| chimerical | absurd |
| chastise | to criticize severely |
| chronic | lasting a long time |
| circumspect | careful |
| clairvoyant | having good eyesight |
| clandestine | secret |
| clemency | mercy |
| coalesce | to combine |
| colloquial | used in informal speech |
| commiserate | to feel bad for another's suffering |
| compatible | agreeing |
| composure | calmness |
| conciliatory | tending to soothe |
| concise | saying much in a few words |
| condone | forgive or forget |
| conspicuous | stand out; easy to notice |
| copious | abundant; plentiful |
| corroborate | confirm |
| crass | stupid |
| criterion | standard for judging; testing |
| cryptic | secret; having a hidden meaning |
| cursory | without attention to details |
| dearth | shortage |
| debilitate | to weaken |
| decadence | decay; decline |
| deference | great respect |
| deflate | to let the air out of; to reduce in size or importance |
| delineate | to describe in words; to sketch |
| demeanor | behavior |
| denunciation | expression of strong disapproval made openly or publicly |
| deprecate | to express strong disapproval of |
| derogatory | tending to lower in estimation; degrading |
| desecrate | to treat with disrespect |
| despot | monarch with unlimited power |
| deter | to discourage; to keep someone from doing something |
| devious | not straightforward; lying; roundabout |
| devoid | entirely without; lacking |
| diatribe | a denunciation; bitter verbal attack |
| didactic | intended to instruct |
| diffuse | spread out; wordy |