| cabal | n. A number of persons secretly united for effecting by intrigue some private purpose. |
| cabalism | n. Superstitious devotion to one's religion. |
| cabinet | n. The body of men constituting the official advisors of the executive head of a nation. |
| cacophony | n. A disagreeable, harsh, or discordant sound or combination of sounds or tones. |
| cadaverous | adj. Resembling a corpse. |
| cadence | n. Rhythmical or measured flow or movement, as in poetry or the time and pace of marching troops. |
| cadenza | n. An embellishment or flourish, prepared or improvised, for a solo voice or instrument. |
| caitiff | adj. Cowardly. |
| cajole | v. To impose on or dupe by flattering speech. |
| cajolery | n. Delusive speech. |
| calculable | adj. That may be estimated by reckoning. |
| calculus | n. A concretion formed in various parts of the body resembling a pebble in hardness. |
| callosity | n. The state of being hard and insensible. |
| callow | adj. Without experience of the world. |
| calorie | n. Amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1 degree centigrade. |
| calumny | n. Slander. |
| Calvary | n. The place where Christ was crucified. |
| Calvinism | n. The system of doctrine taught by John Calvin. |
| Calvinize | v. To teach or imbue with the doctrines of Calvinism. |
| came | n. A leaden sash-bar or grooved strip for fastening panes in stained-glass windows. |
| cameo | n. Any small engraved or carved work in relief. |
| campaign | n. A complete series of connected military operations. |
| Canaanite | n. A member of one of the three tribes that dwelt in the land of Canaan, or western Palestine. |
| canary | adj. Of a bright but delicate yellow. |
| candid | adj. Straightforward. |
| candor | n. The quality of frankness or outspokenness. |
| canine | adj. Characteristic of a dog. |
| canon | n. Any rule or law. |
| cant | v. To talk in a singsong, preaching tone with affected solemnity. |
| cantata | n. A choral composition. |
| canto | n. One of the divisions of an extended poem. |
| cantonment | n. The part of the town or district in which the troops are quartered. |
| capacious | adj. Roomy. |
| capillary | n. A minute vessel having walls composed of a single layer of cells. |
| capitulate | v. To surrender or stipulate terms. |
| caprice | n. A whim. |
| caption | n. A heading, as of a chapter, section, document, etc. |
| captious | adj. Hypercritical. |
| captivate | v. To fascinate, as by excellence. eloquence, or beauty. |
| carcass | n. The dead body of an animal. |
| cardiac | adj. Pertaining to the heart. |
| cardinal | adj. Of prime or special importance. |
| caret | n. A sign (^) placed below a line, indicating where omitted words, etc., should be inserted. |
| caricature | n. a picture or description in which natural characteristics are exaggerated or distorted. |
| carnage | n. Massacre. |
| carnal | adj. Sensual. |
| carnivorous | adj. Eating or living on flesh. |
| carouse | v. To drink deeply and in boisterous or jovial manner. |
| carrion | n. Dead and putrefying flesh. |
| cartilage | n. An elastic animal tissue of firm consistence. |
| cartridge | n. A charge for a firearm, or for blasting. |
| caste | n. The division of society on artificial grounds. |
| castigate | v. To punish. |
| casual | adj. Accidental, by chance. |
| casualty | n. A fatal or serious accident or disaster. |
| cataclysm | n. Any overwhelming flood of water. |
| cataract | n. Opacity of the lens of the eye resulting in complete or partial blindness. |
| catastrophe | n. Any great and sudden misfortune or calamity. |
| cathode | n. The negative pole or electrode of a galvanic battery. |
| Catholicism | n. The system, doctrine, and practice of the Roman Catholic Church. |
| catholicity | n. Universal prevalence or acceptance. |
| cat-o-nine-tails | n. An instrument consisting of nine pieces of cord, formerly used for flogging in the army and navy. |
| caucus | n. A private meeting of members of a political party to select candidates. |
| causal | adj. Indicating or expressing a cause. |
| caustic | adj. Sarcastic and severe. |
| cauterize | v. To burn or sear as with a heated iron. |
| cede | v. To pass title to. |
| censor | n. An official examiner of manuscripts empowered to prohibit their publication. |
| censorious | adj. Judging severely or harshly. |
| census | n. An official numbering of the people of a country or district. |
| centenary | adj. Pertaining to a hundred years or a period of a hundred years. |
| centiliter | n. A hundredth of a liter. |
| centimeter | n. A length of one hundredth of a meter. |
| centurion | n. A captain of a company of one hundred infantry in the ancient Roman army. |
| cereal | adj. Pertaining to edible grain or farinaceous seeds. |
| ceremonial | adj. Characterized by outward form or ceremony. |
| ceremonious | adj. Observant of ritual. |
| cessation | n. Discontinuance, as of action or motion. |
| cession | n. Surrender, as of possessions or rights. |
| chagrin | n. Keen vexation, annoyance, or mortification, as at one's failures or errors. |
| chameleon | adj. Changeable in appearance. |
| chancery | n. A court of equity, as distinguished from a common-law court. |
| chaos | n. Any condition of which the elements or parts are in utter disorder and confusion. |
| characteristic | n. A distinctive feature. |
| characterize | v. To describe by distinctive marks or peculiarities. |
| charlatan | n. A quack. |
| chasm | n. A yawning hollow, as in the earth's surface. |
| chasten | v. To purify by affliction. |
| chastise | v. To subject to punitive measures. |
| chastity | n. Sexual or moral purity. |
| chateau | n. A castle or manor-house. |
| chattel | n. Any article of personal property. |
| check | v. To hold back. |
| chiffon | n. A very thin gauze used for trimmings, evening dress, etc. |
| chivalry | n. The knightly system of feudal times with its code, usages and practices. |
| cholera | n. An acute epidemic disease. |
| choleric | adj. Easily provoked to anger. |
| choral | adj. Pertaining to, intended for, or performed by a chorus or choir. |
| Christ | n. A title of Jesus |
| christen | v. To name in baptism. |
| Christendom | n. That part of the world where Christianity is generally professed. |
| chromatic | adj. Belonging, relating to, or abounding in color. |
| chronology | n. The science that treats of computation of time or of investigation and arrangement of events. |
| chronometer | n. A portable timekeeper of the highest attainable precision. |
| cipher | v. To calculate arithmetically. (also a noun meaning zero or nothing) |
| circulate | v. To disseminate. |
| circumference | n. The boundary-line of a circle. |
| circumlocution | n. Indirect or roundabout expression. |
| circumnavigate | v. To sail quite around. |
| circumscribe | v. To confine within bounds. |
| circumspect | adj. Showing watchfulness, caution, or careful consideration. |
| citadel | n. Any strong fortress. |
| cite | v. To refer to specifically. |
| claimant | n. One who makes a claim or demand, as of right. |
| clairvoyance | n. Intuitive sagacity or perception. |
| clamorous | adj. Urgent in complaint or demand. |
| clan | n. A tribe. |
| clandestine | adj. Surreptitious. |
| clangor | n. Clanking or a ringing, as of arms, chains, or bells; clamor. |
| clarify | v. To render intelligible. |
| clarion | n. A small shrill trumpet or bugle. |
| classify | v. To arrange in a class or classes on the basis of observed resemblance’s and differences. |
| clearance | n. A certificate from the proper authorities that a vessel has complied with the law and may sail. |
| clemency | n. Mercy. |
| clement | adj. Compassionate. |
| close-hauled | adj. Having the sails set for sailing as close to the wind as possible. |
| clothier | n. One who makes or sells cloth or clothing. |
| clumsy | adj. Awkward of movement. |
| coagulate | v. To change into a clot or a jelly, as by heat, by chemical action, or by a ferment. |
| coagulant | adj. Producing coagulation. |
| coalescence | n. The act or process of coming together so as to form one body, combination, or product. |
| coalition | n. Combination in a body or mass. |
| coddle | v. To treat as a baby or an invalid. |
| codicil | n. A supplement adding to, revoking, or explaining in the body of a will. |
| coerce | v. To force. |
| coercion | n. Forcible constraint or restraint, moral or physical. |
| coercive | adj. Serving or tending to force. |
| cogent | adj. Appealing strongly to the reason or conscience. |
| cognate | adj. Akin. |
| cognizant | adj. Taking notice. |
| cohere | v. To stick together. |
| cohesion | n. Consistency. |
| cohesive | adj. Having the property of consistency. |
| coincide | v. To correspond. |
| coincidence | n. A circumstance so agreeing with another: often implying accident. |
| coincident | adj. Taking place at the same time. |
| collaborate | v. To labor or cooperate with another or others, especially in literary or scientific pursuits. |
| collapse | v. To cause to shrink, fall in, or fail. |
| collapsible | adj. That may or can collapse. |
| colleague | n. An associate in professional employment. |
| collective | adj. Consisting of a number of persons or objects considered as gathered into a mass, or sum. |
| collector | n. One who makes a collection, as of objects of art, books, or the like. |
| collegian | n. A college student. |
| collide | v. To meet and strike violently. |
| collier | n. One who works in a coal-mine. |
| collision | n. Violent contact. |
| colloquial | adj. Pertaining or peculiar to common speech as distinguished from literary. |
| colloquialism | n. Form of speech used only or chiefly in conversation. |
| colloquy | n. Conversation. |
| collusion | n. A secret agreement for a wrongful purpose. |
| colossus | n. Any strikingly great person or object. |
| comely | adj. Handsome. |
| comestible | adj. Fit to be eaten. |
| comical | adj. Funny. |
| commemorate | v. To serve as a remembrance of. |
| commentary | n. A series of illustrative or explanatory notes on any important work. |
| commingle | v. To blend. |
| commissariat | n. The department of an army charged with the provision of its food and water and daily needs. |
| commission | v. To empower. |
| commitment | n. The act or process of entrusting or consigning for safe-keeping. |
| committal | n. The act, fact, or result of committing, or the state of being |
| commodity | n. Something that is bought and sold. |
| commotion | n. A disturbance or violent agitation. |
| commute | v. To put something, especially something less severe, in place of. |
| comparable | adj. Fit to be compared. |
| comparative | adj. Relative. |
| comparison | n. Examination of two or more objects with reference to their likeness or unlikeness. |
| compensate | v. To remunerate. |
| competence | n. Adequate qualification or capacity. |
| competent | adj. Qualified. |
| competitive | adj. characterized by rivalry. |
| competitor | n. A rival. |
| complacence | n. Satisfaction with one's acts or surroundings. |
| complacent | adj. Pleased or satisfied with oneself. |
| complaisance | n. Politeness. |
| complaisant | adj. Agreeable. |
| complement | v. To make complete. |
| complex | adj. Complicated. |
| compliant | adj. Yielding. |
| complicate | v. To make complex, difficult, or hard to deal with. |
| complication | n. An intermingling or combination of things or parts, especially in a perplexing manner. |
| complicity | n. Participation or partnership, as in wrong-doing or with a wrong-doer. |
| compliment | v. To address or gratify with expressions of delicate praise. |
| component | n. A constituent element or part. |
| comport | v. To conduct or behave (oneself). |
| composure | n. Calmness. |
| comprehensible | adj. Intelligible. |
| comprehension | n. Ability to know. |
| comprehensive | adj. Large in scope or content. |
| compress | v. To press together or into smaller space. |
| compressible | adj. Capable of being pressed into smaller compass. |
| compression | n. Constraint, as by force or authority. |
| comprise | v. To consist of. |
| compulsion | n. Coercion. |
| compulsory | adj. Forced. |
| compunction | n. Remorseful feeling. |
| compute | v. To ascertain by mathematical calculation. |
| concede | v. To surrender. |
| conceit | n. Self-flattering opinion. |
| conceive | v. To form an idea, mental image or thought of. |
| concerto | n. A musical composition. |
| concession | n. Anything granted or yielded, or admitted in response to a demand, petition, or claim. |
| conciliate | v. To obtain the friendship of. |
| conciliatory | adj. Tending to reconcile. |
| conclusive | adj. Sufficient to convince or decide. |
| concord | n. Harmony. |
| concordance | n. Harmony. |
| concur | v. To agree. |
| concurrence | n. Agreement. |
| concurrent | adj. Occurring or acting together. |
| concussion | n. A violent shock to some organ by a fall or a sudden blow. |
| condensation | n. The act or process of making dense or denser. |
| condense | v. To abridge. |
| condescend | v. To come down voluntarily to equal terms with inferiors. |
| condolence | n. Expression of sympathy with a person in pain, sorrow, or misfortune. |
| conduce | v. To bring about. |
| conducive | adj. Contributing to an end. |
| conductible | adj. Capable of being conducted or transmitted. |
| conduit | n. A means for conducting something, particularly a tube, pipe, or passageway for a fluid. |
| confectionery | n. The candy collectively that a confectioner makes or sells, as candy. |
| confederacy | n. A number of states or persons in compact or league with each other, as for mutual aid. |
| confederate | n. One who is united with others in a league, compact, or agreement. |
| confer | v. To bestow. |
| conferee | n. A person with whom another confers. |
| confessor | n. A spiritual advisor. |
| confidant | n. One to whom secrets are entrusted. |
| confide | v. To reveal in trust or confidence. |
| confidence | n. The state or feeling of trust in or reliance upon another. |
| confident | adj. Assured. |
| confinement | n. Restriction within limits or boundaries. |
| confiscate | v. To appropriate (private property) as forfeited to the public use or treasury. |
| conflagration | n. A great fire, as of many buildings, a forest, or the like. |
| confluence | n. The place where streams meet. |
| confluent | n. A stream that unites with another. |
| conformance | n. The act or state or conforming. |
| conformable | adj. Harmonious. |
| conformation | n. General structure, form, or outline. |
| conformity | n. Correspondence in form, manner, or use. |
| confront | v. To encounter, as difficulties or obstacles. |
| congeal | v. To coagulate. |
| congenial | adj. Having kindred character or tastes. |
| congest | v. To collect into a mass. |
| congregate | v. To bring together into a crowd. |
| coniferous | adj. Cone-bearing trees. |
| conjecture | n. A guess. |
| conjoin | v. To unite. |
| conjugal | adj. Pertaining to marriage, marital rights, or married persons. |
| conjugate | adj. Joined together in pairs. |
| conjugation | n. The state or condition of being joined together. |
| conjunction | n. The state of being joined together, or the things so joined. |
| connive | v. To be in collusion. |
| connoisseur | n. A critical judge of art, especially one with thorough knowledge and sound judgment of art. |
| connote | v. To mean; signify. |
| connubial | adj. Pertaining to marriage or matrimony. |
| conquer | v. To overcome by force. |
| consanguineous | adj. Descended from the same parent or ancestor. |
| conscience | n. The faculty in man by which he distinguishes between right and wrong in character and conduct. |
| conscientious | adj. Governed by moral standard. |
| conscious | adj. Aware that one lives, feels, and thinks. |
| conscript | v. To force into military service. |
| consecrate | v. To set apart as sacred. |
| consecutive | adj. Following in uninterrupted succession. |
| consensus | n. A collective unanimous opinion of a number of persons. |
| conservatism | n. Tendency to adhere to the existing order of things. |
| conservative | adj. Adhering to the existing order of things. |
| conservatory | n. An institution for instruction and training in music and declamation. |
| consign | v. To entrust. |
| consignee | n. A person to whom goods or other property has been entrusted. |
| consignor | n. One who entrusts. |
| consistency | n. A state of permanence. |
| console | v. To comfort. |
| consolidate | v. To combine into one body or system. |
| consonance | n. The state or quality of being in accord with. |
| consonant | adj. Being in agreement or harmony with. |
| consort | n. A companion or associate. |
| conspicuous | adj. Clearly visible. |
| conspirator | n. One who agrees with others to cooperate in accomplishing some unlawful purpose. |
| conspire | v. To plot. |
| constable | n. An officer whose duty is to maintain the peace. |
| constellation | n. An arbitrary assemblage or group of stars. |
| consternation | n. Panic. |
| constituency | n. The inhabitants or voters in a district represented in a legislative body. |
| constituent | n. One who has the right to vote at an election. |
| constrict | v. To bind. |
| consul | n. An officer appointed to reside in a foreign city, chiefly to represent his country. |
| consulate | n. The place in which a consul transacts official business. |
| consummate | v. To bring to completion. |
| consumption | n. Gradual destruction, as by burning, eating, etc., or by using up, wearing out, etc. |
| consumptive | adj. Designed for gradual destruction. |
| contagion | n. The communication of disease from person to person. |
| contagious | adj. Transmitting disease. |
| contaminate | v. To pollute. |
| contemplate | v. To consider thoughtfully. |
| contemporaneous | adj. Living, occurring, or existing at the same time. |
| contemporary | adj. Living or existing at the same time. |
| contemptible | adj. Worthy of scorn or disdain. |
| contemptuous | adj. Disdainful. |
| contender | n. One who exerts oneself in opposition or rivalry. |
| contiguity | n. Proximity. |
| contiguous | adj. Touching or joining at the edge or boundary. |
| continence | n. Self-restraint with respect to desires, appetites, and passion. |
| contingency | n. Possibility of happening. |
| contingent | adj. Not predictable. |
| continuance | n. Permanence. |
| continuation | n. Prolongation. |
| continuity | n. Uninterrupted connection in space, time, operation, or development. |
| continuous | adj. Connected, extended, or prolonged without separation or interruption of sequence. |
| contort | v. To twist into a misshapen form. |
| contraband | n. Trade forbidden by law or treaty. |
| contradiction | n. The assertion of the opposite of that which has been said. |
| contradictory | adj. Inconsistent with itself. |
| contraposition | n. A placing opposite. |
| contravene | v. To prevent or obstruct the operation of. |
| contribution | n. The act of giving for a common purpose. |
| contributor | n. One who gives or furnishes, in common with others, for a common purpose. |
| contrite | adj. Broken in spirit because of a sense of sin. |
| contrivance | n. The act planning, devising, inventing, or adapting something to or for a special purpose. |
| contrive | v. To manage or carry through by some device or scheme. |
| control | v. To exercise a directing, restraining, or governing influence over. |
| controller | n. One who or that which regulates or directs. |
| contumacious | adj. Rebellious. |
| contumacy | n. Contemptuous disregard of the requirements of rightful authority. |
| contuse | v. To bruise by a blow, either with or without the breaking of the skin. |
| contusion | n. A bruise. |
| convalesce | v. To recover after a sickness. |
| convalescence | n. The state of progressive restoration to health and strength after the cessation of disease. |
| convalescent | adj. Recovering health after sickness. |
| convene | v. To summon or cause to assemble. |
| convenience | n. Fitness, as of time or place. |
| converge | v. To cause to incline and approach nearer together. |
| convergent | adj. Tending to one point. |
| conversant | adj. Thoroughly informed. |
| conversion | n. Change from one state or position to another, or from one form to another. |
| convertible | adj. Interchangeable. |
| convex | adj. Curving like the segment of the globe or of the surface of a circle. |
| conveyance | n. That by which anything is transported. |
| convivial | adj. Devoted to feasting, or to good-fellowship in eating or drinking. |
| convolution | n. A winding motion. |
| convolve | v. To move with a circling or winding motion. |
| convoy | n. A protecting force accompanying property in course of transportation. |
| convulse | v. To cause spasms in. |
| convulsion | n. A violent and abnormal muscular contraction of the body. |
| copious | adj. Plenteous. |
| coquette | n. A flirt. |
| cornice | n. An ornamental molding running round the walls of a room close to the ceiling. |
| cornucopia | n. The horn of plenty, symbolizing peace and prosperity. |
| corollary | n. A proposition following so obviously from another that it requires little demonstration. |
| coronation | n. The act or ceremony of crowning a monarch. |
| coronet | n. Inferior crown denoting, according to its form, various degrees of noble rank less than sovereign. |
| corporal | adj. Belonging or relating to the body as opposed to the mind. |
| corporate | adj. Belonging to a corporation. |
| corporeal | adj. Of a material nature; physical. |
| corps | n. A number or body of persons in some way associated or acting together. |
| corpse | n. A dead body. |
| corpulent | adj. Obese. |
| corpuscle | n. A minute particle of matter. |
| correlate | v. To put in some relation of connection or correspondence. |
| correlative | adj. Mutually involving or implying one another. |
| corrigible | adj. Capable of reformation. |
| corroborate | v. To strengthen, as proof or conviction. |
| corroboration | n. Confirmation. |
| corrode | v. To ruin or destroy little by little. |
| corrosion | n. Gradual decay by crumbling or surface disintegration. |
| corrosive | n. That which causes gradual decay by crumbling or surface disintegration. |
| corruptible | adj. Open to bribery. |
| corruption | n. Loss of purity or integrity. |
| cosmetic | adj. Pertaining to the art of beautifying, especially the complexion. |
| cosmic | adj. Pertaining to the universe. |
| cosmogony | n. A doctrine of creation or of the origin of the universe. |
| cosmography | n. The science that describes the universe, including astronomy, geography, and geology. |
| cosmology | n. The general science of the universe. |
| cosmopolitan | adj. Common to all the world. |
| cosmopolitanism | n. A cosmopolitan character. |
| cosmos | n. The world or universe considered as a system, perfect in order and arrangement. |
| counter-claim | n. A cross-demand alleged by a defendant in his favor against the plaintiff. |
| counteract | v. To act in opposition to. |
| counterbalance | v. To oppose with an equal force. |
| countercharge | v. To accuse in return. |
| counterfeit | adj. Made to resemble something else. |
| counterpart | n. Something taken with another for the completion of either. |
| countervail | v. To offset. |
| counting-house | n. A house or office used for transacting business, bookkeeping, correspondence, etc. |
| countryman | n. A rustic. |
| courageous | adj. Brave. |
| course | n. Line of motion or direction. |
| courser | n. A fleet and spirited horse. |
| courtesy | n. Politeness originating in kindness and exercised habitually. |
| covenant | n. An agreement entered into by two or more persons or parties. |
| covert | adj. Concealed, especially for an evil purpose. |
| covey | n. A flock of quails or partridges. |
| cower | v. To crouch down tremblingly, as through fear or shame. |
| coxswain | n. One who steers a rowboat, or one who has charge of a ship's boat and its crew under an officer. |
| crag | n. A rugged, rocky projection on a cliff or ledge. |
| cranium | n. The skull of an animal, especially that part enclosing the brain. |
| crass | adj. Coarse or thick in nature or structure, as opposed to thin or fine. |
| craving | n. A vehement desire. |
| creak | n. A sharp, harsh, squeaking sound. |
| creamery | n. A butter-making establishment. |
| creamy | adj. Resembling or containing cream. |
| credence | n. Belief. |
| credible | adj. Believable. |
| credulous | adj. Easily deceived. |
| creed | n. A formal summary of fundamental points of religious belief. |
| crematory | adj. A place for cremating dead bodies. |
| crevasse | n. A deep crack or fissure in the ice of a glacier. |
| crevice | n. A small fissure, as between two contiguous surfaces. |
| criterion | n. A standard by which to determine the correctness of a judgment or conclusion. |
| critique | n. A criticism or critical review. |
| crockery | n. Earthenware made from baked clay. |
| crucible | n. A trying and purifying test or agency. |
| crusade | n. Any concerted movement, vigorously prosecuted, in behalf of an idea or principle. |
| crustacean | adj. Pertaining to a division of arthropods, containing lobsters, crabs, crawfish, etc. |
| crustaceous | adj. Having a crust-like shell. |
| cryptogram | n. Anything written in characters that are secret or so arranged as to have hidden meaning. |
| crystallize | v. To bring together or give fixed shape to. |
| cudgel | n. A short thick stick used as a club. |
| culinary | adj. Of or pertaining to cooking or the kitchen. |
| cull | v. To pick or sort out from the rest. |
| culpable | adj. Guilty. |
| culprit | n. A guilty person. |
| culvert | n. Any artificial covered channel for the passage of water through a bank or under a road, canal. |
| cupidity | n. Avarice. |
| curable | adj. Capable of being remedied or corrected. |
| curator | n. A person having charge as of a library or museum. |
| curio | n. A piece of bric-a-brac. |
| cursive | adj. Writing in which the letters are joined together. |
| cursory | adj. Rapid and superficial. |
| curt | adj. Concise, compressed, and abrupt in act or expression. |
| curtail | v. To cut off or cut short. |
| curtsy | n. A downward movement of the body by bending the knees. |
| cycloid | adj. Like a circle. |
| cygnet | n. A young swan. |
| cynical | adj. Exhibiting moral skepticism. |
| cynicism | n. Contempt for the opinions of others and of what others value. |
| cynosure | n. That to which general interest or attention is directed. |
| daring | adj. Brave. |
| darkling | adv. Blindly. |
| Darwinism | n. The doctrine that natural selection has been the prime cause of evolution of higher forms. |
| dastard | n. A base coward. |
| datum | n. A premise, starting-point, or given fact. |
| dauntless | adj. Fearless. |
| day-man | n. A day-laborer. |
| dead-heat | n. A race in which two or more competitors come out even, and there is no winner. |
| dearth | n. Scarcity, as of something customary, essential ,or desirable. |
| death's-head | n. A human skull as a symbol of death. |
| debase | v. To lower in character or virtue. |
| debatable | adj. Subject to contention or dispute. |
| debonair | adj. Having gentle or courteous bearing or manner. |
| debut | n. A first appearance in society or on the stage. |
| decagon | n. A figure with ten sides and ten angles. |
| decagram | n. A weight of 10 grams. |
| decaliter | n. A liquid and dry measure of 10 liters. |
| decalogue | n. The ten commandments. |
| Decameron | n. A volume consisting of ten parts or books. |
| decameter | n. A length of ten meters. |
| decamp | v. To leave suddenly or unexpectedly. |
| decapitate | v. To behead. |
| decapod | adj. Ten-footed or ten-armed. |
| decasyllable | n. A line of ten syllables. |
| deceit | n. Falsehood. |
| deceitful | adj. Fraudulent. |
| deceive | v. To mislead by or as by falsehood. |
| decency | n. Moral fitness. |
| decent | adj. Characterized by propriety of conduct, speech, manners, or dress. |
| deciduous | adj. Falling off at maturity as petals after flowering, fruit when ripe, etc. |
| decimal | adj. Founded on the number 10. |
| decimate | v. To destroy a measurable or large proportion of. |
| decipher | v. To find out the true words or meaning of, as something hardly legible. |
| decisive | ad. Conclusive. |
| declamation | n. A speech recited or intended for recitation from memory in public. |
| declamatory | adj. A full and formal style of utterance. |
| declarative | adj. Containing a formal, positive, or explicit statement or affirmation. |
| declension | n. The change of endings in nouns and adj. to express their different relations of gender. |
| decorate | v. To embellish. |
| decorous | adj. Suitable for the occasion or circumstances. |
| decoy | n. Anything that allures, or is intended to allures into danger or temptation. |
| decrepit | adj. Enfeebled, as by old age or some chronic infirmity. |
| dedication | n. The voluntary consecration or relinquishment of something to an end or cause. |
| deduce | v. To derive or draw as a conclusion by reasoning from given premises or principles. |
| deface | v. To mar or disfigure the face or external surface of. |
| defalcate | v. To cut off or take away, as a part of something. |
| defamation | n. Malicious and groundless injury done to the reputation or good name of another. |
| defame | v. To slander. |
| default | n. The neglect or omission of a legal requirement. |
| defendant | n. A person against whom a suit is brought. |
| defensible | adj. Capable of being maintained or justified. |
| defensive | adj. Carried on in resistance to aggression. |
| defer | v. To delay or put off to some other time. |
| deference | n. Respectful submission or yielding, as to another's opinion, wishes, or judgment. |
| defiant | adj. Characterized by bold or insolent opposition. |
| deficiency | n. Lack or insufficiency. |
| deficient | adj. Not having an adequate or proper supply or amount. |
| definite | adj. Having an exact signification or positive meaning. |
| deflect | v. To cause to turn aside or downward. |
| deforest | v. To clear of forests. |
| deform | v. To disfigure. |
| deformity | n. A disfigurement. |
| defraud | v. To deprive of something dishonestly. |
| defray | v. To make payment for. |
| degeneracy | n. A becoming worse. |
| degenerate | v. To become worse or inferior. |
| degradation | n. Diminution, as of strength or magnitude. |
| degrade | v. To take away honors or position from. |
| dehydrate | v. To deprive of water. |
| deify | v. To regard or worship as a god. |
| deign | v. To deem worthy of notice or account. |
| deist | n. One who believes in God, but denies supernatural revelation. |
| deity | n. A god, goddess, or divine person. |
| deject | v. To dishearten. |
| dejection | n. Melancholy. |
| delectable | adj. Delightful to the taste or to the senses. |
| delectation | n. Delight. |
| deleterious | adj. Hurtful, morally or physically. |
| delicacy | n. That which is agreeable to a fine taste. |
| delineate | v. To represent by sketch or diagram. |
| deliquesce | v. To dissolve gradually and become liquid by absorption of moisture from the air. |
| delirious | adj. Raving. |
| delude | v. To mislead the mind or judgment of. |
| deluge | v. To overwhelm with a flood of water. |
| delusion | n. Mistaken conviction, especially when more or less enduring. |
| demagnetize | v. To deprive (a magnet) of magnetism. |
| demagogue | n. An unprincipled politician. |
| demeanor | n. Deportment. |
| demented | adj. Insane. |
| demerit | n. A mark for failure or bad conduct. |
| demise | n. Death. |
| demobilize | v. To disband, as troops. |
| demolish | v. To annihilate. |
| demonstrable | adj. Capable of positive proof. |
| demonstrate | v. To prove indubitably. |
| demonstrative | adj. Inclined to strong exhibition or expression of feeling or thoughts. |
| demonstrator | n. One who proves in a convincing and conclusive manner. |
| demulcent | n. Any application soothing to an irritable surface |
| demurrage | n. the detention of a vessel beyond the specified time of sailing. |
| dendroid | adj. Like a tree. |
| dendrology | n. The natural history of trees. |
| denizen | n. Inhabitant. |
| denominate | v. To give a name or epithet to. |
| denomination | n. A body of Christians united by a common faith and form of worship and discipline. |
| denominator | n. Part of a fraction which expresses the number of equal parts into which the unit is divided. |
| denote | v. To designate by word or mark. |
| denouement | n. That part of a play or story in which the mystery is cleared up. |
| denounce | v. To point out or publicly accuse as deserving of punishment, censure, or odium. |
| dentifrice | n. Any preparation used for cleaning the teeth. |
| denude | v. To strip the covering from. |
| denunciation | n. The act of declaring an action or person worthy of reprobation or punishment. |
| deplete | v. To reduce or lessen, as by use, exhaustion, or waste. |
| deplorable | adj. Contemptible. |
| deplore | v. To regard with grief or sorrow. |
| deponent | adj. Laying down. |
| depopulate | v. To remove the inhabitants from. |
| deport | v. To take or send away forcibly, as to a penal colony. |
| deportment | n. Demeanor. |
| deposition | n. Testimony legally taken on interrogatories and reduced to writing, for use as evidence in court. |
| depositor | n. One who makes a deposit, or has an amount deposited. |
| depository | n. A place where anything is kept in safety. |
| deprave | v. To render bad, especially morally bad. |
| deprecate | v. To express disapproval or regret for, with hope for the opposite. |
| depreciate | v. To lessen the worth of. |
| depreciation | n. A lowering in value or an underrating in worth. |
| depress | v. To press down. |
| depression | n. A falling of the spirits. |
| depth | n. Deepness. |
| derelict | adj. Neglectful of obligation. |
| deride | v. To ridicule. |
| derisible | adj. Open to ridicule. |
| derision | n. Ridicule. |
| derivation | n. That process by which a word is traced from its original root or primitive form and meaning. |
| derivative | adj. Coming or acquired from some origin. |
| derive | v. To deduce, as from a premise. |
| dermatology | n. The branch of medical science which relates to the skin and its diseases. |
| derrick | n. An apparatus for hoisting and swinging great weights. |
| descendant | n. One who is descended lineally from another, as a child, grandchild, etc. |
| descendent | adj. Proceeding downward. |
| descent | n. The act of moving or going downward. |
| descry | v. To discern. |
| desert | v. To abandon without regard to the welfare of the abandoned |
| desiccant | n. Any remedy which, when applied externally, dries up or absorbs moisture, as that of wounds. |
| designate | v. To select or appoint, as by authority. |
| desist | v. To cease from action. |
| desistance | n. Cessation. |
| despair | n. Utter hopelessness and despondency. |
| desperado | n. One without regard for law or life. |
| desperate | adj. Resorted to in a last extremity, or as if prompted by utter despair. |
| despicable | adj. Contemptible. |
| despite | prep. In spite of. |
| despond | v. To lose spirit, courage, or hope. |
| despondent | adj. Disheartened. |
| despot | n. An absolute and irresponsible monarch. |
| despotism | n. Any severe and strict rule in which the judgment of the governed has little or no part. |
| destitute | adj. Poverty-stricken. |
| desultory | adj. Not connected with what precedes. |
| deter | v. To frighten away. |
| deteriorate | v. To grow worse. |
| determinate | adj. Definitely limited or fixed. |
| determination | n. The act of deciding. |
| deterrent | adj. Hindering from action through fear. |
| detest | v. To dislike or hate with intensity. |
| detract | v. To take away in such manner as to lessen value or estimation. |
| detriment | n. Something that causes damage, depreciation, or loss. |
| detrude | v. To push down forcibly. |
| deviate | v. To take a different course. |
| devilry | n. Malicious mischief. |
| deviltry | n. Wanton and malicious mischief. |
| devious | adj. Out of the common or regular track. |
| devise | v. To invent. |
| devout | adj. Religious. |
| dexterity | n. Readiness, precision, efficiency, and ease in any physical activity or in any mechanical work. |
| diabolic | adj. Characteristic of the devil. |
| diacritical | adj. Marking a difference. |
| diagnose | v. To distinguish, as a disease, by its characteristic phenomena. |
| diagnosis | n. Determination of the distinctive nature of a disease. |
| dialect | n. Forms of speech collectively that are peculiar to the people of a particular district. |
| dialectician | n. A logician. |
| dialogue | n. A formal conversation in which two or more take part. |
| diaphanous | adj. Transparent. |
| diatomic | adj. Containing only two atoms. |
| diatribe | n. A bitter or malicious criticism. |
| dictum | n. A positive utterance. |
| didactic | adj. Pertaining to teaching. |
| difference | n. Dissimilarity in any respect. |
| differentia | n. Any essential characteristic of a species by reason of which it differs from other species. |
| differential | adj. Distinctive. |
| differentiate | v. To acquire a distinct and separate character. |
| diffidence | n. Self-distrust. |
| diffident | adj. Affected or possessed with self-distrust. |
| diffusible | adj. Spreading rapidly through the system and acting quickly. |
| diffusion | n. Dispersion. |
| dignitary | n. One who holds high rank. |
| digraph | n. A union of two characters representing a single sound. |
| digress | v. To turn aside from the main subject and for a time dwell on some incidental matter. |
| dilapidated | pa. Fallen into decay or partial ruin. |
| dilate | v. To enlarge in all directions. |
| dilatory | adj. Tending to cause delay. |
| dilemma | n. A situation in which a choice between opposing modes of conduct is necessary. |
| dilettante | n. A superficial amateur. |
| diligence | n. Careful and persevering effort to accomplish what is undertaken. |
| dilute | v. To make more fluid or less concentrated by admixture with something. |
| diminution | n. Reduction. |
| dimly | adv. Obscurely. |
| diphthong | n. The sound produced by combining two vowels in to a single syllable or running together the sounds. |
| diplomacy | n. Tact, shrewdness, or skill in conducting any kind of negotiations or in social matters. |
| diplomat | n. A representative of one sovereign state at the capital or court of another. |
| diplomatic | adj. Characterized by special tact in negotiations. |
| diplomatist | n. One remarkable for tact and shrewd management. |
| disagree | v. To be opposite in opinion. |
| disallow | v. To withhold permission or sanction. |
| disappear | v. To cease to exist, either actually or for the time being. |
| disappoint | v. To fail to fulfill the expectation, hope, wish, or desire of. |
| disapprove | v. To regard with blame. |
| disarm | v. To deprive of weapons. |
| disarrange | v. To throw out of order. |
| disavow | v. To disclaim responsibility for. |
| disavowal | n. Denial. |
| disbeliever | n. One who refuses to believe. |
| disburden | v. To disencumber. |
| disburse | v. To pay out or expend, as money from a fund. discard v. To reject. |
| discernible | adj. Perceivable. |
| disciple | n. One who believes the teaching of another, or who adopts and follows some doctrine. |
| disciplinary | adj. Having the nature of systematic training or subjection to authority. |
| discipline | v. To train to obedience. |
| disclaim | v. To disavow any claim to, connection with, or responsibility to. |
| discolor | v. To stain. |
| discomfit | v. To put to confusion. |
| discomfort | n. The state of being positively uncomfortable. |
| disconnect | v. To undo or dissolve the connection or association of. |
| disconsolate | adj. Grief-stricken. |
| discontinuance | n. Interruption or intermission. |
| discord | n. Absence of harmoniousness. |
| discountenance | v. To look upon with disfavor. |
| discover | v. To get first sight or knowledge of, as something previously unknown or unperceived. |
| discredit | v. To injure the reputation of. |
| discreet | adj. Judicious. |
| discrepant | adj. Opposite. |
| discriminate | v. To draw a distinction. |
| discursive | adj. Passing from one subject to another. |
| discussion | n. Debate. |
| disenfranchise | v. To deprive of any right privilege or power |
| disengage | v. To become detached. |
| disfavor | n. Disregard. |
| disfigure | v. To impair or injure the beauty, symmetry, or appearance of. |
| dishabille | n. Undress or negligent attire. |
| dishonest | adj. Untrustworthy. |
| disillusion | v. To disenchant. |
| disinfect | v. To remove or destroy the poison of infectious or contagious diseases. |
| disinfectant | n. A substance used to destroy the germs of infectious diseases. |
| disinherit | v. To deprive of an inheritance. |
| disinterested | adj. Impartial. |
| disjunctive | adj. Helping or serving to disconnect or separate. |
| dislocate | v. To put out of proper place or order. |
| dismissal | n. Displacement by authority from an office or an employment. |
| dismount | v. To throw down, push off, or otherwise remove from a horse or the like. |
| disobedience | n. Neglect or refusal to comply with an authoritative injunction. |
| disobedient | adj. Neglecting or refusing to obey. |
| disown | v. To refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as connected with oneself. |
| disparage | v. To regard or speak of slightingly. |
| disparity | n. Inequality. |
| dispel | v. To drive away by or as by scattering in different directions. |
| dispensation | n. That which is bestowed on or appointed to one from a higher power. |
| displace | v. To put out of the proper or accustomed place. |
| dispossess | v. To deprive of actual occupancy, especially of real estate. |
| disputation | n. Verbal controversy. |
| disqualify | v. To debar. |
| disquiet | v. To deprive of peace or tranquillity. |
| disregard | v. To take no notice of. |
| disreputable | adj. Dishonorable or disgraceful. |
| disrepute | n. A bad name or character. |
| disrobe | v. To unclothe. |
| disrupt | v. To burst or break asunder. |
| dissatisfy | v. To displease. |
| dissect | v. To cut apart or to pieces. |
| dissection | n. The act or operation of cutting in pieces, specifically of a plant or an animal. |
| dissemble | v. To hide by pretending something different. |
| disseminate | v. To sow or scatter abroad, as seed is sown. |
| dissension | n. Angry or violent difference of opinion. |
| dissent | n. Disagreement. |
| dissentient | n. One who disagrees. |
| dissentious | adj. Contentious. |
| dissertation | n. Thesis. |
| disservice | n. An ill turn. |
| dissever | v. To divide. |
| dissimilar | adj. Different. |
| dissipate | v. To disperse or disappear. |
| dissipation | n. The state of being dispersed or scattered. |
| dissolute | adj. Lewd. |
| dissolution | n. A breaking up of a union of persons. |
| dissolve | v. To liquefy or soften, as by heat or moisture. |
| dissonance | n. Discord. |
| dissonant | adj. Harsh or disagreeable in sound. |
| dissuade | v. To change the purpose or alter the plans of by persuasion, counsel, or pleading. |
| dissuasion | n. The act of changing the purpose of or altering the plans of through persuasion, or pleading. |
| disyllable | n. A word of two syllables. |
| distemper | n. A disease or malady. |
| distend | v. To stretch out or expand in every direction. |
| distensible | adj. Capable of being stretched out or expanded in every direction. |
| distention | n. Expansion. |
| distill | v. To extract or produce by vaporization and condensation. |
| distillation | n. Separation of the more volatile parts of a substance from those less volatile. |
| distiller | n. One occupied in the business of distilling alcoholic liquors. |
| distinction | n. A note or designation of honor, officially recognizing superiority or success in studies. |
| distort | v. To twist into an unnatural or irregular form. |
| distrain | v. To subject a person to distress. |
| distrainor | n. One who subjects a person to distress. |
| distraught | adj. Bewildered. |
| distrust | n. Lack of confidence in the power, wisdom, or good intent of any person. |
| disunion | n. Separation of relations or interests. |
| diurnal | adj. Daily. |
| divagation | n. Digression. |
| divergent | adj. Tending in different directions. |
| diverse | adj. Capable of various forms. |
| diversion | n. Pastime. |
| diversity | n. Dissimilitude. |
| divert | v. To turn from the accustomed course or a line of action already established. |
| divertible | adj. Able to be turned from the accustomed course or a line of action already established. |
| divest | v. To strip, specifically of clothes, ornaments, or accouterments or disinvestment. |
| divination | n. The pretended forecast of future events or discovery of what is lost or hidden. |
| divinity | n. The quality or character of being godlike. |
| divisible | adj. Capable of being separated into parts. |
| divisor | n. That by which a number or quantity is divided. |
| divulge | v. To tell or make known, as something previously private or secret. |
| divulgence | n. A divulging. |
| docile | adj. Easy to manage. |
| docket | n. The registry of judgments of a court. |
| doe | n. The female of the deer. |
| dogma | n. A statement of religious faith or duty formulated by a body claiming authority. |
| dogmatic | adj. Making statements without argument or evidence. |
| dogmatize | v. To make positive assertions without supporting them by argument or evidence. |
| doleful | adj. Melancholy. |
| dolesome | adj. Melancholy. |
| dolor | n. Lamentation. |
| dolorous | adj. Expressing or causing sorrow or pain. |
| domain | n. A sphere or field of action or interest. |
| domesticity | n. Life in or fondness for one's home and family. |
| domicile | n. The place where one lives. |
| dominance | n. Ascendancy. |
| dominant | adj. Conspicuously prominent. |
| dominate | v. To influence controllingly. |
| domination | n. Control by the exercise of power or constituted authority. |
| domineer | v. To rule with insolence or unnecessary annoyance. |
| donate | v. To bestow as a gift, especially for a worthy cause. |
| donator | n. One who makes a donation or present. |
| donee | n. A person to whom a donation is made. |
| donor | n. One who makes a donation or present. |
| dormant | adj. Being in a state of or resembling sleep. |
| doublet | n. One of a pair of like things. |
| doubly | adv. In twofold degree or extent. |
| dowry | n. The property which a wife brings to her husband in marriage. |
| drachma | n. A modern and an ancient Greek coin. |
| dragnet | n. A net to be drawn along the bottom of the water. |
| dragoon | n. In the British army, a cavalryman. |
| drainage | n. The means of draining collectively, as a system of conduits, trenches, pipes, etc. |
| dramatist | n. One who writes plays. |
| dramatize | v. To relate or represent in a dramatic or theatrical manner. |
| drastic | adj. Acting vigorously. |
| drought | n. Dry weather, especially when so long continued as to cause vegetation to wither. |
| drowsy | adj. Heavy with sleepiness. |
| drudgery | n. Hard and constant work in any menial or dull occupation. |
| dubious | adj. Doubtful. |
| duckling | n. A young duck. |
| ductile | adj. Capable of being drawn out, as into wire or a thread. |
| duet | n. A composition for two voices or instruments. |
| dun | v. To make a demand or repeated demands on for payment. |
| duplex | adj. Having two parts. |
| duplicity | n. Double-dealing. |
| durance | n. Confinement. |
| duration | n. The period of time during which anything lasts. |
| duteous | adj. Showing submission to natural superiors. |
| dutiable | adj. Subject to a duty, especially a customs duty. |
| dutiful | adj. Obedient. |
| dwindle | v. To diminish or become less. |
| dyne | n. The force which, applied to a mass of one gram for 1 second, would give it a velocity of 1 cm/s. |