This list includes 87 SAT words that start with P, from “pacify” to “putative”. These words are mostly formal, academically useful, and often appear on practice tests, essays, and reading passages.
SAT words that start with P are high-value vocabulary items beginning with the letter P that help you score and write more precisely. Many come from Latin roots and show up in classic literature and formal academic writing.
Below you’ll find the table with Word, Difficulty, Definition, and Example sentence.
Word: The vocabulary entry listed exactly as it appears, so you can recognize and study the term quickly.
Difficulty: A simple tag (easy, medium, hard) that helps you prioritize which words to learn first.
Definition: A concise, dictionary-style line that gives the core meaning to help you remember usage quickly.
Example sentence: One clear sentence shows the word in natural context, so you see typical usage immediately.
SAT words that start with P
| Word | Difficulty | Part of speech | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| pacify | medium | verb | He tried to pacify the angry protesters with calm explanations. |
| paradox | medium | noun | Her silence created a curious paradox about her true feelings. |
| paraphrase | medium | verb | Can you paraphrase the paragraph in simpler terms? |
| paragon | hard | noun | She was a paragon of patience in difficult circumstances. |
| paramount | medium | adjective | Safety is the paramount concern for the entire project. |
| partisan | medium | adjective | The debate became increasingly partisan and unproductive. |
| patronize | hard | verb | Don’t patronize me with fake compliments. |
| paucity | hard | noun | There was a paucity of evidence to support the claim. |
| pedantic | hard | adjective | His pedantic remarks bored the whole class quickly. |
| pedestrian | medium | adjective | The plot of the movie was entertaining but somewhat pedestrian. |
| pensive | medium | adjective | She grew pensive as she read the old letter. |
| perennial | medium | adjective | Her perennial optimism inspired everyone around her. |
| perfidious | hard | adjective | His perfidious betrayal shocked all his friends. |
| perfunctory | hard | adjective | He gave a perfunctory nod and moved on. |
| pernicious | hard | adjective | The pernicious rumor damaged reputations for months. |
| peripheral | medium | adjective | We need to focus on central issues not peripheral details. |
| permeate | medium | verb | The scent of coffee began to permeate the room. |
| perpetuate | medium | verb | Stereotypes perpetuate misunderstanding between groups. |
| pervasive | hard | adjective | Corruption proved more pervasive than investigators expected. |
| perspicacious | hard | adjective | A perspicacious judge quickly saw through the contradictions. |
| pertinent | medium | adjective | Please include only information pertinent to the application. |
| perturb | medium | verb | The sudden noise perturbed the sleeping baby. |
| peruse | medium | verb | She perused the contract before signing it. |
| philanthropy | medium | noun | Her philanthropy supports schools and local libraries. |
| phlegmatic | hard | adjective | His phlegmatic manner helped him stay calm under pressure. |
| plethora | medium | noun | There was a plethora of options at the market. |
| poignant | medium | adjective | The film’s ending was poignant and unexpectedly moving. |
| polarize | medium | verb | The issue tends to polarize public opinion quickly. |
| precedent | medium | noun | The court cited an earlier precedent in its ruling. |
| precipitate | hard | verb | A sudden decision precipitated a crisis in the company. |
| precocious | hard | adjective | The precocious child solved complex puzzles easily. |
| preclude | medium | verb | Lack of evidence does not preclude further investigation. |
| precursor | hard | noun | The invention was a precursor to modern smartphones. |
| predilection | hard | noun | She had a predilection for spicy food. |
| predispose | medium | verb | Genetics can predispose individuals to certain illnesses. |
| preeminent | hard | adjective | He is the preeminent scholar in his field. |
| preface | medium | noun | Read the book’s preface for the author’s purpose. |
| premise | medium | noun | The argument rests on a false premise about human nature. |
| preposterous | medium | adjective | The idea that pigs fly is preposterous. |
| prevalent | medium | adjective | Certain myths remain prevalent despite new evidence. |
| procrastinate | medium | verb | Don’t procrastinate; finish your essay before the deadline. |
| prodigal | hard | adjective | His prodigal spending bankrupted the small business. |
| prodigious | medium | adjective | She showed prodigious talent as a young musician. |
| proficient | medium | adjective | He is proficient in both French and Spanish. |
| profligate | hard | adjective | The profligate lifestyle drained their savings quickly. |
| profound | medium | adjective | Her speech had a profound impact on students. |
| profuse | medium | adjective | They offered profuse apologies after the mistake. |
| prognosis | hard | noun | Doctors gave a hopeful prognosis after the surgery. |
| prohibitive | medium | adjective | The cost of rent in the city is prohibitive for many. |
| proliferate | hard | verb | Smartphone apps continue to proliferate each year. |
| prolific | medium | adjective | The author was prolific and published weekly essays. |
| prosaic | medium | adjective | Her explanation was clear but a bit prosaic. |
| prospective | medium | adjective | Prospective students toured the campus on Sunday. |
| provincial | hard | adjective | His provincial views showed limited exposure to the world. |
| provocative | medium | adjective | The editorial made several provocative claims about policy. |
| proximity | medium | noun | The school’s proximity to downtown influenced the decision. |
| prudent | medium | adjective | It is prudent to save money for emergencies. |
| pugnacious | hard | adjective | The pugnacious boxer looked for every fight. |
| punctilious | hard | adjective | She was punctilious about meeting every deadline. |
| punitive | medium | adjective | The company faced punitive fines for environmental damage. |
| pundit | medium | noun | The pundit predicted election results with authority. |
| putative | hard | adjective | The putative leader had no official authority yet. |
| pusillanimous | hard | adjective | The pusillanimous manager avoided making tough decisions. |
| plausible | medium | adjective | Her explanation sounded plausible under the circumstances. |
| placate | medium | verb | He tried to placate the customer with a refund. |
| platitude | medium | noun | The speech was full of tired platitudes about change. |
| plight | medium | noun | The refugees described their desperate plight to volunteers. |
| pragmatic | medium | adjective | She took a pragmatic approach to solving the problem. |
| proclaim | medium | verb | The mayor will proclaim the new policy tomorrow. |
| protean | hard | adjective | He proved protean, adapting to many roles easily. |
| protocol | medium | noun | Follow the lab’s safety protocol at all times. |
| prototype | medium | noun | Engineers built a prototype for the new device. |
| providential | hard | adjective | The rescue seemed almost providential to the survivors. |
| puerile | hard | adjective | His puerile jokes annoyed the serious audience. |
| panacea | hard | noun | There is no panacea for complex social problems. |
| pandemonium | medium | noun | Pandemonium erupted after the unexpected announcement. |
| palliate | hard | verb | Measures were taken to palliate the symptoms temporarily. |
| paltry | medium | adjective | He received a paltry sum for his efforts. |
| palpable | medium | adjective | Tension in the room was palpable and uncomfortable. |
| palatable | medium | adjective | The dessert was sweet but palatable to everyone. |
| pallid | medium | adjective | His face looked pallid after the long illness. |
| parsimony | hard | noun | The charity’s success was not due to parsimony. |
| passive | easy | adjective | She remained passive during the argument and said little. |
| patent | medium | adjective | Her frustration was patent to everyone watching. |
| pathos | hard | noun | The novel’s pathos moved many readers to tears. |
| peccadillo | hard | noun | His only flaw was a minor peccadillo years ago. |
| pecuniary | hard | adjective | They faced pecuniary penalties for the violation. |
Descriptions
pacify
To calm anger or agitation often by conciliatory actions; synonyms: placate and appease.
paradox
A statement or situation that seems self-contradictory but may be true; an ironic contradiction.
paraphrase
To restate something using different words while keeping the original meaning; summarize or reword.
paragon
A model of excellence or perfection; an exemplar worth emulating.
paramount
More important than anything else; supreme or predominant.
partisan
Strongly supporting a party or cause; biased or one-sided.
patronize
To treat condescendingly or to support as a customer; can mean both belittle and sponsor.
paucity
Smallness of quantity or scarcity; a shortage.
pedantic
Overly concerned with minor details or rules; showy about bookish learning.
pedestrian
Ordinary or dull; lacking imagination; also a noun for a walker.
pensive
Thoughtful in a sad or serious way; reflective.
perennial
Lasting for a long time or recurring; enduring or perpetual.
perfidious
Deliberately faithless or treacherous; deceitful and untrustworthy.
perfunctory
Done superficially and without interest or thoroughness; cursory.
pernicious
Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
peripheral
Relating to minor or secondary aspects; on the edge or outskirts.
permeate
To spread through or penetrate every part; pervade.
perpetuate
To cause something to continue indefinitely; to sustain or prolong.
pervasive
Widespread or present throughout an area or group; pervasive.
perspicacious
Having keen insight and good understanding; perceptive.
pertinent
Relevant and applicable to the matter at hand; germane.
perturb
To disturb greatly or make uneasy; to agitate or unsettle.
peruse
To read carefully or examine in detail; sometimes used loosely to mean skim.
philanthropy
The desire to promote others’ welfare often through generous donations; charitable giving.
phlegmatic
Having a calm or unemotional temperament; slow to excite or react.
plethora
An overabundance or excess of something; a large surplus.
poignant
Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret; deeply moving.
polarize
To divide into sharply opposing groups or sets; to split.
precedent
An earlier event or action that serves as an example or rule for later cases.
precipitate
To cause something to happen suddenly or prematurely; also means rash or steep.
precocious
Showing unusually early development or maturity, especially intellectually.
preclude
To prevent something from happening; to make impossible or unlikely.
precursor
Something that comes before and indicates or paves the way for what follows.
predilection
A preference or inclination toward something; a habitual liking.
predispose
To make someone more likely to behave or to be affected in a certain way.
preeminent
Superior in status or quality; foremost and highly distinguished.
preface
An introductory statement or short essay at the beginning of a book or speech.
premise
A proposition on which an argument is based; an underlying assumption.
preposterous
Completely contrary to reason or common sense; absurd.
prevalent
Widespread or commonly occurring at a particular time or place.
procrastinate
To delay or postpone taking action; to put off tasks habitually.
prodigal
Wastefully extravagant or lavishly generous; recklessly spendthrift.
prodigious
Remarkably large, impressive, or extraordinary in degree or size.
proficient
Competent and skilled in doing or using something; adept.
profligate
Recklessly wasteful or wildly extravagant; morally loose in spending.
profound
Very deep or intense; showing deep insight or significance.
profuse
Abundant or overflowing; given or produced in large amounts.
prognosis
A forecast of the likely course or outcome, especially for a disease.
prohibitive
So high or restrictive that it prevents use or purchase; prohibitory.
proliferate
To increase rapidly in number or spread quickly; to multiply.
prolific
Producing many works or results; highly productive.
prosaic
Commonplace, dull, or lacking in imagination; straightforwardly factual.
prospective
Likely or expected in the future; potential or candidate.
provincial
Narrow or limited in outlook; relating to regions outside major cultural centers.
provocative
Intended to stimulate strong emotion or thought; causing discussion or controversy.
proximity
Closeness in space, time, or relationship; nearness.
prudent
Showing wise caution or good judgment; sensible and careful.
pugnacious
Eager to argue or fight; combative and aggressive.
punctilious
Extremely attentive to detail or correct behavior; meticulous.
punitive
Intended as punishment; penalizing and corrective.
pundit
An expert who expresses opinions publicly, especially in media.
putative
Commonly accepted or supposed; assumed to be such without proof.
pusillanimous
Lacking courage or determination; timid and fainthearted.
plausible
Seemingly reasonable or believable; credible on the surface.
placate
To calm or soothe someone often by making concessions; to pacify.
platitude
A banal, trite, or obvious remark offered as if it were original.
plight
A difficult, dangerous, or unfortunate situation; a predicament.
pragmatic
Dealing with problems in a practical, realistic way rather than theoretically.
proclaim
To announce or declare publicly and emphatically.
protean
Able to change shape or roles readily; versatile and adaptable.
protocol
An official procedure or system of rules governing behavior or actions.
prototype
An original model used as a basis for later versions or experiments.
providential
Occurring at a favorable or opportune time, sometimes suggesting divine help.
puerile
Childishly silly or immature; lacking in seriousness.
panacea
A supposed cure-all or solution that would fix every problem.
pandemonium
Wild uproar, chaos, or noisy confusion.
palliate
To relieve or lessen without curing; to ease the severity of.
paltry
Very small or meager; insignificant and trifling.
palpable
So intense as to be easily perceived or felt; tangible.
palatable
Acceptable to the taste or mind; agreeable or satisfactory.
pallid
Pale, typically from poor health or lack of color.
parsimony
Extreme unwillingness to spend money; excessive frugality or stinginess.
passive
Accepting or allowing events to happen without active response; inactive.
patent
Obvious, clear, or easily observed; apparent.
pathos
The quality in art or speech that evokes pity, sorrow, or compassion.
peccadillo
A small, relatively unimportant offense or sin.
pecuniary
Relating to money or financial matters.