Oblique - not expressed or done in a direct way

Oblivion - a state in which you are not aware of what is happening around you, usually because you are
unconscious or asleep

Obscure - not well known

Obsequious - trying too hard to please somebody, especially somebody who is important

Obtuse - slow or unwilling to understand something

Officious - too ready to tell people what to do or to use the power you have to give orders

Onerous - difficult to do or needing a lot of effort

Opaque - not clear enough to see through or allow light through

Opulent - expensive and luxurious

Orthodox - considered traditional, normal, and acceptable by most people

Ostensible - appearing or claiming to be one thing when it is really something else

Ostentatious - showing your wealth or status in a way that is intended to impress people

Pacify - to make somebody who is angry or upset become calm and quiet

Painstaking - extremely careful and correct, and involving a lot of effort

Palliate - to reduce the bad effects of something

Palpable - that is easily noticed by the mind or the senses

Paltry - too small to be considered as important or useful

Panacea - something that will solve all the problems of a particular situation

Paradigm - a model of something, or a very clear and typical example of something

Paradox - a person, thing or situation that has two opposite features and therefore seems strange

Parochial - only interested in small issues that happen in your local area and not interested in more important
things

Parody - something that is such a bad or an unfair example of something that it seems silly

Parsimonious - extremely unwilling to spend money

Partisan - showing too much support for one person, group or idea, especially without considering it
carefully

Patent - the official legal right to make or sell an invention for a particular number of years

Paternal - behaving or feeling as a father does toward his child

Pathology - the scientific study of disease

Patriarch - a powerful man in a family

Patrician - a person of high social rank

Patronize - to treat somebody in a way that seems friendly, but which shows that you think that they are not
very intelligent, experienced, etc

Paucity - the fact that there is too little of something

Peccadillo - a small unimportant thing that somebody does wrong

Pedantic - too worried about small details or rules

Pedestrian - a person walking in the street and not travelling in a vehicle

Pejorative - expressing disapproval, or suggesting that something is not good or is of no importance

Penchant - a liking for or a habit of doing something, esp. something that other people might not like

Pensive - thinking deeply about something, especially because you are sad or worried

Peremptory - expecting to be obeyed immediately and without any questions

Perennial - lasting a very long time, or happening repeatedly or all the time

Perfidy - unfair treatment of somebody who trusts you

Perfunctory - done quickly, without taking care or interest

Peripatetic - going from place to place, for example in order to work

Periphery - the outer edge of an area

Perjury - the crime of telling a lie in court after you have sworn to tell the truth

Permeate - to spread through something and be present in every part of it

Pernicious - having a very harmful effect on somebody/something, especially in a way that is not easily
noticed

Perquisite - something you receive as well as your wages for doing a particular job

Pertinent - appropriate to a particular situation

Perturb - to make somebody worried or anxious

Peruse - to read something, especially in a careful way

Pervade - to spread through and be easy to notice in every part of something

Petulant - easily annoyed and complaining in a rude way like a child

Philanthropy - the activity of helping the poor, especially by giving them money
Philistine - a person who does not like or understand art, literature, music, etc

Pious - having or showing a deep respect for God and religion

Pivotal - important because other things depend on it

Placate - to stop someone from feeling angry

Plaintive - used to describe something that sounds slightly sad

Platitude - a statement that has been repeated so often that it is meaningless

Plebeian - connected with ordinary people or people of the lower social classes
Plethora - an amount that is greater than is needed or can be used

Poignant - causing or having a very sharp feeling of sadness

Polarize - to separate or make people separate into two groups with completely opposite opinions

Polemic - a speech or a piece of writing that argues very strongly for or against something/somebody

Ponderous - slow and awkward because of being very heavy or large

Portent - a sign that something bad is likely to happen in the future

Postulate - an idea that is suggested or accepted as a basic principle before a further idea is formed or
developed from it

Pragmatic - solving problems in a practical and sensible way rather than by having fixed ideas or theories

Precedent - an official action or decision that has happened in the past and that is seen as an example or a
rule to be followed in a similar situation later

Precept - a rule about how to behave or what to think

Precipitate - to make something happen suddenly or sooner than expected

Precipitous - very steep, high and often dangerous

Preclude - to prevent something or make it impossible, or prevent someone from doing something

Precursor - something that comes before another and may lead to it or influence its development

Predilection - a strong liking or preference

Preeminent - more important or powerful than all others

Preempt - to prevent something from happening by taking action to stop it

Premise - an idea or theory on which a statement or action is based

Prerogative - a right or advantage belonging to a particular person or group because of their importance or
social position
Prevail - to exist or be very common at a particular time or in a particular place

Pristine - fresh and clean, as if new

Prodigal - too willing to spend money or waste time, energy or materials

Prodigious - very large or powerful and causing surprise; impressive

Prodigy - a young person whose intelligence or skill is unusually good for their age

Profane - showing no respect for a god or a religion, often through language

Profess - to claim that something is true or correct, especially when it is not

Proficient - skilled and experienced

Profligate - using money, time, materials, etc. in a careless way

Profound - showing a clear and deep understanding of serious matters

Profuse - produced or given in large amounts

Proletariat - the class of ordinary people who earn money by working, especially those who do not own any
property

Proliferate - to increase rapidly in number or amount

Prolific - producing a great number or amount of something

Promulgate - to spread an idea, a belief, etc. among many people

Propensity - a tendency to behave in a particular way

Propitious - likely to produce a successful result

Proponent - a person who supports an idea or course of action

Proprietary - relating to owning something, or relating to or like an owner

Propriety - moral and social behaviour that is considered to be correct and acceptable

Prosaic - ordinary and not showing any imagination

Proscribe - to say officially that something is banned

Proselytize - to try to persuade other people to accept your beliefs, especially about religion or politics

Protagonist - ​ the main character in a play, film or book

Protract - to make something last for a long time or last longer than necessary

Provident - careful in planning for the future, especially by saving money

Provincial - relating to an area that is governed as part of a country or an empire

Provisional - arranged for the present time only and likely to be changed in the future
These dates are only provisional.

Proximity - the state of being near in space or time

Prudent - sensible and careful when you make judgements and decisions; avoiding unnecessary risks

Purported - claimed but not proved to be true

Putative - generally thought to be or to exist, even if this may not really be true

Qualify - to have or achieve the necessary skills

Qualitative - connected with what something is like or how good it is, rather than with how much of it there
is

Querulous - often complaining, especially in a weak high voice

Quixotic - having or involving ideas or plans that show imagination but are usually not practical

Ramification - the possible result of a decision or action

Rancor - feelings of hate and a desire to hurt other people, especially because you think that somebody has
done something unfair to you

Rapacious - wanting more money or goods than you need or have a right to

Rebuke - the act of speaking severely to somebody because they have done something wrong

Rebut - to argue that a statement or claim is not true

Recalcitrant - unwilling to obey rules or follow instructions; difficult to control

Recant - to announce in public that your past beliefs or statements were wrong and that you
no longer agree with them

Reciprocal - involving two people or organizations who agree to help each other by behaving in the same
way or by giving each other similar advantages

Reclusive - living alone and avoiding going outside or talking to other people

Recondite - not known about by many people and difficult to understand

Recrimination - arguments between people who are blaming each other

Redolent - smelling strongly of something or having qualities (especially smells) that make you think of
something else

Redundant - having lost your job because your employer no longer needs you

Refute - to prove that something is wrong

Reiterate - to repeat something that you have already said, especially to emphasize it

Relegate - to give somebody a lower or less important position, rank, etc. than before
Relentless - continuing in a severe or extreme way

Relinquish - to stop having something, especially when this happens unwillingly

Remonstrate - to complain to someone or about something

Renaissance - a new growth of activity or interest in something, especially art, literature, or music

Renounce - to say formally or publicly that you no longer own, support, believe in, or have
a connection with something

Reparation - payment for harm or damage

Repercussion - an indirect and usually bad result of an action or event that may happen some time
afterwards

Replenish - to fill something again, or return something to its earlier condition

Replete - full, especially with food

Reprehensible - morally wrong and deserving criticism

Reprisal - a violent or aggressive act towards somebody because of something bad that they have done
towards you

Reproach - to criticize or find fault with someone

Reprove - to tell somebody that you do not approve of something that they have done

Repudiate - to refuse to accept or obey something or someone; reject

Requisite - necessary or needed for a particular purpose

Resolute - strong and determined

Respite - a pause or rest from something difficult or unpleasant

Reticent - unwilling to speak about your thoughts or feelings

Revere - to admire and respect somebody/something very much

Rhetoric - speech or writing intended to be effective and influence people

Rigorous - done carefully and with a lot of attention to detail

Robust - strong and healthy

Rogue - a person who behaves badly, but despite this is quite attractive

Rudimentary - dealing with only the most basic matters or ideas

Ruminate - to think deeply about something

Rustic - simple and often rough in appearance; typical of the countryside

Saccharine - too sweet or too polite
Sacrilege - an act of treating a holy thing or place without respect

Sacrosanct - so important that there cannot be any change or question

Sagacious - showing good judgement and understanding

Salient - most important or easy to notice

Salutary - causing improvement of behaviour or character

Sanctimonious - giving the impression that you feel you are better and more moral than other people

Sanguine - cheerful and confident about the future

Sardonic - showing that you think that you are better than other people and do not take them seriously

Scintillate - to say very clever, exciting, or funny things

Scrupulous - doing everything correctly and exactly as it should be done

Scrutinize - to look at or examine somebody/something carefully

Secular - not having any connection with religion

Sedition - the use of words or actions that are intended to encourage people to oppose a government

Segregate - to keep one thing separate from another

Sensory - connected with your physical senses

Sentient - able to see or feel things through the senses

Sequester - to take control of somebody’s property or assets until a debt has been paid

Serendipity - the fact of something interesting or pleasant happening by chance

Servile - wanting too much to please somebody and obey them

Singular - of an unusual quality or standard; noticeable

Sinister - seeming evil or dangerous; making you think something bad will happen

Slander - a false spoken statement about someone that damages their reputation, or the making of such
a statement

Sloth - the bad habit of being lazy and unwilling to work

Sobriety - the state of not being drunk

Solicitous - showing care and helpful attention to someone

Solvent - having enough money to pay all the money that is owed to other people

Soporific - causing sleep or making a person want to sleep

Sordid - dirty and unpleasant

Spawn - to cause something new, or many new things, to grow or start suddenly

Specious - seeming right or true but actually wrong or false

Sporadic - happening sometimes; not regular or continuous

Spurious - false, although seeming to be real or true

Squalor - dirty and unpleasant conditions

Squander - to waste money, time, etc. in a stupid or careless way

Stagnation - the fact of no longer developing or making progress

Static - not moving, changing or developing

Staunch - always showing strong support in your opinions and attitude

Steadfast - not changing in your attitudes or aims

Stigmatize - to treat someone or something unfairly by disapproving of him, her, or it

Stipulate - to state clearly and definitely that something must be done, or how it must be done

Stoic - a person who is able to suffer pain or trouble without complaining or showing what they

Stratum - one of the parts or layers into which something is separated

Stricture - a severe criticism, especially of somebody’s behaviour

Strife - violent or angry disagreement

Stringent - very strict and that must be obeyed

Stymie - to prevent something from happening or someone from achieving a purpose

Subjugate - to defeat somebody/something; to gain control over somebody/something

Sublime - of very high quality or great beauty

Subordinate - having a lower or less important position

Substantive - dealing with real, important or serious matters

Subtle - not very obvious or easy to notice

Subversive - a person who tries to destroy or damage a government or political system by attacking it
secretly or indirectly

Succinct - expressed clearly and in a few words

Succumb - to not be able to fight an attack, a temptation, etc.

Supercilious - behaving towards other people as if you think you are better than they are
Superficial - never thinking about things that are serious or important

Superfluous - unnecessary or more than you need or want

Surfeit - an amount that is too large

Surreptitious - done secretly, without anyone seeing or knowing

Surrogate - replacing someone else or used instead of something else

Sycophant - a person who praises important or powerful people too much and in a way that is not sincere,
especially in order to get something from them

Synthesis - the mixing of different ideas, influences, or things to make a whole that is different, or new

Tacit - not expressing or talking about something directly or openly

Taciturn - tending not to say very much, in a way that seems unfriendly

Tangential - having only a slight or indirect connection with something

Tangible - that you can touch or feel

Tantamount - having the same bad effect as something else

Tautological - saying the same thing twice in different words, when this is unnecessary

Temerity - a willingness to do or say something that shocks or upsets other people

Temperate - neither very hot nor very cold

Tenable - easy to defend against attack

Tenacious - that does not stop holding something or give up something easily; determined

Tenet - one of the principles on which a belief or theory is based

Tentative - not definite or certain because you may want to change it later

Tenuous - so weak or uncertain that it hardly exists

Terse - using few words and often not seeming polite or friendly

Theology - the study of religion and religious belief

Tirade - a long, angry speech expressing strong disapproval

Torpor - the state of not being active and having no energy or enthusiasm

Touchstone - an established standard or principle by which something is judged

Tout - to advertise, talk about, or praise something or someone repeatedly, especially as a way
of encouraging people to like, accept, or buy something
Transcend - to be or go beyond the usual limits of something

Transgress - to go beyond the limit of what is morally or legally acceptable

Transient - lasting for only a short time; temporary

Trepidation - great worry or fear about something unpleasant that may happen

Turpitude - very bad behaviour

Ubiquitous - found or existing everywhere

Unconscionable - morally unacceptable

It would be unconscionable for her to keep the money.

Unctuous - friendly or giving praise in a way that is not sincere and that is therefore unpleasant

Uniform - the same; not changing or different in any way

Unremitting - never stopping, becoming weaker, or failing

Unwitting - not aware of what you are doing or of the situation you are involved in

Urbane - good at knowing what to say and how to behave in social situations; appearing relaxed and
confident

Usurp - to take control of a position of power, especially without having the right to

Utilitarian - designed to be useful and practical rather than attractive

Utopia - an imaginary place or state in which everything is perfect

Vacillate - to keep changing your opinion or thoughts about something, especially in a way that annoys other
people

Vapid - not showing interest or intelligence

Vehement - showing very strong feelings, especially anger

Venal - prepared to do things that are not honest or moral in return for money

Venerate - to honour or very much respect a person or thing

Veracity - the quality of being true; the habit of telling the truth

Verbose - using or containing more words than are necessary

Verisimilitude - the quality of seeming true or of having the appearance of being real

Vernacular - the language spoken by ordinary people in a particular country or region

Vestige - a small part of something that still exists after the rest of it has stopped existing
Vicarious - felt or experienced by watching or reading about somebody else doing something, rather than by
doing it yourself

Vicissitude - one of the many changes and problems in a situation or in your life, that you have to deal with

Vilify - to say or write unpleasant things about somebody/something so that other people will have a low
opinion of them

Vindicate - to prove that something is true or that you were right to do something, especially when other
people had a different opinion

Vindictive - having or showing a wish to harm someone because you think that
they harmed you; unwilling to forgive

Virtuoso - a person who shows very great skill at doing something, especially playing a musical instrument

Virulent - dangerous and spreading quickly, or (of poison) having an effect very quickly

Visionary - original and showing the ability to think about or plan the future with great imagination and
intelligence

Vitiate - to destroy or reduce the effect of something

Vitriolic - full of anger and hate

Vocation - a type of work or way of life that you believe is especially suitable for you

Vociferous - expressing your opinions or feelings in a loud and confident way

Volatile - changing easily from one mood to another

Volition - the power to choose something freely or to make your own decisions

Wanton - causing harm or damage deliberately and for no acceptable reason

Willful - done deliberately, although the person doing it knows that it is wrong

Wistful - thinking sadly about something that you would like to have, especially something in the past that
you can no longer have

Zealous - showing great energy and enthusiasm for something, especially because you feel strongly about it