Looking for negative words starting with P? You’ve landed on the right page, below I’ve put together a list of negative words that start the letter P.
I’ve included some of the more interesting, unusual, and powerful adjectives that have negative implications.
Finding the right words to describe something in the way you want can be very powerful. I hope you find the word(s) you’re looking for, good luck!
75+ Negative Words Starting With P
Painful – (of a part of the body) affected with pain.
Pale – light in color or shade; containing little color or pigment.
Pandemonium – wild and noisy disorder or confusion; uproar.
Pander – gratify or indulge (an immoral or distasteful desire or taste or a person with such a desire or taste).
Panic – sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety, often causing wildly unthinking behavior.
Paradoxical – seemingly absurd or self-contradictory.
Paralyzed – cause (a person or part of the body) to become partly or wholly incapable of movement.
Paranoia – unjustified suspicion and mistrust of other people.
Parasite – an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other’s expense.
Parody – an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.
Partiality – unfair bias in favor of one person or thing; favoritism.
Passive – accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance.
Pathetic – arousing pity, especially through vulnerability or sadness.
Pauper – a recipient of relief under the provisions of the Poor Law or of public charity.
Payback – profit from an investment equal to the initial outlay.
Peculiar – different to what is normal or expected; strange.
Pedantic – excessively concerned with minor details or rules; overscrupulous.
Peeve – annoy or irritate.
Penalize – subject to a penalty or punishment.
Perfidious – deceitful and untrustworthy.
Peril – serious and immediate danger.
Perish – die, especially in a violent or sudden way.
Perpetrate – carry out or commit (a harmful, illegal, or immoral action).
Perplexed – completely baffled; very puzzled.
Persecute – subject (someone) to hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of their race or political or religious beliefs.
Perturb – make (someone) anxious or unsettled.
Pervasive – (especially of an unwelcome influence or physical effect) spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people.
Pessimism – a tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen.
Pest – a destructive insect or other animal that attacks crops, food, livestock, etc.
Pestilent – destructive to life; deadly.
Petrified – so frightened that one is unable to move; terrified.
Phobia – an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something.
Phony – not genuine; fraudulent.
Picketed – act as a picket outside (a workplace or other venue).
Picky – fussy and hard to please.
Pillage – rob a (place) using violence, especially in wartime.
Pinch – grip (something, typically a person’s flesh) tightly and sharply between finger and thumb.
Pitiable – deserving or arousing pity.
Pitiful – deserving or arousing pity.
Pittance – a very small or inadequate amount of money.
Plagiarize – take (the work or an idea of someone else) and pass it off as one’s own.
Plague – any contagious disease that spreads rapidly and kills many people.
Plea – a request made in an urgent and emotional manner.
Plight – a dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation.
Plunder – steal goods from (a place or person), typically using force and in a time of war or civil disorder.
Pointless – having little or no sense, use, or purpose.
Poison – a substance that is capable of causing the illness or death of a living organism when introduced or absorbed.
Poky – (of a room or building) uncomfortably small and cramped.
Pollute – contaminate (water, the air, etc.) with harmful or poisonous substances.
Pompous – affectedly grand, solemn, or self-important.
Poor – lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society.
Poverty – the state of being extremely poor.
Precarious – not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
Prejudgement – a judgment reached before the evidence is available.
Premeditated – (of an action, especially a crime) thought out or planned beforehand.
Preoccupy – (of a matter or subject) dominate or engross the mind of (someone) to the exclusion of other thoughts.
Preposterous – contrary to reason or common sense; utterly absurd or ridiculous.
Pretentious – attempting to impress by affecting greater importance or merit than is actually possessed.
Pricey – expensive.
Prisoner – a person legally committed to prison as a punishment for a crime or while awaiting trial.
Problematic – constituting or presenting a problem.
Procrastinate – delay or postpone action; put off doing something.
Profanity – blasphemous or obscene language.
Prohibit – formally forbid (something) by law, rule, or other authority.
Prosecute – institute or conduct legal proceedings against (a person or organization).
Protest – a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something.
Provocation – action or speech that makes someone angry, especially deliberately.
Pugnacity – or a natural disposition to be aggressive or belligerent, isn’t considered a flattering quality for a person to have.
Punch – strike with the fist.
Punish – inflict a penalty or sanction on (someone) as retribution for an offense, especially a transgression of a legal or moral code.
Punitive – inflicting or intended as punishment.
Punked – trick or deceive.
Puny – small and weak.
Puzzled – unable to understand; perplexed.
Are there any negative words beginning with the letter P you think should be on this list? Drop me a comment, I’m always open to adding more words – thanks!
If you want to find more negative words starting with a different letter of the alphabet, just click one of the letters below:
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I |
| J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R |
| S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
Image credits – Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
Phil lives in England, UK, and has around 20 years experience as a professional life, career and executive coach. He started this blog to help others find and define their own self development journey. Blogging about a wide range of topics to help facilitate a better future.
you should put petty