Order: Off

noun

25 of 60

Bad / Strange

phantom - An appearance or illusion without material substance

Emily found it hard to succeed in whatever she tried because of a phantom voice in her ears telling her that she would always be a failure.

adjective

26 of 60

Bad / Dangerous

pernicious - Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.

People used to think that smoking was good for you because it seemed calming, but now we realize that its pernicious effects are deadly over time.

verb

27 of 60

Other / Move

pluck - To take hold of something and quickly remove it from its place

In Ralph Waldo Emerson's beautiful poem Forbearance, he suggests that it is good to appreciate a beautiful flower without plucking it from the ground.

adjective

28 of 60

Bad / Unhappy

petulant - Easily annoyed and complaining in a rude way like a child

Barbara was 16 years old, but the way she was so petulant and threw tantrums when she didn't get her way made her seem like she was 6 years old.

adjective

29 of 60

Bad / Afraid

petrified - Extremely frightened.

When Arnold realized that someone had electronically stolen his sheet with his 50 passwords to all his accounts, he was petrified, realizing all the harm they could do if he didn't stop them quickly.

adjective

30 of 60

Bad / Stupid

pointless - Having no purpose, and is not worth doing

Though Bill's parents wanted him to be a doctor, he didn't find it interesting, and hated the sight of blood, so he thought it was pointless to apply to medical school.

adjective

31 of 60

Good / Flexible

plausible - (of an argument or statement) seeming reasonable or probable

The detectives examined the crime scene and tried to find a plausible way in which the victim was killed.

noun

See verb

32 of 60

Bad / War

plunder - The violent and dishonest acquisition of property

The pirate's eyes grew wide at the sight of his newly acquired plunder of gold coins and jewels.

adjective

33 of 60

Bad / Confused

perplexing - Confusing and difficult to understand

Scientists find it perplexing how life's incredible complexity came out Earth's hot water all by itself.

verb

34 of 60

Other / Move

pierce - To go through something completely, from one end to another

In 1307 during the Swiss revolution, William Tell had to prove his accuracy with bow and arrow by shooting an arrow that pierced the apple sitting on his son's head.

adjective

35 of 60

Good / Important

phenomenal - Very remarkable; extraordinary

Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook in his Harvard dorm room, and turned it into one of the largest companies in the world, and everyone would agree that that Facebook has been a phenomenal success.

verb

36 of 60

Bad / Hostile

polarize - To divide into two completely opposing groups

It's frightening to see how many issues have caused the US to polarize into Right and Left groups that hate each other.