impalement, transfixion, boring.
piety, n. sanctity, godliness, holiness.
piffle, n. trifling.–v. trifle, piddle.
piffling, a. trifling.
pig, n. shoat, far; gilt (young female); whinock; hog, swine. Associated Words: porcine, farrow, litter, barrow, boar, sow, pork.
pigeon-house, n. dove-cote, columbary.
piggery, n. pig pen, sty, pigsty.
pigheaded, a. stubborn, perverse.
pig pen, n. sty, pigsty, piggery.
pigtail, n. queue.
pile, n. heap, stack, accumulation.
pile, v. heap, stack, accumulate.
piles, n. hemorrhoids.
pilfer, v. filch, purloin.
pilfering, n. filching, theft, pilfery.
pilgrim, n. wayfarer, traveler, sojourner, crusader.
pilgrimage, n. journey, expedition, sojourn, crusade.
pilgrim’s staff. bourdon.
pillage, n. devastation, plundering, rapine, spoliation; spoil, plunder, booty, loot.
pillage, v. sack, plunder, despoil, devastate, foray.
pillar, n. column, pier, shaft, post, obelisk, monolith; supporter, maintainer.
pillow, n. cushion, bolster.
pilot, n. steersman, helmsman; director, guide, conductor.
pilot, v. guide, steer, direct.
pimp, n. procurer, bawd, pander.–v. pander, bawd.
pimple, n. eruption, papule, pustule.
pin, n. peg, bolt, skewer, spilikin, spile, plug, linchpin.
pinafore, n. apron, tier.
pinch, n. twinge, tweak, twitch; exigency, strait.
pinch, v. squeeze, compress, twinge, tweak, gripe, nip; cramp, straiten, oppress; skrimp.
pinch, v. (Slang) arrest.
pinchbeck, a. sham, spurious, brummagem.
pinchers, n. pl. pincers, tweezers, pliers, nippers, forceps.
pinching, a. griping, compressing, nipping, skrimping.
pine, v. droop, languish, waste; yearn, long–n. deal.
pining, a. languishing, fading, drooping.
pinion, n. feather; wing.
pink, v. scallop.
pinnacle, n. peak, summit, top, apex, zenith; finial.
pious, a. religious, devout, saintly, righteous, reverent. Antonym: impious.
pip, n. seed; roup.
pipe, n. tube, conduit, aqueduct.
pipe, n. tobacco pipe, clay pipe; nargile, nargileh; hubble-bubble; hookah; chibouque; dudeen.
piped, a. tubular.
pipe of peace. calumet.
pipe-shaped, a. tubular.
piping, a. peaceful, favorable; shrill, acute; sizzling, boiling, hissing.
piquancy, n. pungency, sharpness, spiciness; raciness, liveliness.
piquant, a. pungent, spicy; racy, lively.
pique, n. displeasure, resentment, vexation, umbrage.
pique, v. displease, offend.
piracy, n. freebooting, sea-robbery.
pirate, n. sea-robber, buccaneer, picaroon, corsair, freebooter, viking.
pirate’s flag. Jolly Roger.
piratical, a. predatory.
pismire, n. emmet.
piss, n. urine.–v. urinate.
pit, n. hollow, hole, excavation, cavity; abyss; parquet; quarry; endocarp, stone, putamen.
pitapat, adv. in a flutter, flutteringly.
pitch, n. slope, declivity, slant.
pitch, n. bitumen, asphaltum.
pitch, v. cast, hurl, toss, throw, fling, heave, chuck; plunge; decline, slope, slant.
pitcher, n. jug, ewer, jar, toby, aiguière.
pitcher-shaped, a. urceolate.
pitch into. (Slang) attack, assault, assail.
piteous, a. compassionate, merciful; mournful, plaintive, doleful.
pitfall, n. snare, trap, pit.
pith, n. marrow; gist, heart, essence, substance.
pithy, a. sententious, laconic.
pitiable, a. sad, piteous, lamentable, deplorable.
pitiful, a. tender-hearted, compassionate, merciful, lenient, ruthful, clement; lamentable, piteous, sad, sorrowful; despicable, contemptible, abject, mean.
pitiless, a. See unmerciful.
pittance, n. dole.
pity, n. compassion, mercy, ruth, commiseration, condolence, sympathy.
pity, v. have pity for, condole with, commiserate.
pitying, a. commiserative, sympathetic, tender, merciful.
pivot pin. pintle.
placable, a. appeasable, pacifiable.
placard, n. broadside, poster, bill, _affiché_.
place, a. position, site, situation, locality; rendezvous, tryst; duty, function, post, work, office; stead, lieu.
place, v. deposit, locate, dispose, put, set, station, establish, attribute, impute, ascribe, assign; identify.
place between. interpose.
plague, n. pestilence.
plague, v. hector, tantalize, tease, badger, pester, twit, nag, torment, harass, harry.
plaguy, a. (Colloq.) troublesome, vexatious, annoying.
plaid, a. checkered, crossbarred.
plaid cloth of Scotland. tartan.
plain, n. prairie, field, savanna, pampas, steppe, llano, champaign, campagna, heath, moor, camass, downs, tundra, veldt, peneplain.
plain, a. evident, manifest, explicit, obvious, unmistakable, distinct, apparent, palpable, patent; unembellished, simple, austere, severe, ungarnished, unadorned, untrimmed; homely, uncomely; flat, level, even, smooth, plane; unaffected, simple, artless, outspoken, undesigning, ingenuous, unreserved, direct; frugal, homely; unvaried, unfigured; mere, absolute, unmistakable. Antonyms: ambiguous, equivocal, indistinct, indecipherable, elaborate, luxurious, cryptic, abstruse, ornate, enigmatic, vague, inexplicable, obscure, complex, intricate, embellished.
plain, adv. plainly, distinctly, bluntly, candidly, explicitly.
plain-dealing, n. honesty.
plain song. Gregorian chant, _canto fermo_.
plain-spoken, a. frank, candid, unreserved, outspoken.
plaint, n. complaint, lamentation.
plaintiff, n. complainant.
plaintive, a. piteous, melancholy, sad, sorrowful, doleful.
plait, n. braid, plat, gather, ruffle, gauffering, plication, fluting, kilting.
plait, v. braid, plat, flute.
plaited, a. pleated, kilted.
plan, n. diagram, draught.
plan, v. scheme, project, intend, devise, contrive, design, purpose.
planetarium, n. orrery.
plant, n. vegetable, herb; pl. flora (plants of a region).
plant, v. sow; settle, establish.
plant-eaters, n. pl. Herbivora.
plant-eating, a. herbivorous, phytivorous, plantivorous, phytophagous.
plant-eating, n. phytophagy.
plant green. chlorophyll, fecula.
plant louse. aphis, aphid, aphidian; pl. aphides, aphidæ.
plastic, a. formative, creative; impressible, fictile.
plat, v. braid, plait.
plateau, n. table-land, mesa.
platform, n. rostrum, stage, dais.
platitude, n. banality.
platitudinous, a. banal, trite, commonplace.
platter, n. trencher.
plaudit, n. applause, acclaim, acclamation.
plausibility, n. speciousness.
plausible, a. specious; glib, fluent, oily, smooth-tongued. Antonym: implausible.
play, v. frolic, sport, gambol, disport, frisk, skip, caper, romp, revel; wanton, dally, toy, twiddle; impersonate, personate, act; perform, execute; strum, thrum; gamble; simulate, pretend, feign, dissemble.
play, n. game, pastime, amusement, recreation, diversion, sport, disport, gambols, frolic, jest, merriment; action, use, employment, practice, exercise; comedy, drama, melodrama, farce, burlesque; dalliance, toying, twiddling; liberty, scope, swing. Associated Words: dramaturgy, dramaturgist, dramatic, dramatize, dramatization, theater, rôle, repertoire.
playday, n. holiday.
player, n. idler, drone; actor, thespian, tragedian, comedian, imitator, impersonator, mime, mimic; performer, instrumentalist.
playful, a. sportive, frolicsome, prankish, jocular, sprightly, wanton.
play off. feign, simulate, dissemble.
plaything, n. bauble, gimcrack, toy.
play-writer, n. playwright, dramatist.
plea, n. defense, excuse, apology, vindication, intercession, prayer, entreaty.
plead, v. reason, argue; apologize; defend, advocate, intercede.
pleader, n. intercessor, defender, advocate.
pleasant, a. agreeable, genial, congenial, affable, amiable, enjoyable, good-humored, pleasurable. Antonyms: unpleasant, disagreeable, uncongenial, repellent, repelling, austere, unamiable, inaffable, dreary, dismal, offensive.
pleasantry, n. badinage, banter, raillery, witticism, joke, jest, jocularity, drollery, waggery, jollity, humor.
please, v. rejoice, gladden, delight, gratify, cheer, elate; satisfy, content; like, choose, prefer.
pleasing, a. pleasant, delightful, gratifying, delectable, gracious, winning.
pleasure, n. gratification, enjoyment, happiness, delectation, delight; amusement, recreation, diversion; will, choice, preference, desire; voluptuousness, sensuality. Antonym: displeasure.
pleat, n. plait.
pledge, n. gage, security, hostage, guarantee.
pledge, v. pawn, impawn, hypothecate, plight.
plenteous, a. plentiful.
plentiful, a. abundant, bounteous, ample, galore, copious, full, sufficient, lavish, replete, unstinted, prolific. Antonyms: scarce, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, scant, niggardly.
plenty, n. abundance, sufficiency, plenitude. Antonyms: See scarcity.
plethora, n. superabundance, superfluity, excess, repletion; hyperæmia.
pliability, n. flexibility, suppleness, pliancy, limberness, ductility, malleability. Antonyms: inflexibility, rigidity. See inflexibility.
pliable, a. flexible, pliant, supple, limber, lithesome, lithe, flexile, malleable; irresolute, yielding, facile, compliant. Antonyms: impliable, inflexible.
plight, n. condition, state, dilemma, predicament, situation, scrape.
plight, v. pawn, pledge; promise, betroth.
plod, v. trudge, tramp.
plodding, a. hardworking, diligent.
plot, n. conspiracy, intrigue, machination, cabal, complot; plat; imbroglio (complicated plot). Associated Word: marplot.
plot, v. conspire, intrigue, cabal, complot, machinate, scheme.
plotter, n. conspirator, intriguer, intrigant, machinator, caballer, intrigante (female).
plowable, a. arable. Antonym: inarable.
plowland, n. arable, carucate.
plowman, n. plower, husbandman.
pluck, v. pull, draw; pick, gather.
pluck, n. courage, energy, spirit, stamina, pluckiness.
plucky, a. courageous, spirited, indomitable, resolute, unflinching, game.
plug, n. stopper, stopple, bung, tampoon, spile, tampion, spigot.
plumb, a. perpendicular, upright, true.
plume, v. preen, prink; pride, vaunt, boast, glory.
plump, a. fleshy, bouncing, chubby, fat, portly, stout; blunt, unreserved, unqualified.
plunder, n. booty, spoil, loot, pillage, robbery.
plunder, v. pillage, loot, rob.
plunderer, n. pillager, robber, spoiler, depredator, marauder.
plunge, v. souse, immerse, submerge, dip, douse; dive, pitch.
pocket, n. bag, sack, pouch, placket, sabretasche.
pocket-book, n. purse, wallet, _portemonnaie_.
pockmarked, a. pockpitted, pockfretten, pocky, pitted.
pod, n. capsule, legume, burr, shale, boll.
poem, n. sonnet, ballad, verse, distich, lyric, elegy, eclogue, idyl, madrigal, epic, ode, georgic, cid, rondeau, epilogue, epigram, elegiac, roundelay, dithyramb, dithyrambic, doggerel, rhapsody.
poet, n. bard; laureate; versifier, rhymster, poetaster; troubadour, jongleur.
poetaster, n. rhymster, verse-monger, versifier.
poetical, a. metrical, rhythmic.
poetry, n. verse, rhyme, poems, poesy, orthometry, versification, prosody, poetics. Antonym: prose. Associated Word: anthology.
poignant, a. pricking, piercing, pungent.
point, n. prick, gad, goad; punctilio, nicety, subtlety; poignancy, sting; degree, step, stage; ferrule; zenith (highest point); nadir (lowest point); aiglet, tag; apex, tip.
point, v. aim, level, direct; show, indicate, designate; punctuate; taper.
point-blank, a. direct, plain, unqualified, unreserved.
pointed, a. sharp, picked, peaked, tapering, conical. Antonyms: pointless, dull.
pointer, n. indicator, index.
pointing, n. sharpening; punctuation; designation, indication.
poise, n. equipoise, balance, equilibrium.
poise, v. balance, librate.
poison, n. venom, virus, toxine, toxicant, irritant, taint, bane, ptomaine. Associated Words: toxicology, toxicophobia, toxicomania, toxiferous, toxicologist, antidote, alexiteric, venenific, septiferous, envenom, infect.
poisoning, n. toxication, venenation; autotoxication (self-poisoning); tainting, vitiation, infection.
poisonous, a. toxic, toxical, venomous, noxious, baneful, virulent, malignant. Antonyms: nonpoisonous, antidotal.
poisonousness, n. toxicity, venomousness, virulence, malignancy.
poke, n. bag, sack, pocket; thrust, punch, jog, dig; dawdler, bore.
poke, v. stir up, excite; punch, thrust; gore, hook; grope.
poke fun at. (Colloq.) ridicule, deride.
poker-painting, n. pyrography, xylopyrography.
poky, a. (Colloq.) slow, dull, tiresome, tedious, prosaic.
polar lights. aurora borealis (northern); aurora australis (southern);
Pole, n. Polander, Polack.
pole, n. shaft, thill (of a vehicle); rod, perch; bergstock, alpenstock; poy (rope-dancer’s pole); 5 1/2 yards, 30 1/4 square yards; jalons; quant.
polestar, n. north star, polar star, Polaris, loadstar, Cynosure.
polish, v. burnish, furbish.
polish, n. gloss, luster, sheen, glaze, glazing; courtliness, refinement.
polished, a. burnished, glistening, bright; courtly, elegant refined.
polite, a. courtly, civil, courteous, suave, urbane, deferential debonair, mannerly. Antonyms: See impolite.
politeness, n. courtliness, courtesy, civility, suavity, urbanity, deference, amenity, comity.
politic, a. political; judicious, discreet, shrewd, astute; diplomatic, strategic, artful.
politician, n. statesman, statist; demagogue (unprincipled and factious).
polliwog, n. tadpole, purwiggy.
poll tax. capitation.
pollute, v. defile, contaminate, corrupt, infect, debase, vitiate, desecrate, befoul.
pollution, n. defilement, contamination, corruption, infection debasement, vitiation.
poltroon, n. coward, craven, dastard.
pommel, v. beat, pound, maul, belabor, cudgel, thwack, club.
pomp, n. pageantry, parade, pageant.
pompous, a. stately, imposing, august; pretentious, grandiose See bombastic.
pond, n. lake (small); lagoon.
ponder, v. meditate, reflect, ruminate, think, muse.
ponderous, a. massive, heavy, cumbersome; dull, spiritless momentous, important.
pooh-pooh, v. (Colloq.) deride.
poor, a. indigent, impecunious, needy, poverty -stricken, straitened, necessitous, penniless, eleemosynary; emaciated, skinny, lean, spare, meager, bony, gaunt, thin, haggard, scrawny, angular, peaked, rawboned, pinched; inferior, mean, shabby, seedy, tacky, worthless; barren, sterile, effete infecund, inarable, exhausted, infertile; miserable, wretched, faulty, defective; despicable, contemptible, abject, sordid, sorry; unfavorable, inauspicious, unpropitious.
poorhouse, n. almshouse, infirmary.
pope, n. bishop of Rome, pontiff, _Pontifex Maximus_. Associated words: papal, papacy, paparchy, popish, see, popedom, popery, ablegate, nuncio, legate, Vatican, pontifical.
poppinjay, n. dandy, coxcomb. See fop.
populace, n. commonalty, proletariat, rabble.
popular, a. approved.
popularity, n. favor, esteem, approbation, celebrity.
population, n. inhabitants.
porch, n. piazza, stoop, veranda, porte-cochère, portico.
pork, n. Associated Words: trichina, trichinosis.
porous, a. permeable, penetrable, pervious, percolable. Antonyms: imporous, compact.
porridge dish. porringer.
port, n. harbor, haven; port-hole, embrasure; larboard; deportment, carriage, bearing, demeanor.
portend, v. foretoken, bode, presage, foreshadow, augur.
portentous, a. ominous, premonitory; monstrous, prodigious.
porter, n. doorkeeper, _concierge_.
portico, n. colonnade, arcade; porch.
portion, n. part, section, piece; allotment, quota, share, contingent; inheritance; dowry.
portly, a. dignified, imposing, stately, commanding; fleshy, obese, corpulent, stout.
portray, v. delineate, depict, picture, draw, sketch, paint, describe.
portrayal, n. delineation, description, account, recital, painting, depiction.
pose, n. attitude, posture (assumed).–v. attitudinize; nonplus, bewilder, embarrass.
position, n. situation, post; attitude, posture; situation, place, job; rank, standing, status; state, condition, circumstances.
positive, a. definite, precise, unequivocal, explicit, catagorical, unmistakable; confident, certain, sure; veritable, actual, absolute; indisputable; peremptory, dogmatic.
posse, n. (Colloq.) crowd, throng, multitude.
possess, v. own; have, hold, occupy; seize, take, appropriate.
possession, n. ownership, occupancy, tenure, fruition, retention, occupation.
possessor, n. owner, proprietor; occupant, tenant, holder.
possibility, n. potentiality, contingency. Antonym: impossibility.
possible, a. potential, _in posse_, contingent, practicable. Antonym: impossible.
possibly, adv. maybe, perhaps, perchance, peradventure, haply.
post, n. column, pillar, pilaster; position, seat, station; office, employment, station; bollard, stanchion, pile, newel, puncheon.
post, v. placard, announce; mail.
posted, a. (Colloq.) informed.
poster, n. placard, bulletin, bill.
posterior, a. later, subsequent, ensuing, succeeding; hinder, rear.
post-mortem, n. autopsy, necropsy.
postpone, v. defer, delay, put off, procrastinate, adjourn, prorogue.
postponement, n. deferring, delay, procrastination.
posture, n. attitude.
posy, n. flower, nosegay, boutonnière, bouquet.
pot, n. kettle; chamber-pot, jorden, urinal; jardinière.
potboy, n. menial, scullion.
potent, a. powerful, forcible, cogent, effective, strong.
pother, n. confusion, commotion, flutter, bustle, stir.
potter, v. trifle, pother.
potter’s wheel. jigger, throw.
pouch, n. bag, sack; paunch; marsupium.
poultice, n. cataplasm.
pound, v. beat; comminute, pulverize, bray, triturate; maul, belabor; impound.
pound, n. pinfold; sixteen ounces (avoir.); twelve ounces (troy); sovereign, $4.86.
pounder, n. pestle.
pour, v. decant.
pouring, n. decantation.
poverty, n. penury, indigence, need, destitution, privation, neediness, impecuniosity, pauperism; deficiency, paucity, infecundity, dearth, lack, meagerness, sterility, barrenness. Associated Words: impoverish, impoverishment.
powder, n. dust, pulverulence; cosmetic, rouge; pounce; efflorescence.
powder, v. pulverize, triturate, comminute, levigate.
powdery, a. friable, loose; dusty, pulverized, pulverulent, mealy.
power, n. potency, might, cogency, efficacy, force; armipotence, omnipotence; influence, sway, command, domination, authority; faculty, endowment, gift.
powerful, a. mighty, potent, drastic, efficacious, intense, strong, dynamic, puissant, effective, omnipotent, armipotent, stentorian, invincible, cogent, commanding.
powerless, a. impotent. See weak.
pox, n. syphilis.
practicability, n. feasibility.
practicable, a. feasible.
practical, a. pragmatical. Antonyms: impractical, Utopian, chimerical.
practice, n. custom, usage, habit; exercise, application, drill, rehearsal.
practice, v. exercise, apply, do, train, drill, rehearse.
praise, n. commendation, laudation, approbation, encomium, panegyric, eulogy, applause, laud, acclaim, éclat, plaudit, compliment, acclamation, puff, flattery; worship, homage, glorification; pæan. Antonyms: condemnation, dispraise, disapprobation, disparagement, denunciation, animadversion, stricture.
praise, v. laud, extol, commend, eulogize, panegyrize, applaud; magnify, glorify. Antonyms: condemn, denounce, disparage, deprecate, criticize.
praiser, n. eulogist, panegyrist, extoller, encomiast, lauder.
praiseworthy, a. laudable, commendable. Antonyms: illaudable, unpraiseworthy, indign.
prance, v. cavort.
prank, n. trickpracticable, a. feasible.
practical, a. pragmatical. Antonyms: impractical, Utopian, chimerical.
practice, n. custom, usage, habit; exercise, application, drill, rehearsal.
practice, v. exercise, apply, do, train, drill, rehearse.
praise, n. commendation, laudation, approbation, encomium, panegyric, eulogy, applause, laud, acclaim, éclat, plaudit, compliment, acclamation, puff, flattery; worship, homage, glorification; pæan. Antonyms: condemnation, dispraise, disapprobation, disparagement, denunciation, animadversion, stricture.
praise, v. laud, extol, commend, eulogize, panegyrize, applaud; magnify, glorify. Antonyms: condemn, denounce, disparage, deprecate, criticize.
praiser, n. eulogist, panegyrist, extoller, encomiast, lauder.
praiseworthy, a. laudable, commendable. Antonyms: illaudable, unpraiseworthy, indign.
prance, v. cavort.
prank, n. trick, antic, frolic, caper.
prankish, a. playful, frolicsome, sportive, mischievous, gamesome.
prate, v. babble, gabble, clatter, chatter, prattle. See talk.
prate, n. chatter, gabble, babble, twaddle.
pray, v. invoke, supplicate, entreat, implore, beg, petition, intercede.
pray against. deprecate.
prayer, n. invocation, orison, collect, suffrage, supplication, obsecration; litany, rogation, rosary, euchologion, secreta; entreaty, intercession.
preach, v. exhort.
preacher, n. homilist, exhorter, predicant, pulpiteer; missionary, evangelist, revivalist.
preaching, n. sermon, homily, exhortation. Associated Words: homiletics, homiletic.
precarious, a. uncertain, insecure, unassured, doubtful
preceding, a. foregoing.
precept, n. commandment, maxim, rule, adage, behest, injunction.
precious, a. costly, expensive; valuable; dear, beloved, adored, idolized.
precious stone. jewel, gem. See stone.
precise, a. exact; formal, punctilious, particular, prim, prudish.
precision, n. exactness, accuracy; formalness, prudery.
predatory, a. predaceous, plundering.
predestination, n. foreordination, foreordainment.
predict, v. prophesy, foretell, prognosticate, forebode, portend, augur, presage, vaticinate.
prediction, n. prophecy, soothsaying, divination, augury, prognostication.
predominant, a. dominant, overruling, ascendant, supreme.
preface, n. prologue, prelude. See introduction.
prejudice, n. prejudgment, bias; harm, mischief, detriment.
preposterous, a. absurd, ridiculous, irrational, inconsistent, foolish.
presage, n. omen, augury, auspice, portent; foreknowledge, premonition.
present, n. gift, donation, largess, gratuity, douceur.
preserve, v. conserve.–n. compote.
press, n. pressure, urgency.
press, v. squeeze, crowd, compress; urge, crowd; express; embrace, hug, clasp; oppress, enjoin, constrain.
pressed together. compact, serried, crowded.
pressing, a. urgent, importunate, exigent.
pretend, v. claim; simulate, feign, affect.
pretense, n. assumption, claim, pretension; simulation, affectation; pretext, feint, subterfuge.
pretty, a. comely, fair; personable, considerable. Antonyms: plain, homely, uncomely, ugly.
prevent, v. thwart, hinder, obstruct, preclude, obviate, forestall, intercept, avert, parry, deter, frustrate.
prevention, n. obstruction, thwarting, interruption, hindrance, preclusion, obviation, interception.
preventive, a. deterrent, prophylactic, obviating.–n. prophylactic.
previous, a. former, foregoing, antecedent, prior, anterior.
prey, n. spoil, loot, plunder, booty; victim, quarry, captive; depredation, ravage, spoliation.
preying upon others. predatory.
prick, n. goad, spur, gad; sting, compunction, qualm; puncture.
prick, v. puncture, pierce, perforate; goad, spur, incite; sting, wound, hurt.
pricking, a. poignant, sharp, piercing, stinging.
prickle, n. thorn, spine, barb.
prickly, a. thorny, spiny, brambly, briery.
pride, n. self-esteem, self-respect; haughtiness, arrogance, hauteur, superciliousness, contumely, conceit, vanity, priggishness, lordliness, imperiousness. Antonyms: humility, shame, self-abasement, modesty, lowliness.
priestly, a. sacerdotal.
priestly garments. vestments, canonicals. See canonicals.
prim, a. formal, precise, demure, prudish.
prime minister. premier.
primer, n. hornbook.
primitive, a. pristine, primordial, primeval, primal; antique, quaint, old-fashioned; original, radical, primary.
principal, a. leading, chief, cardinal, paramount, main, foremost.
printing, n. typography; (for the blind) Braille.
prior, a. previous, former, antedecent, anterior.
priority, n. antecedence, anteriority, precedence.
prison, n. penitentiary, bridewell, jail, house of correction, clink, bastille.–v. imprison, incarcerate. Associated Words: mittimus, commit, commitment, turnkey, warden, remand, prisoner, convict.
privacy, n. retirement, seclusion; retreat, solitude, concealment, secrecy, secret.
private, a. personal, individual; secret, secluded, covert, sequestered, hidden, unrevealed.
privates, n. pl. genitals. See sexual organs.
privation, n. deprivation, degradation; destitution, poverty, need; absence.
privilege, n. liberty, right, franchise, prerogative, immunity, advantage.
privy, n. water-closet, backhouse, jakes.
prize, n. meed, guerdon, palm, trophy, laurels, reward, premium, sweepstakes.
prize, v. value, esteem.
prize-fighter, n. pugilist.
prize-fighting, n. pugilism.
probability, n. likelihood, verisimilitude, credibleness.
probable, a. likely, credible, reasonable.
probe, v. investigate, examine.
proboscis, n. snout, trunk; haustellum (sucking proboscis).
procession, n. parade, cavalcade, cortège, train, retinue, file.
proclaim, v. See announce.
procure, v. get, obtain, acquire.
prod, n. goad.
prodigal, a. wasteful, extravagant, lavish, profuse.
profane, v. violate, desecrate; debase, prostitute, defile.
profane, a. unconsecrated, secular; unsanctified, unholy; blasphemous, irreverent, impious, sacrilegious.
profess, v. acknowledge, avow, admit; claim, pretend.
profession, n. acknowledgment, avowal; vocation, business, calling.
proficient, a. expert, adept, skilled.
profit, n. gain, emolument, dividend. Associated Words: pernor, fructuary, exploit, exploitation.
profitable, a. remunerative, lucrative, gainful, beneficial. Antonyms: See unprofitable.
profound, a. abysmal, deep; abstruse, recondite. Antonym: shallow.
progress, n. progression, advancement, improvement.
prohibit, v. See forbid.
prominent, a. protuberant; conspicuous, salient; eminent, distinguished.
promiscuous, a. indiscriminate.
promise, n. pledge, word, parole, plight, betrothal, troth, vow, assurance, covenant.
promise, v. pledge, covenant, assure, plight.
promote, v. advance, forward; exalt, elevate, raise, aggrandize; brevet.
promotion, n. preferment, exaltation, advancement, furtherance, aggrandizement; brevet.
prompt, a. quick, expeditious, ready; punctual, timely.
pronunciation, n. orthoëpy; utterance, articulation, enunciation. Associated Words: diacritical marks, macron, breve, diæresis, orthoëpic, orthoëpist, cacoëpy.
proof, n. verification, corroboration, attestation, certification, confirmation. Antonyms: disproof, refutation.
prop, n. buttress, stay, support, brace, fulcrum, shore, stanchion.
prop, v. buttress, brace, stay, support, sustain, shore up.
proper, a. appropriate, meet, suitable, seemly, condign, appertinent, conformable, consistent, apposite; decorous, conventional, formal, sedate, demure. Antonyms: improper, inappropriate, unsuitable.
property, n. attribute, trait; estate, wealth, chattels, goods, resources, assets, inheritance.
prophecy, n. prediction, foretelling, divination, soothsaying, prognostication, augury, vaticination.
prophesy, v. prognosticate, foretell, divine, augur, predict, vaticinate.
prophet, n. prognosticator, vaticinator, soothsayer, diviner, oracle, seer, python.
prophetess, n. sibyl, pythoness.
prophetic, a. prognostic, predictive, fatidical, oracular, divinatory, vaticinal.
prosperity, n. weal, success, well-being. Antonyms: adversity, reverses, disaster.
prostitute, n. harlot, whore, strumpet, courtesan.
prostitution, n. harlotry, social evil, whoredom; perversion, misuse, profanation.
prosy, a. prosaic, dull, tiresome, tedious, uninteresting, jejune.
protect, v. shield, defend, guard, fortify, screen, shelter, befriend.
protection, n. defense, shield, shelter, tutelage, refuge, bulwark, coverture, safeguard.
protector, n. defender, guardian, patron.
proud, a. arrogant, vain, haughty, overbearing, supercilious, cavalier, overweening, disdainful, imperious, lordly, magisterial, contumelious. Antonyms: meek, humble.
proud flesh. granulation, fungus.
provable, a. demonstrable.
prove, v. verify, corroborate, substantiate, demonstrate. Antonyms: disprove, refute.
proverb, n. aphorism, maxim, saw, adage. See saying.
provide, v. supply, furnish; stipulate, covenant, agree; cater, purvey.
provider, n. furnisher, caterer, purveyor, provisor.
provoke, v. incite, stimulate, instigate, rouse; exasperate, displease, aggravate, offend.
prowess, n. bravery, intrepidity, valor.
prudence, n. discretion, caution.
prudent, a. discreet, cautious, circumspect, provident. Antonyms: imprudent, incautious.
pry, n. lever; leverage.–v. prize; gaze, inspect.
puberty, n. Associated Words: puberal, pubescence, pubescent, hebetic, impuberal.
publish, v. promulgate, proclaim, circulate, blazon, announce. Antonyms: suppress, withhold.
publisher’s inscription. colophon, impress, imprint.
pucker, v. crease, corrugate, cockle, purse, wrinkle.
pucker, n. crease, corrugation, cockle, wrinkle; (Colloq.) confusion, bother, perplexity.
puckery, a. astringent.
puddle, n. pool, plashet, plash.
puerile, a. childish, silly, trifling.
puke, v. vomit.
pull, v. draw, tug, haul, tow, drag; pluck, jerk, twitch.
pulverize, v. triturate, comminute, levigate, bray.
pump, v. interrogate, question, quiz.
pun, n. paragram.
punch, v. push, poke; pierce, bore, perforate, puncture.
puncture, v. prick, perforate, pierce.
pungent, a. pricking, stinging; poignant, sharp, excruciating, severe.
punish, v. chastise, castigate, chasten, discipline.
punishment, n. chastisement, castigation, scourging, discipline, penalty, visitation, retaliation, retribution, infliction. Antonyms: immunity, impunity, acquittal, exoneration. Associated Words: penal, penology, punitive, penologist, penological, reprieve, commute, commutation, Nemesis, connivance.
punning, n. paronomasia.
puny, a. undeveloped, small, undersized, diminutive, stunted, atrophied, feeble.
pup, n. puppy, whelp.
pupil, n. scholar; learner, disciple, catechumen, neophyte, tyro, novice, probationer.
pupilage, n. nonage, minority.
puppy, n. pup, whelp; coxcomb, dandy, fop.
purchasable, a. venal.
purchase, v. buy.
pure, a. chaste, virtuous, innocent, undefiled, unpolluted, inviolated, unspotted, immaculate, virgin, incorrupt, impeccable, inviolable; unadulterated, unalloyed, unsophisticated, simple, refined, genuine, uncontaminated. Antonyms: See impure.
purge, n. physic, purgative, cathartic.
purification, n. depuration, expurgation, defecation, refinement, cleansing.
purificator, n. mundatory.
purify, v. cleanse, refine, expurgate, sublime, clarify.
purity, n. chastity. Antonyms: See impurity.
purport, n. meaning, signification, import.–v. mean, intend, signify, import.
purpose, n. aim, object, design, intent, goal, view, drift.
purpose, v. intend, design, contemplate.
purveyor, n. caterer, provider; procurer, pimp, bawd, pander.
pus, n. matter, purulence. Associated Words: purulent, maturate, maturation, suppurate, suppuration, indigested, fester.
push, v. shove, impel.
push, n. shove.
push, n. (Colloq.) energy, spiritedness, enterprise, aggressiveness; (Slang) crowd, gang, posse.
pushing, a. enterprising, energetic, intrusive, forward, officious, obtrusive, aggressive.
pusillanimous, a. See cowardly.
pussy, a. (Colloq.) pursy, fleshy.
put back. replace, restore, reinstate; retard, impede, delay, hinder.
put between. interpose.
put down. deposit; crush, quell, suppress, repress, vanquish overthrow; reduce, lower.
put in. insert, inject, interpolate, interpose, thrust in, interject, interlard.
put-off, n. shift, evasion, subterfuge, ruse, parry.
put off. discard, doff; delay, defer, postpone, procrastinate.
put out. eject, oust, remove, evict, dispossess, dislodge; extend, protrude; extinguish; issue, publish; dislocate; displease, offend, anger.
putter, v. potter, pother, trifle, fribble, dally, dawdle.
putting back. hindering, delay, retardation; replacement, restoration, reinstatement.
putting in. insertion, injection, interpolation.
putting in practice. application.
putting off. delay, deferment, postponement, procrastination.
putting on. investing, investiture; assumption, arrogation; instigation, incitement.
putting out. ejection, eviction, dispossession, expulsion, ousting; extinguishment, extinction; dislocation.
put to flight. rout.
put-up, a. (Colloq.) arranged, predetermined.
puzzle, v. mystify, pose, nonplus, perplex, bewilder, confuse.
puzzle, n. enigma, conundrum, intricacy, maze, crux, riddle, rebus, poser; confusion, quandary, perplexity, nonplus, bewilderment.
puzzling, a. enigmatical, perplexing, inexplicable, inscrutable, intricate, bewildering.
pyx, n. ciborium; ostensorium, monstrance; binnacle.
Q
quack, n. charlatan, empiric, pretender, mountebank.
quack, a. empirical, charlatanic, quackish.
quackery, n. empiricism, charlatanism, charlatanry, mountebankery.
quackish, a. empirical, charlatanic.
quack medicine. nostrum.
quaggy, a. boggy, queachy, swampy, marshy, fenny.
quagmire, n. slough, swamp, marsh, morass, bog, fen.
quail, n. bobwhite.
quail, v. tremble, cower, flinch, quake, blench, falter.
quaint, a. fanciful, whimsical, odd, curious, grotesque, old-fashioned.
quake, v. quiver, tremble, shake, shudder, vibrate.
quake, n. agitation, trembling, shaking, vibration, quivering.
Quaker, n. Friend.
qualification, n. condition, restriction, modification, limitation; endowment, ability, eligibility, capability, fitness, competency; allowance, diminution, adaptation, mitigation, preparation.
qualified, a. modified, limited; competent, eligible, fitted, capable.
qualify, v. modify, limit, restrict, condition; fit, prepare, equip; modulate, vary, temper; diminish, moderate, mitigate, assuage, alleviate.
quality, n. nature, character, sort, strain, condition; characteristic, peculiarity, trait, property, attribute, attribution, accident; high rank, nobility, gentry, aristocracy.
qualm, n. nausea; compunction, regret, uneasiness.