perspicuity (POER spi KYOO i tee) n.clear and easily understood; lucidity; clar-
ity in statement and expression
- It is a talent to speak with perspicuity.
- Perspicuitymakes it easy to convey your ideas to others.
[perspicuous adj., perspicuously adv.]
persuasive (per SWAY siv) adj.having the power to sway one’s opinion or tend-
ing to sway one’s opinion, beliefs, etc. - Your argument against a national pickle-spotting hotline was not very
persuasiveto the gherkin lobbyist. - Over the course of time, the pen has proven to be much more persuasive
than the sword.
pertinent (PER ti nint) adj.to the point; connected to the matter under consid-
eration; relevant - When seeking a new veterinarian, one’s dog’s opinion might be quite
pertinent. - A list of references and what they have to say could be pertinentto the hir-
ing of a housekeeper.
pervasive(poer VAY siv) adj.tending to spread throughout something or some
group - Malicious gossip can often be pervasivearound the workplace, spreading in
a matter of minutes. - The pervasivenature of some diseases is the reason for isolating any sus-
pected cases.
[-ly adv., -ness n.]
pessimism (PES i mi zm) n.1. expecting the worst at all times; 2. the philoso-
phy that evil always triumphs over good - Pessimismleads the driver to believe that the bridge is out just around the
bend. - The expectation that bad instincts will win out over good ones is a sign of
pessimism. - Pessimismmakes one see the half-full glass as half empty.
[pessimistic adj.]
phenomenal(fe NAHM in il) adj. very unusual; extraordinary; very remarkable - The medical community has had phenomenalsuccess with curing certain
cancers. - Phenomenaladvances took aviation from the Wright Brothers’ flyer to the
space shuttle in less than 100 years.
180 Essential Vocabulary