Adjectives Starting with P

• All P Adjectives
• P Adjectives to Describe a Person
• Categories

Interesting Categories for the Adjectives Starting with P

The Heroic Adjectives list includes descriptive words which are fit to describe a hero/heroine as well as their heroic acts, while the Sporty Adjectives category is composed of adjectives that are appropriate to describe a sporty or athletic person. For the Romantic Adjectives list, the adjectives included are those which are commonly used to express affection or to describe a special someone. Lastly, the Shortest/ Longest Adjectives categories include the descriptive words with the least and the most number of letters.

Adjectives that Start with P

Interesting Adjectives

painstaking: done with or employing great care and thoroughness.

painstaking attention to detail

palatable: pleasant to taste

a very palatable local red wine

palliative: relieving pain or alleviating a problem without dealing with the underlying cause.

short-term, palliative measures had been taken

palpable: able to be touched or felt.

the palpable bump at the bridge of the nose

partisan: prejudiced in favor of a particular cause

newspapers have become increasingly partisan

Positive Adjectives to Describe a Person

patient: able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious

a patient teacher

peaceable: inclined to avoid argument or violent conflict.

they were famed as an industrious, peaceable, practical people

penitent: feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentant.

his penitent expression

perky: cheerful and lively

a perky child

proficient: competent or skilled in doing or using something.

I was proficient at my job.

Positive Adjectives to Describe an Event

painless: not causing or suffering physical pain

painless operation

paramount: more important than anything else; supreme.

the interests of the child are of paramount importance

patent: easily recognizable; obvious

patent sincerity

purposeful: having a useful purpose

purposeful activities

persuasive: good at persuading someone to do or believe something through reasoning

a persuasive seminar

Positive Adjectives to Describe a Place

passable: clear of obstacles and able to be traveled along or on

the road was passable with care

peaceful: free from disturbance; tranquil

peaceful country

permissive: allowing or characterized by great freedom of behavior

a permissive city

picturesque: visually attractive, especially in a quaint or pretty style

the picturesque covered bridges of New England

prosperous: successful in material terms; flourishing financially

prosperous village

Negative Adjectives to Describe a Person

pallid: (of a person’s face) pale, typically because of poor health

his pallid complexion

paranoid: unreasonably or obsessively anxious, suspicious, or mistrustful

his paranoid girlfriend

parsimonious: unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal

parsimonious New Hampshire voters, who have a phobia about taxes

passive: accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance

the women were portrayed as passive victims

pasty: unhealthily pale

her pasty appearance

Negative Adjectives to Describe an Event

painful: causing distress or trouble

a painful experience

peculiar: strange or odd; unusual

peculiar incident

pedestrian: lacking inspiration or excitement; dull.

a pedestrian party

petty: of little importance; trivial.

petty quarrels

plaintive: sounding sad and mournful.

a plaintive scene

Negative Adjectives to Describe a Place

parched: dried out with heat

the parched earth

pathetic: arousing pity, especially through vulnerability or sadness; miserably inadequate

pathetic slums

penurious: extremely poor; poverty-stricken

penurious town

piteous: deserving or arousing pity

a piteous neighborhood

pitiable: contemptibly poor or small

a pitiable community

Heroic Adjectives

persistent: continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition

is persistent efforts to save the country

philanthropic: seeking to promote the welfare of others, especially by donating money to good causes; generous and benevolent

philanthropic leader

polite: having or showing behavior that is respectful and considerate of other people

admired because of his polite demeanor

potent: having great power, influence, or effect

a potent nobleman

powerful: having great power or strength.

He is considered as one of the most powerful men.

Sporty Adjectives

physical: of or relating to the body as opposed to the mind

He always engages in physical activities.

popular: liked, admired, or enjoyed by many people or by a particular person or group

most popular school athlete

precise: marked by exactness and accuracy of expression or detail

his precise last minute goal

premier: first in importance, order, or position; leading

country’s premier basketball players

promising: showing signs of future success

a promising young swimmer

Romantic Adjectives

passionate: showing or caused by intense feelings of sexual love

a passionate kiss

perfect: having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be

the perfect wife

perpetual: never ending or changing

my perpetual love

pert: attractively lively or cheeky

a pert young lady

petite: having a small and attractively dainty build

she was petite and vivacious

Shortest Adjectives

pat: exactly suited to the occasion

a pat reply

pet: preferred above all others and treated with partiality

her pet student

pop: (of music or art) new and of general appeal (especially among young people)

a pop star

pro: in favor of (an action or proposal etc.)

a pro vote

paid: marked by the reception of pay

paid work

pale: abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress

pale face

pass: of advancing the ball by throwing it

a pass play

past: earlier than the present time; no longer current

past events

pent: closely confined

with pent breath she waited out the meeting

pert: attractively lively or cheeky

a pert Belgian actress

Longest Adjectives

psychopharmacological: of or relating to psychopharmacology

psychopharmacological interventions

paleoanthropological: of or concerned with the scientific study of human fossils

paleoanthropological methods

pseudohermaphroditic: having internal reproductive organs of one sex and external sexual characteristics of the other sex

pseudohermaphroditic female

parasympathomimetic: having an effect similar to that resulting from stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system

parasympathomimetic drugs slow the heart rate

pseudohermaphrodite: having internal reproductive organs of one sex and external sexual characteristics of the other sex

pseudohermaphrodite dog

psychopathological: suffering from an undiagnosed mental disorder

psychopathological symptoms

parapsychological: beyond normal physical explanation

parapsychological experiments

physiotherapeutic: of or relating to or used in physical therapy

physiotherapeutic exercise

psychotherapeutic: of or relating to or practicing psychotherapy

psychotherapeutic sessions

palaeontological: of or relating to paleontology

palaeontological evidence

Through this article, you can learn about new adjectives that you can apply in everyday communication or in writing. Furthermore, this article is especially helpful for those who are just beginning to learn about the English language, as well as those who want to enhance their English speaking and writing skills.