steadfast, unchangeable, immutable, invariable, fixed, unchanging,
stable, lasting, persistent, perpetual.
ANT. _Transient, brief, fleeting, evanescent, passing, transitory,
momentary, temporary, ephemeral._
=Permission.= Authority, allowance, consent, liberty, leave, license,
permit, authorization.
ANT. _Hindrance, opposition, objection, denial, prevention, prohibition,
refusal, resistance._
=Pernicious.= Mischievous, baneful, destructive, noisome, deleterious,
harmful, hurtful, poisonous, noxious, pestilential, unhealthful,
unwholesome, detrimental, deadly, evil, foul, injurious, insalubrious,
pestiferous, perverting, ruinous.
ANT. _Helpful, invigorating, salutary, advantageous, good, favorable,
life-giving, rejuvenating, useful, serviceable, beneficent, wholesome,
beneficial, healthful._
=Perpetual.= Continual, endless, unceasing, unfailing, incessant,
constant, eternal, everlasting, perennial, permanent, enduring.
ANT. _Periodic, transient, recurrent, temporary, occasional, casual,
momentary._
=Perplex.= Entangle, involve, complicate, embarrass, puzzle, bewilder,
confuse, distract, annoy, confound, trouble, worry, disturb, pester,
bother, mystify.
ANT. _Enlighten, clear, explicate, simplify, elucidate, illumine,
unfold, explain, manifest, calm, quiet, control, please, instruct,
solve, illustrate, make intelligible, account for._
=Perplexity.= Confusion, bewilderment, disturbance, distraction, doubt,
embarrassment, astonishment, amazement.
ANT. _Composure, calmness; discernment, insight._
=Perseverance.= Persistency, tenacity, steadfastness, steadiness,
constancy, pertinacity, indefatigableness, resolution.
ANT. _Fitfulness, caprice, instability, variableness, irregularity;
indecision, vacillation, wavering, irresoluteness._
=Perspicacity.= Acuteness, keenness, discernment, penetration,
perspicaciousness, insight, sagacity, astuteness, distinctness,
explicitness.
ANT. _Dulness, stupefaction, obtuseness, hebetude, stolidity,
inobservance, insensibility._
=Perspicuity.= Plainness, lucidity, clearness, explicitness,
intelligibility, transparency, perspicuousness.
ANT. _Obscurity, turbidness, unintelligibility, incomprehensibility,
indefiniteness, doubtfulness, mysticism, confusion._
=Persuade.= Dispose, allure, entice, urge, move, influence, prevail
upon, coax, bring over, incline, convince, lead, induce, incite, win
over, impel.
ANT. _Deter, discourage, restrain, hinder, repel, dissuade, hold back._
=Pertinent.= Apposite, relevant, suitable, appropriate, proper, fit,
adapted.
ANT. _Unrelated, unsuitable, impertinent, incongruous, alien,
unconnected, discordant, inharmonious._
=Pertness.= Impertinence, boldness, forwardness, sauciness, flippancy,
impudence, briskness, liveliness, smartness, sprightliness.
ANT. _Diffidence, humility, modesty, shyness, bashfulness, demureness._
=Perverse.= Obstinate, contrary, fractious, froward, intractable,
petulant, wilful, wayward, ungovernable, stubborn, factious, untoward.
ANT. _Compliant, genial, accommodating, governable, kind, obliging,
complaisant, amenable._
=Petition=, _n._ Prayer, supplication, entreaty; solicitation,
application, suit, appeal, address.
ANT. _Protest, claim, expostulation, demand, injunction, dictation,
exaction, dissension, dissent._
=Philanthropy.= Love, good will, charity, benevolence, humanity,
public-spiritedness.
ANT. _Misanthropy, ill will, selfishness._
=Philosopher.= Student, theorist, speculator, teacher, master, savant,
schoolman, doctor; adept.
ANT. _Learner, pupil, beginner; ignoramus, dunce._
=Philosophical.= Rational, wise, temperate, calm, cool, reasonable,
sound, collected, composed, sedate, tranquil, Platonic.
ANT. _Popular, crude, loose, inaccurate, illogical, irrational, unsound,
unscientific, thoughtless, hotheaded, impulsive._
=Physical.= Material, natural, corporal, sensible, visible, tangible,
bodily, corporeal.
ANT. _Mental, spiritual, immaterial, unsubstantial, hyperphysical,
intangible, moral, unreal, intellectual, invisible._
=Picturesque.= Graphic, vivid, artistic, beautiful, scenic, pictorial,
graceful, comely, seemly.
ANT. _Unseemly, ugly, inartistic, ungraceful, tame, flat, insipid._
=Piety.= Sanctity, godliness, holiness, religion, reverence, devotion,
grace.
ANT. _Impiety, sacrilege, sinfulness, ungodliness, hypocrisy, formalism,
sanctimoniousness._
=Piquant.= Tart, sharp, pungent, stimulating, biting, racy, stinging,
cutting, severe.
ANT. _Flat, tame, dull, insipid._
=Pique.= Resentment, umbrage, irritation, displeasure, grudge, offense.
ANT. _Delight, gratification, pleasure, satisfaction, contentment,
approval, complacency._
=Piteous.= Sorrowful, mournful, affecting, doleful, lamentable, woful,
rueful, sad, pitiable, pitiful.
ANT. _Joyous, glad, merry, happy, cheerful, comfortable, desirable,
pleasant, agreeable, delectable._
=Pitiful.= Lamentable, mournful, base, contemptible, piteous, pathetic,
pitiable, touching, sorrowful, woful, wretched, despicable, moving,
paltry.
ANT. _Exalted, glorious, helpful, great, grand, sublime, superior,
beneficent, commanding, august, dignified, noble, lofty, mighty,
superb._
=Pity.= Sympathy, mercy, tenderness, condolence, compassion,
commiseration.
ANT. _Cruelty, severity, mercilessness, sternness, hardness, rigor,
inhumanity, brutality, barbarity, harshness, pitilessness, ruthlessness,
hardheartedness, ferocity, truculence._
=Placid.= Pleased, contented, unruffled, undisturbed, peaceful, serene,
tranquil, quiet, gentle, collected, calm, composed, passionless.
ANT. _Discontent, disturbed, distressed, anxious, distracted, perplexed,
distrait; vehement, wild, passionate, impulsive, agitated, ruffled,
excited, impassioned._
=Plain.= Artless, undisguised, sincere, frank, honest, ingenuous,
candid, unembellished, simple, downright, blunt, distinct, apparent,
manifest, open, clear, evident, visible, obvious, unmistakable,
conspicuous, level, flat, smooth; easy, natural, homely, ugly; simple,
frugal.
ANT. _Unnatural, pretended, affected, assumed, feigned, artificial,
insincere, vain, pretentious, conceited; ornate, ornamented, decorated,
embellished; involved, obscure, hidden, invisible, inconspicuous,
uneven, undulating, rugged, broken, ambiguous, abrupt, obstructed,
uncertain, enigmatical, abstruse; beautiful, sophisticated, artful._
=Plant=, _v._ Seed, set, sow, seed down, set out.
ANT. _Eradicate, uproot, extirpate, weed out, root up._
=Plausible.= Specious, seeming, pretending, fair-spoken, passable,
pretentious, ostensible, apparent; colorable, feasible.
ANT. _Genuine, transparent, true, sterling, veritable, unmistakable,
authentic, sincere, unaffected._
=Plead.= Advocate, ask, beg, urge, argue, solicit, entreat, implore,
press.
ANT. _Grant, bestow, answer._
=Pleasant.= Kindly, obliging, attractive, pleasing, pleasurable,
agreeable, kind, good-natured.
ANT. _Disagreeable, gloomy, glum, harsh, hateful, repulsive, unpleasant,
repellent, offensive, unkind, forbidding, dreary, arrogant, austere,
grim, ill-natured, ill-humored, repelling._
=Pleasure.= Satisfaction, comfort, solace, joy, gladness, delight, will,
choice, purpose, command, kindness, enjoyment, gratification, happiness,
self-indulgence, voluptuousness.
ANT. _Suffering, affliction, pain, sorrow, sadness, distress, misery,
compulsion, force, coercion; mourning, depression, dejection,
melancholy, misfortune, poverty, want._
=Plenitude.= Fulness, abundance, completeness, plenty, repletion,
plethora; luxury, affluence, exuberance, wealth, richness, profusion,
amplitude, enough, supply, sufficiency.
ANT. _Want, need, scarcity, scantiness, dearth, insufficiency,
restriction, poverty, partiality, stint, reserve, narrowness, penury,
impecuniosity._
=Plentiful.= Bountiful, generous, large, abundant, adequate, copious,
enough, full, profuse, rich, sufficient, complete, exuberant, plenteous,
replete, teeming, affluent, ample, lavish, liberal, luxuriant,
overflowing, abounding.
ANT. _Deficient, drained, impoverished, scanty, insufficient, small,
sparing, stingy, straitened, poor, scant, exhausted, inadequate, mean,
miserly, narrow, niggardly, scarce, short, scrimped._
=Plot.= Intrigue, conspiracy, cabal, contrivance, scheme, stratagem,
project, combination, machination; story.
ANT. _Blunder, botch; misarrangement, miscontrivance._
=Poet.= Bard, author of poems, singer, rimester, rimer, versifier.
=Poetical.= Metrical, rhythmical, lyric, rimed, versified; imaginative,
fictitious, creative.
ANT. _Prosaic, unpoetical, unrimed, unversified, unrhythmic;
commonplace, matter-of-fact, unimaginative, realistic; mathematical,
historical._
=Poetry.= Meter, rime, numbers, poesy, song, verse, poem, metrical
composition.
ANT. _Prose, prosaic speech, prosaic writing._
=Poignant.= Pricking, piercing, sharp, pungent; pointed, keen,
satirical.
ANT. _Blunt, dull, obtuse, insipid, pointless, vapid, inexpressive._
=Poisonous.= Venomous, baneful, corrupting, noxious, pestilential,
malignant, virulent, pestiferous, deleterious, mephitic.
ANT. _Salubrious, wholesome, healthful, beneficial, sanative, genial,
remedial, hygienic._
=Polite.= Courteous, civil, courtly, obliging, gracious, polished,
accomplished, complaisant, cultivated, cultured, elegant, genteel,
urbane, well-behaved, well-mannered, well-bred.
ANT. _Awkward, clownish, unmannerly, uncouth, boorish, blunt,
impertinent, brusk, bluff, impolite, insolent, coarse, ill-bred,
ill-behaved, rude, rustic, impudent, ill-mannered, untutored, uncivil,
untaught, discourteous, unpolished, insulting._
=Politeness.= Courtesy, civility, gentility, refinement, courtliness,
elegance, urbanity, good breeding, decorum, complaisance, affability.
ANT. _Rudeness, arrogance, incivility, churlishness, ungraciousness,
insolence, sauciness, impertinence, effrontery, presumption._
=Poor.= Needy, indigent, destitute; lean, emaciated; feeble, dejected;
shabby, mean; unfavorable, uncomfortable; barren; sterile; inadequate,
insignificant, insufficient; meek.
ANT. _Rich, wealthy, affluent, opulent; splendid, costly, valuable,
estimable; fruitful, abundant, luxuriant, productive, prolific; copious,
abounding, ample, well-supplied, comfortable, favorable; adequate,
sufficient; important, significant, arrogant, self-assertive._
=Popular.= Cheap, common, ordinary, inferior; familiar, plain, easy,
comprehensible; favorite, liked, approved, accepted, accredited;
current, prevalent, general, prevailing; pertaining to the people,
vulgar, plebeian; mediocre.
ANT. _Unpopular, exclusive, aristocratic, snobbish; special, excellent,
unique, superior, eminent; selfish, narrow, illiberal, uncharitable;
sole, only, scientific, restricted, esoteric; odious, detested._
=Position.= Situation, station, assertion, place, posture, locality,
site; attitude; state, condition, circumstances; principle, doctrine,
proposition, dictum, affirmation, thesis; rank.
=Positive.= Real, actual, absolute, explicit, definite, confident,
certain, dogmatic; defined, precise, clear; veritable, substantial,
true; indisputable, incontrovertible; indubitable; decisive,
unconditional, imperative, unequivocal, settled, assured, express.
ANT. _Negative, denying, indirect, disavowing, disclaiming, privative;
relative; unreal, fictitious, imaginative, contingent, dependent,
implied, conditional, dubious, unsubstantial, indefinite, equivocal._
=Possession.= Control, ownership, tenure, retention, management,
occupation; (_pl._) property, estate, wealth, dominion.
ANT. _Dispossession, resignation, surrender, abandoning, renouncing._
=Potent.= Powerful, mighty, puissant, strong, able, efficient,
efficacious, forcible, cogent, influential, effective, active,
energetic.
ANT. _Impotent, powerless, weak, feeble, infirm; inefficient, incapable,
incompetent, incapacitated._
=Potential.= Possible, implicit, undeveloped, virtual, immanent,
inherent, intrinsic.
ANT. _Actual, explicit, real, objective, developed, express,
determinate, positive, clear, definite._
=Poverty.= Distress, beggary, indigence, destitution, pauperism, penury,
privation, want, need, mendicancy.
ANT. _Wealth, riches, affluence, luxury, comfort._
=Power.= Ability, competency, capacity, faculty, aptitude, dexterity,
efficiency, might, talent, energy, skill, strength, readiness,
capability, cleverness, expertness, efficacy, force, qualification,
cogency, susceptibility.
ANT. _Feebleness, weakness, helplessness, impotence, incompetence,
inability, inaptitude, dulness, awkwardness, imbecility, incapacity,
inefficiency, unskilfulness, maladroitness, stupidity._
=Practice=, _n._ Usage, habit, custom; performance, application, system;
manner, method, mode, experience.
ANT. _Theory, speculation, assumption, ideal, conjecture, abstraction._
=Practice=, _v._ Do, perform, exercise, carry out, execute; teach,
train; habituate, try; apply, use; pursue.
ANT. _Abandon, misuse, disuse, neglect, disregard, slight, omit, pass
over._
=Praise=, _n._ Applause, approval, cheering, compliment, acclaim,
adulation, acclamation, approbation, cheers, plaudit, eulogy, encomium,
flattery, laudation, panegyric, sycophancy.
ANT. _Abuse, blame, censure, contempt, reproach, ignominy, slander,
scorn, obloquy, animadversion, condemnation, denunciation,
disapprobation, disparagement, vituperation, reproof, disapproval,
repudiation, hissing, vilification._
=Praise=, _v._ Laud, eulogize, celebrate, magnify, glorify; honor,
commend; applaud, extol, compliment.
ANT. _Decry, blame, censure, reprove, disparage, depreciate, discredit,
traduce, condemn._
=Pray.= Ask, beg, beseech, entreat, implore, invoke, petition,
supplicate, request, importune, bid, plead, call upon, conjure.
=Precarious.= Doubtful, dubious, hazardous, perilous, risky, insecure,
uncertain, unsettled, unsteady, unstable, unassured.
ANT. _Firm, settled, stable, sure, certain, real, undoubted,
unquestionable, actual, assured, immutable, incontestable, undeniable,
infallible, strong, steady._
=Precaution.= Foresight, prudence, forethought, providence, wariness,
care.
ANT. _Thoughtlessness, improvidence, carelessness, imprudence._
=Precedent=, _n._ Example, antecedent, case, instance, pattern,
authority, warrant.
=Precept.= Commandment, law, injunction, mandate, rule, direction,
principle, maxim; doctrine, dogma; order; instruction.
ANT. _Hint, suggestion, allusion, insinuation, prompting, impulse,
instigation._
=Precise.= Accurate, exact, correct, definite, scrupulous, punctilious,
particular, nice, formal; explicit, terse.
ANT. _Inaccurate, inexact, incorrect, heedless, careless, incautious,
implicit, ambiguous, circumlocutory, loose, vague, informal,
unceremonious._
=Predatory.= Plundering, pillaging, ravaging, rapacious, marauding.
ANT. _Protecting, guarding, watching, keeping, sheltering, shielding,
saving._
=Predestination.= Fate, necessity, foreknowledge, foreordination.
ANT. _Choice, freedom, free will, independence, uncertainty, accident,
chance, free agency._
=Prediction.= Prophecy, prognostication, foreboding, divination, augury,
soothsaying, vaticination, foretelling, presage.
ANT. _Reminiscence, recollection, report; history, narration, account._
=Preface.= Introduction, proem, preamble, prologue, exordium, prelude.
ANT. _Sequel, postscript, appendix, peroration, epilogue, conclusion._
=Prefer.= Choose, elect, select, desire, pick out, fancy, single out,
fix upon; elevate, advance, promote; offer, proffer, present, address.
ANT. _Reject, discard, decline, refuse, repudiate; degrade, depress;
postpone, defer, withhold._
=Prejudice.= Bias, partiality, unfairness, preconception, prepossession,
presumption.
ANT. _Certainty, evidence, proof, conviction, conclusion, demonstration,
reason, reasoning._
=Preliminary.= Prior, introductory, preparatory, prefatory, proemial,
previous, precedent, antecedent.
ANT. _Subsequent, following, consequent, appended, succeeding._
=Premium.= Reward, remuneration, recompense, prize, bonus, bounty,
guerdon, meed, bribe, douceur, enhancement, gratuity.
ANT. _Penalty, fine, mulct, amercement, forfeiture, depredation,
decline, fall, loss._
=Preposterous.= Irrational, foolish, monstrous, absurd, perverted,
extravagant, ridiculous, exorbitant.
ANT. _Reasonable, moderate, right, just, due, fair, judicious, mediocre,
commonplace._
=Presence.= Person, personality, individuality, port, mien, appearance,
nearness, immediacy; vicinity, neighborhood.
ANT. _Absence, distance, remoteness, separation; society, world;
temperament, character._
=Preservation.= Security, safety, maintenance, conservation, integrity,
protection, care, guardianship, watch and ward, soundness.
ANT. _Exposure, abandonment, impairment, peril, damage, injury._
=Presumption.= Assumption, arrogance, effrontery, audacity, assurance;
presupposition, hypothesis, guess, conjecture, belief, opinion,
judgment, understanding, concession, condition.
ANT. _Modesty, deference, diffidence, bashfulness, hesitation; proof,
deduction, demonstration, verification, certainty, fact._
=Pretend.= Claim, represent, allege, simulate, feign, profess;
counterfeit.
ANT. _Verify, substantiate, refute, detect, expose, unmask, test._
=Pretense.= Disguise, excuse, affectation, mask, show, pretension,
semblance, wile, trick, subterfuge, simulation, ruse, assumption,
pretext, seeming, dissimulation, air, cloak, color.
ANT. _Candor, sincerity, ingenuousness, frankness, honesty, truth,
openness, reality, simplicity, guilelessness, fact, actuality._
=Prevalence.= Success, superiority, predominance, preponderance;
influence, force, power, strength, efficacy; universality, extension,
acceptation, custom, operation.
ANT. _Decay, desuetude, disappearance, evanescence, subordination,
collapse, destruction, abolition, subsidence, subjection, diminution._
=Previous.= Antecedent, before, earlier, precedent, preliminary,
introductory, prior, preceding, front, forward, former, foregoing,
anterior.
ANT. _After, concluding, following, consequent, later, posterior,
latter, succeeding, subsequent, hindmost, hinder, hind._
=Price.= Expense, outlay, worth, expenditure, value, charge, cost.
=Pride.= Arrogance, insolence, reserve, haughtiness, self-esteem,
presumption, superciliousness, vanity, ostentation, conceit,
self-respect, self-exaltation, disdain, vainglory, self-conceit,
self-complacency.
ANT. _Humility, lowliness, modesty, self-distrust, meekness,
self-abasement._
=Primary.= First, fundamental, primitive, original, preparatory; chief,
principal, pristine; elementary, leading.
ANT. _Secondary, posterior, subsequent, later, following; unimportant,
subordinate, inferior; supplemental, auxiliary._
=Prime=, _n._ Perfection, culmination, apex, zenith; dawn, opening,
youth, spring, beginning; cream, flower.
ANT. _Wane, winter, evening; decadence, decay._
=Primeval.= Immemorial, original, old, primal, patriarchal, native,
primitive, pristine, uncreated, ancient, aboriginal, autochthonic,
indigenous, prime, primary, primordial.
ANT. _Foreign, fresh, late, modern, new, novel, recent, exotic,
adventitious._
=Principal.= Highest, most important, chief, main; leading, foremost,
preëminent, capital, essential; primary, first.
ANT. _Subordinate, inferior, secondary, auxiliary, supplemental, minor,
dependent, subservient, ancillary._
=Principle.= Source, cause, origin; faculty, endowment; postulate,
truth, maxim, axiom; rule, law; element; doctrine, dogma, opinion;
ground, motive, reason; integrity, rectitude, uprightness, probity,
virtue, worth, honor.
ANT. _Result, sequence, development, issue; application, action,
operation, exercise, manifestation, exhibition; iniquity, immorality._
=Prize.= Trophy, honor, reward, premium, guerdon, palm, laurels;
capture; gain, advantage; spoil, plunder, booty.
ANT. _Loss, failure, fine, forfeiture; brand, stigma, infamy._
=Probation.= Examination, trial, ordeal, test, assay, proof, experiment.
ANT. _License, irresponsibility, non-probation._
=Proclaim.= Publish, announce, declare, promulgate, herald, advertise,
enunciate, utter, blaze abroad, report, make known.
ANT. _Silence, repress, suppress, conceal, secrete; retract, recall._
=Prodigal=, _a._ Extravagant, profuse, lavish, bountiful, wasteful,
squandering.
ANT. _Economical, thrifty, saving, frugal; close, miserly, niggardly._
=Profession.= Avowal, declaration, claim; occupation, vocation,
employment; law, theology, or medicine; assertion, acknowledgment;
representation, pretense, protestation.
ANT. _Denial, concealment, suppression; retraction, recantation,
disavowal; leisure, fad, hobby, avocation; trade, business._
=Proficient.= Expert, adept, skilful, skilled, competent, conversant,
qualified, practiced, accomplished, finished, trained.
ANT. _Unskilled, inexpert, awkward, ignorant, backward, inconversant,
incompetent, untrained, unpracticed, inept._
=Profit.= Gain, advantage, benefit, emolument, improvement, proceeds,
utility, usefulness, returns, value, receipts, avail, expediency, good,
service.
ANT. _Damage, destruction, harm, hurt, loss, injury, waste, ruin,
detriment, disadvantage._
=Profitable.= Lucrative, beneficial, useful, advantageous, productive,
desirable, gainful, remunerative.
ANT. _Useless, vain, fruitless, unproductive, unremunerative,
unprofitable, undesirable, disadvantageous, detrimental, unbeneficial._
=Profound.= Deep, descending; thorough; fathomless, abysmal; mysterious,
abstruse, occult, obscure, recondite; complete; penetrating, intimate,
intense, philosophical.
ANT. _Superficial, shallow, commonplace, external, slight, apparent,
obvious, incomplete; surface._
=Progress.= Advance, advancement, attainment, increase, improvement,
proficiency, progression, growth, development.
ANT. _Delay, check, retrogression, stay, stop, stoppage, falling off,
relapse, decline, falling back._
=Prohibit.= Forbid, hinder, inhibit, interdict, preclude, prevent,
debar, disallow.
ANT. _Allow, empower, let, license, order, require, sanction, authorize,
command, direct, enjoin, permit, warrant, suffer, tolerate, put up with,
give permission, give consent, consent to._
=Prolific.= Fertile, fruitful, productive, generating, teeming, active.
ANT. _Barren, sterile, unproductive, unfruitful, effete._
=Prolix.= Long, diffuse, tiresome, prolonged, protracted; wordy,
verbose, prosaic, rambling, discursive; tedious, wearisome.