Adjectives That Start with P

All the P adjectives you need to know! For kids, elementary, and more.

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Did you know that P is the 16th letter in the English alphabet? It's also a fairly common starting letter, so with that in mind, here are all the adjectives that start with P that you need to know. We've got positive p adjectives, adjectives with p to describe a person, and a list of adjectives starting with P for kids to build their vocabulary and spelling-sound correspondences. Are you ready to showcase your powerful vocabulary?

11 Positive Adjectives That Start with P

We all need a bit of positivity in our lives, so let's make that possible with these positive adjectives that start with a P! Whether you want to describe your pragmatic younger sister or a picturesque scene from your window.

  • Panoramic - wide and comprehensive
  • Paradisiacal - is idyllic and heavenly
  • Perspicacious - perceptive and understanding
  • Pervasive - spreads widely and is broad
  • Picturesque - visually attractive 
  • Pleasant - enjoyable and pleasing 
  • Praiseworthy - something that deserves honor 
  • Productive - successful and hardworking
  • Protean - something that is versatile and can change, is adaptable
  • Pure - not affected by outside influences, not mixed

Adjectives That Start with P to Describe a Person and Things People Do

There are tons of ways to describe a person using a P adjective. Try describing a dog waiting patiently for its food or a philanthropic celebrity.

  • Perseverant - showing persistence in doing something
  • Philanthropic - a charitable person and gives to others
  • Polish - someone who is from or related to Poland
  • Polished - a sophisticated person, well put together, or skillful
  • Polite - well mannered, show respect towards others
  • Prudent - a person who shows good judgment, is cautious
  • Pregnant - expecting a baby, developing an embryo or fetus
  • Portuguese - someone who is from or related to Portugal
  • Preoccupied - having your mind on something else 
  • Polyamorous - a person who loves many and engages in multiple consensual romantic relationships
  • Plucky - someone who is brave and courageous

Example Sentences

  • My great-grandmother was Polish but moved to the US when she was fifteen.
  • Jenny’s boss was rude, but she had to be polite if she wanted to keep her job.
  • It's always prudent to have a backup plan so you're prepared if things don't go as expected.

Negative Adjectives That Start with P

  • Pompous - self-important and arrogant
  • Possessive - trying to control and dominate, not able to share
  • Pusilimamous - lacking in courage, timid, not determined
  • Patronizing - treating others as if they are less important or know less, condescending
  • Pessimistic - always believing the worst, lacking in hope
  • Provocative - causing annoyance or a reaction 
  • Poor - lacking enough money to live sufficiently according to societal standards
  • Painful - something that causes hurt or pain
  • Petty - not letting things go, concerned over small details
  • Passive - inactive, submissive
  • Prejudiced - showing a strong dislike of a particular group or person because of gender, race, or experience
  • Perfidious - not to be trusted, deceitful

Example Sentences

  • Tom's pessimistic attitude toward life began getting on his partner's nerves.
  • They discovered his perfidious intentions when they caught him lying.
  • He was too pusillanimous to stand up for his beliefs and always backed down if someone questioned him.

Checkpoint ✔️
Drag the meaning to the positive adjective starting with P.

Visually attractive 

Something that deserves honor 

Something that is versatile and can change, is adaptable

Idyllic and heavenly

Picturesque

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Praiseworthy

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Protean

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Paradisiacal

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Adjectives That Start with P for Kids

P adjectives for kids are a great way to work on building vocabulary and understanding how to use adjectives in sentences. We've got beginner P adjectives for kindergarteners, adjectives for elementary, and more complex adjectives starting with P for middle schoolers to dig into.

P Adjectives for Kindergarten

These P adjectives are for beginners; use them to show younger kids how to work on the P consonant sound and spelling-sound correspondences.

  • Playful - fun and play
  • Polite - showing respect for others
  • Patient - able to wait calmly for something
  • Powerful - being strong and powerful
  • Pretty - nice to look at
  • Proud - feeling happy about your achievements
  • Pink - a light red color
  • Positive - feeling good about something
  • Puzzled - confused about something, not sure

Example Sentences

  • The pink flower is pretty.
  • My mom is powerful.
  • When do you feel proud?

Adjectives Starting with P Picture Flashcards

Need help explaining these adjectives to your kindergartners. Use these P-adjective picture flashcards.

Adjectives Starting with P Picture Flashcards

P Adjectives for Kindergarten

Can you spell-sound this adjective aloud?

Adjectives Starting with P Picture Flashcards

Can you spell-sound this adjective aloud?

Adjectives Starting with P Picture Flashcards

Can you spell-sound this adjective aloud?

Adjectives Starting with P Flashcards

Can you spell-sound this adjective aloud?

Adjectives Starting with P for Elementary

Adjectives starting with P to describe people, things, or ideas for elementary kids' word list. 

  • Precious - valuable, treasured, or rare
  • Pleased - feeling happy with something
  • Perfect - flawless, doesn’t have any faults
  • Peaceful - calm and free
  • Popular - well-liked
  • Petite - small in size
  • Purple - a dark blue-red color
  • Precise - accurate and exact
  • Prickly - covered in sharp points or thorns
  • Puffy - full of air, gas, swollen

Example Sentences

  • Her eyes are puffy because of the pollen.
  • My bedroom is peaceful.
  • They found a precious box, but it was locked.

P Adjectives Middle Schoolers Need to Know

Struggling to search for P adjectives to fit into your essay or work? Pluck one of these out and see if it fits!

  • Profound - something that is deep and makes you think more
  • Paradoxical - something that contradicts but is surprisingly true
  • Paramount - very important, uttermost importance 
  • Passionate - showing or feeling intense enthusiasm for something
  • Patriotic - proud and devoted to the country you were born
  • Pensive - intense thinking, deep thoughts 
  • Perceptive - able to get and understand things quickly
  • Persistent - never give up despite setbacks
  • Persuasive - very convincing
  • Poignant - something that gives you strong emotions or feelings
  • Pragmatic - something or someone sensible and practical in approach
  • Precocious - showing or having exceptional skills or talents at a young age
  • Proactive - take charge, being driven, doing something before being told
  • Proficient - able to do something well with skill
  • Prolific - lots of it, plentiful, productive

Example Sentences

  • Samantha is a passionate guitar player and practices every day after school.
  • The Pandemic was a poignant moment in modern history.
  • Mozart was described as a precocious child. At a very young age, he displayed an extraordinary talent for music composition and performance.

Using P Adjectives in Sentences

How do you use these adjectives in a sentence? By now, you know a plethora of adjectives that start with P, but even the most positively awesome wordsmiths might have trouble using these words in a sentence. Reading these P adjectives can help you better understand how to use them and stop your brain from going into pensive overdrive.

  • Her plea to get a hamster was very persuasive.
  • He is passionate about anime.
  • I think our approach right now is too pragmatic. We need to be more creative.
  • Our dress sizes range from petite to extra large.
  • Students who want to succeed need to be proactive to achieve their goals.
  • They told us our safety was paramount but didn’t help us when we got in trouble.
  • He is very patriotic about his home country.
  • The sunset had a pink, reddish hue.
  • She spent all morning pretty puzzled about what her boss wanted her to do.
  • As a young boy, his teachers told me he was very perceptive.
  • I am highly proficient in making candles.
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