156 VOCABULARY FOR TOEFL iBT
penchant ('pen·cha ̆nt) n. a strong liking or inclination (for something). Consuela
has a penchant for wearing the latest fashions.
pensive ('pen·siv) adj. deeply thoughtful, especially in a serious or melancholy
manner. After the terrible car accident, Anoki was pensive about what he should do
with his life.
penultimate (pi·'nul·t ̆·mit) adj. next to last. There’s a real surprise for the audience
in the penultimate scene.
penury ('pen·yu ̆·ree) n. extreme poverty, destitution. After ten years of penury, it’s
good to be financially secure again.
peremptory (pe ̆·'remp·to ̆·ree) adj. 1. offensively self-assured, dictatorial.- commanding, imperative, not allowing contradiction or refusal. 3. putting an
end to debate or action. The mother’s peremptory tone ended the children’s bickering.
perfidious (pe ̆r·'fid·ee·u ̆s) adj. treacherous, dishonest; violating good faith, dis-
loyal. The perfidious knight betrayed his king.
perfunctory (pe ̆r·'funk·to ̆·ree) adj. done out of a sense of duty or routine but
without much care or interest; superficial, not thorough. We were not satisfied
with his perfunctory work; we felt a more thorough job could have been done.
perjury ('pur·ju ̆·ree) n. the deliberate willful giving of false, misleading, or
incomplete testimony while under oath. William was convicted of perjury for
lying about his whereabouts on the night of the crime.
pernicious (pe ̆r·'nish·u ̆s) adj. deadly, harmful, very destructive. Nancy’s opponent
started a pernicious rumor that destroyed her chances of winning.
personable ('pur·so ̆·na ̆·be ̆l) adj. pleasing in appearance or manner, attractive.
Sandra is personable and well liked by her peers.
pertinacious (pur·t ̆·'nay·shu ̆s) adj. extremely stubborn or persistent; holding
firmly to a belief, purpose, or course of action. The pertinacious journalist finally
uncovered the truth about the factory’s illegal disposal of toxins.
pervade (pe ̆r·'vayd) v. to spread everywhere, permeate; to be diffused or present
throughout. Fear pervaded the classroom after Sally started a rumor that Mr. Hig-
gins would be their new teacher.
petrify ('pet·r ̆·f ̄) v. 1. to make hard or stiff like a stone. 2. to stun or paralyze
with fear, astonishment, or dread. I was petrified when I heard the door open in the
middle of the night.