- cabal: small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests
- cache: hiding place; V.
- cacophonous: discordant; inharmonious; N. cacophony: unpleasant mixture of loud sounds
- cadaver: corpse; dead human body
- cadaverous: like a corpse; pale
- cadence: rhythmic rise and fall ; beat; regular beat of sound; rhythm
- cajole: persuade by praise or false promise; coax; wheedle
- calamity: disaster; misery
- calculated: deliberately planned; likely
- caldron: large kettle
- caliber: ability; quality; diameter of the inside of a round cylinder; Ex. work of very high caliber
- calligraphy: beautiful writing; excellent penmanship
- callous: hardened; unfeeling; without sympathy for the sufferings of others; unkind
- callow: youthful; immature; inexperienced
- calorific: heat-producing; N. calorie
- calumny: malicious misrepresentation; slander
- camaraderie: good-fellowship; CF. comrade
- cameo: shell or jewel carved in relief; star"s special appearance in a minor role in a film
- canard: unfounded false rumor; exaggerated false report
- candor: frankness; open honesty; ADJ. candid
- canine: related to dogs; doglike
- canker: any ulcerous sore; ulcer; any evil; CF. cancer
- canny: shrewd in money matters; thrifty
- cant: insincere speech or expression of piety; jargon of thieves; special words used by a particular group of people
- cantankerous: ill-humored; irritable
- cantata: story set to music to be sung by a chorus
- canter: slow gallop; V. CF. trot
- canto: division of a long poem
- canvass: determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.; go through to solicit votes or orders; conduct a survey; N.
- capacious: spacious
- capacity: mental or physical ability; role; position or duty; ability to accommodate; Ex. in my capacity as president
- capillary: having a very fine bore; resembling a hair; fine and slender; Ex. capillary attraction; N: very fine hairlike tube; CF. capillarity
- capitulate: surrender; give up all resistance
- caprice: whim; sudden change of mind without any real cause
- capricious: unpredictable; fickle
- caption: title; chapter heading; text under illustration
- captious: faultfinding; too critical
- carafe: glass water bottle; decanter
- carapace: shell covering the back
- carat: unit of weight for precious stones; measure of the purity of gold
- carcinogenic: causing cancer; N. carcinogen
- cardinal: chief; most important; N: priest; cardinal number: number that shows quantity rather than order
- cardiologist: doctor specializing in ailments of the heart
- careen: lurch; sway from side to side; move with irregular swinging movement; stagger
- carefree: free from worries; having no problems
- caricature: distortion; burlesque
- carillon: a set of bells capable of being played
- carnage: destruction of life; slaughter; killing of large numbers of people or animals
- carnal: fleshly; sensual; concerning the desires of the body
- carnivorous: meat-eating; N. carnivore; CF. herbivore
- carousal: drunken revel; V. carouse
- carping: petty criticism; fault-finding; fretful complaining; quibble
- carrion: rotting flesh of a dead body; CF. vulture
- cartographer: map-maker
- cascade: small waterfall
- caste: one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society; social stratification; prestige
- castigation: punishment; severe criticism or disapproval
- casualty: serious or fatal accident; person killed or wounded in an accident or battle
- cataclysm: deluge; upheaval; earthquake; violent and sudden event or change
- catalyst: agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged; CF. catalysis
- catapult: slingshot; hurling machine; V: fire from catapult
- cataract: great waterfall; eye abnormality
- catastrophe: calamity ; disaster
- catcall: shout of disapproval or displeasure ; boo; V.
- catechism: book for religious instruction in question-and-answer form; religious instruction by question and answer; V. catechize
- categorical: without exceptions; made without any doubt in mind; unqualified; absolute
- catharsis: purging or cleansing of any passage of the body; purging and weakening of strong emotions as a result of experiencing a dramatic work of art
- cathartic: purgative; medicine that causes the bowels to empty; ADJ.
- catholic: universal; general; broad; including many different parts; wide-ranging liberal; Ex. catholic opinions/tastes
- caucus: private meeting of a group of people in a political party to select officers or determine policy; CF. the Caucus club of Boston
- caulk: make watertight
- causal: implying a cause-and-effect relationship; N. causality
- caustic: burning; corrosive; able to burn by chemical action; sarcastically biting; intended to hurt; bitter; harmful; OP. harmless
- cauterize: burn with hot iron or caustic substance to stop bleeding and prevent infection
- cavalcade: procession of riders or horse-drawn carriages; parade; CF. cavalry
- cavalier: casual and offhand; arrogant; N: knight
- cavil: quibble; make frivolous objections; find fault unnecessarily
- cede: yield to ; surrender formally; N. cession
- celerity: speed; rapidity
- celestial: heavenly
- celibate: abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried; N. celibacy
- censor: overseer of morals ; person who eliminates inappropriate matter; V.
- censorious: severely critical
- censure: blame; criticize; express strong disapproval; N: severe criticism; strong disapproval
- centaur: mythical figure, half man and half horse
- centigrade: denoting a widely used temperature scale
- centrifugal: radiating; departing from the center
- centrifuge: machine that separates substances by whirling them
- centripetal: tending toward the center
- centurion: Roman army officer
- cerebral: pertaining to the brain or intellect; intellectual rather than emotional; CF. cerebrum
- cerebration: thought; working of the brain
- ceremonious: marked by formality; extremely formal and polite; CF. ceremony: conventional social courtesy
- certitude: certainty
- cessation: stoppage
- cession: yielding to another; ceding
- chafe: warm by rubbing; make sore by rubbing; N.
- chaff: worthless products of an endeavor; husk separated from grain; Ex. separate the wheat from the chaff
- chaffing: bantering; joking
- chagrin: annoyance and disappointment; vexation
- chalice: goblet; consecrated cup
- chameleon: lizard that changes color in different situations
- champion: support militantly; fight for; N: person who fights for or supports strongly
- chaotic: in utter disorder
- chapel: small church (in a prison, college, or hospital)
- chaplain: clergyman attached to a chapel
- charisma: divine gift; great popular charm or appeal; magnetism
- charlatan: quack; pretender to knowledge
- chary: cautious; unwilling to take risks; sparing or restrained about giving; OP. bold
- chase: ornament a metal surface by indenting; follow rapidly to catch
- chasm: abyss; very deep crack
- chassis: framework and working parts of an automobile; framework to which components are attached
- chaste: morally pure; virginal; abstaining from illicit sexual acts; modest; simple ; not highly decorated; austere
- chasten: discipline; punish in order to correct; CF. castigate
- chastise: punish as by beating; criticize severely
- chauvinist: blindly devoted patriot; zealous adherent of a group, cause, or sex; ADJ. chauvinistic; CF. chauvinism; Nicolas Chauvin
- check: stop motion; curb or restrain
- checkered: marked by great changes in fortune; with many changes of fortune; CF. checked: having a pattern of squares
- cherubic: angelic; innocent-looking; N. cherub; CF. seraph: winged angel of the highest order
- chicanery: trickery; deception
- chide: scold; rebuke
- chimerical: fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; N. chimera: unreal fancy; fire-breathing female creature
- chisel: swindle or cheat; N: wedgelike tool for cutting
- chivalrous: courteous; faithful; brave; N. chivalry
- choleric: hot-tempered; bad-tempered; irritable; easily angered; CF. cholera
- choreography: art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances
- chortle: chuckle with delight; N.
- chronic: long established as a disease
- chronicle: report; record
- churlish: boorish; rude; N. churl: boor; yahoo
- ciliated: having minute hairs; CF. cilium; CF. cilia: eyelash
- cipher: nonentity; worthless person or thing; zero; secret code; V.
- circlet: small ring; band of gold, silver, jewel, etc.
- circuitous: roundabout
- circumlocution: indirect or roundabout expression
- circumscribe: limit; confine; draw a line around
- circumspect: prudent; cautious; acting after careful thought
- circumvent: outwit; defeat by behaving more cleverly; outsmart; baffle; avoid; get around
- cistern: reservoir or water tank
- citadel: fortress
- cite: quote; commend; Ex. cited for bravery in an official record
- civil: having to do with citizens; not military or religious; courteous and polite; Ex. married in a civil ceremony; Ex. civil strife/disorder/law; N. civility; CF. civic
- clairvoyant: having foresight; fortune teller; N. clairvoyance
- clamber: climb by crawling with difficulties; scramble
- clamor: loud continuous noise; continuous demand or complaint made by a large number of people; V: make a clamor; express continually and loudly; ADJ. clamorous
- clandestine: secret
- clangor: loud resounding noise; sound of repeated clanging
- clapper: striker of a bell
- clarion: shrill, trumpetlike sound; kind of trumpet used in former times
- claustrophobia: fear of being locked in
- clavicle: collarbone
- cleave: split or sever; cling to; remain faithful to; N. cleavage; ADJ. cloven
- cleft: split
- clemency: disposition to be lenient in deciding punishments; mildness as of the weather; ADJ. clement
- cliche: phrase dulled in meaning by repetition; platitude; ADJ. cliched
- clientele: body of customers
- climactic: relating to the highest point; N. climax; CF. climatic
- clime: climate
- clique: small exclusive group of people
- cloister: monastery or convent
- clout: great influence ; hard blow with fist
- cloying: distasteful ; excessively sweet or sentimental; V. cloy: become unpleasant through too much sweetness or excess
- coagulate: congeal; thicken; clot; N. coagulant
- coalesce: combine; fuse; N. coalescence
- coalition: partnership; league; union of separate political parties
- coda: concluding section of a musical or literary composition
- coddle: treat gently; indulge excessively; pamper; mollycoddle; baby; cook in water just below boiling point; Ex. coddled eggs
- codicil: supplement to the body of a will; later addition to a will
- codify: arrange as a code; classify; N. code: system of words used instead of ordinary writing; collection of laws, rules, established social customs
- coercion: use of force to get someone to object; compelling; V. coerce
- coeval: living at the same time as; existing during the same period of time; contemporary; of the same age
- cog: tooth projecting from a wheel
- cogent: convincing
- cogitate: think over; ponder
- cognate: having a common origin; related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature; Ex. cognate languages; N.
- cognitive: having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental processes; N. cognition: the mental process of knowing
- cognizance: knowledge; ADJ. cognizant; having knowledge; aware
- cohabit: live together
- cohere: stick together
- cohesion: tendency to keep together
- cohorts: group of people who share some common quality; armed band; a group of between 300 and 600 soldiers under one commander
- coiffure: hairstyle
- coin: make coins; invent or fabricate ; N. coinage: word or phrase recently invented
- coincidence: the chance occurrence, at the same time, of two or more seemingly connected events; V. coincide: happen at the same time; be in agreement; CF. coincident; CF. coincidental
- colander: utensil with perforated bottom used for straining
- collaborate: work together; cooperate treasonably with the enemy
- collage: work of art put together from fragments
- collate: examine and compare in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order
- collateral: security given for loan; ADJ: secondary; descended from the same person but through different sons or daughters
- collation: a light meal; collating
- colloquial: pertaining to conversational or common speech; informal; N. colloquialism: colloquial expression
- colloquy: informal discussion; conversation
- collusion: conspiring in a fraudulent scheme to cheat or deceive others; V. collude
- colossal: huge
- colossus: gigantic statue; person or thing of great size or importance
- comatose: in a coma; extremely sleepy
- combustible: easily burned; N. CF. combustion
- comely: attractive; agreeable; having a pleasing appearance
- comestible: something fit to be eaten
- comeuppance: deserts; well-deserved punishment or misfortune; rebuke
- comity: courtesy; civility; Ex. comity of nations
- commandeer: take for military use without needing permission or giving payment; draft for military purposes
- commemorative: remembering; honoring the memory of; Ex. commemorative stamp
- commensurate: equal in extent; of the same size
- commiserate: feel or express pity or sympathy for
- commodious: spacious and comfortable
- communal: held in common; public; of a group of people; of a commune
- compact: agreement; contract; ADJ: tightly packed; firm; brief; concise; Ex. compact statement
- compassion: sympathy for the suffering of others; ADJ. compassionate
- compatible: harmonious; in harmony with; able to exist together
- compelling: overpowering; irresistible in effect; holding one's attention; that compels one to do something; Ex. a compelling adventure story; V. compel
- compendium: brief, comprehensive summary; ADJ. compendious
- compensatory: making up for; repaying
- compilation: listing of information in tabular or book form; compiling
- compile: assemble; gather; accumulate; make from facts and information found in various places; Ex. compile a dictionary
- complacency: self-satisfaction; smugness; ADJ. complacent
- complaisant: trying to please; obliging; willing to please others
- complement: complete; consummate; make perfect; N.
- complementary: serving to complete something
- compliance: conformity in fulfilling requirements; readiness to yield; disposition to yield to others; V. comply
- compliant: readily acting in accordance with a rule, order, or the wishes or others; yielding; conforming to requirements
- complicity: participation; involvement
- component: element; ingredient
- comport: bear one's self; behave; Ex. comport oneself; N. comportment
- composure: mental calmness
- compound: combine; produce by combining; increase; make worse by adding to or increasing; exacerbate; Ex. compound an error; ADJ: consisting of two or more parts; N: combination of two or more parts; area enclosed by a wall containing a group of buildings; Ex. factory compound; CF. complex
- comprehensive: broad; including a lot or everything; thorough; inclusive
- compress: force into less space; squeeze; contract; put into fewer words; N: thick mass of cloth pressed to part of the body to stop bleeding or swelling, reduce fever, etc.
- comprise: include; consist of
- compromise: adjust or settle by making mutual concessions; endanger the interests or reputation of; put into danger, disrepute, or a dishonorable position; Ex. compromise one's principle; N.
- compunction: remorse; strong uneasiness caused by guilt
- compute: reckon; calculate
- concatenate: link as in a chain
- concave: hollow; curved inwards; OP. convex
- concede: admit; acknowledge as being true ; yield; grant; Ex. concede a goal
- conceit: vanity or self-love; too high opinion of one's own value; extravagant metaphor
- concentric: having a common center
- conception: beginning; forming of an idea; fertilization; V. conceive: form an idea in the mind; devise; become pregnant; CF. inception
- concerted: mutually agreed on; done together by agreement; Ex. concerted effort; CF. in concert: working together
- concession: an act of yielding; conceding; something conceded; point, right, etc. given unwillingly; privilege of maintaining a business in a certain place; Ex. oil concessions in the North sea; CF. concessionaire
- conciliatory: reconciling; soothing; V. conciliate: reconcile; soothe; win the friendly feelings
- concise: brief and compact
- conclave: private secret meeting
- conclusive: decisive; ending all debate
- concoct: prepare by mixing or combining; make up in concert; devise so as to deceive; Ex. concoct an elaborate excuse for being late; N. concoction
- concomitant: that which accompanies; Ex. Deafness is a frequent concomitant of old age; ADJ: existing or happening together with something else
- concord: harmony; accord
- concur: agree; coincide; happen at the same time
- concurrent: happening at the same time; in agreement
- condescend: bestow courtesies with a superior air; descend to the level of one considered inferior
- condign: adequate; severe and well deserved
- condiments: seasonings; spices
- condole: express condolences; N. condolence: sympathy for someone who has experienced great sorrow
- condone: overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse
- conducive: helpful; contributive; V. conduce; Ex. conduce to/towards
- conduit: aqueduct; passageway for fluids
- confidant: trusted friend
- confine: shut in an enclosed space; restrict; keep within limits; N. confinement
- confiscate: seize; take possession of by official order ; commandeer
- conflagration: great fire
- confluence: flowing together; the place where two rivers flow together; crowd; gathering together
- conformity: harmony; agreement with established rules or customs; similarity; Ex. behave in conformity with; V. conform: be similar; act in agreement; comply; Ex. conform to the rule; CF. conformance
- confound: confuse; puzzle
- congeal: freeze; coagulate
- congenial: pleasant; friendly; in agreement with one's tastes and nature; Ex. congenial weather
- congenital: existing at birth
- conglomeration: mass of material sticking together
- congruence: correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship; CF. congruity
- congruent: in agreement; harmonious; corresponding; coinciding exactly; CF. congruous
- conifer: pine tree ; cone-bearing tree; ADJ. coniferous; CF. deciduous; CF. evergreen
- conjecture: surmise; guess; V.
- conjugal: pertaining to marriage
- conjure: cause to appear by magic; summon by magical power; practice magic ; evoke; conjure up: bring into the mind; Ex. The magician conjured a rabbit out of his hat.
- connivance: pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend; V. connive: feign ignorance ; cooperate secretly in an illegal action; conspire
- connoisseur: person competent to act as a judge of art, etc. ; a lover of an art
- connotation: suggested or implied meaning of an expression; V. connote
- connubial: pertaining to marriage or the matrimonial state
- consanguinity: kinship; relationship by birth
- conscientious: scrupulous; through and careful; Ex. conscientious worker
- conscript: draftee; person forced into military service; V.
- consecrate: dedicate; sanctify; declare as sacred; Ex. consecrate one's life to helping the poor
- consensus: general agreement; opinion reached by a group
- consequential: self-important; significant; consequent; following as a result; Ex. consequential air; CF. subsequent
- conservatory: school of the fine arts ; glass-enclosed area; CF. conservancy
- consign: send to a person or place for sale; deliver officially; entrust; put into the care of another; set apart ; N. consignment; CF. consignor, consignee
- consistency: absence of contradictions; uniformity; degree of thickness or firmness; Ex. consistency of thick cream; CF. viscous
- console: lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort; allay the sorrow of; N. consolation
- consolidation: unification; process of becoming firmer or stronger; V. consolidate: merge; strengthen
- consonance: harmony; agreement
- consort: associate with; keep company; N: husband or wife
- conspiracy: treacherous plot; secret plan against the law
- constituent: supporter; voter; member of a constituency; component
- constraint: restraint; compulsion; repression of feelings; reticence; V. constrain: hold back; restrain; compel; oblige; confine forcibly; imprison
- construe: explain; interpret; Ex. construe her silence as meaning that she agreed; CF. misconstrue
- consummate: complete; V.
- contagion: infection ; ADJ. contagious; CF. infectious: that can be passed by infection in the air
- contaminate: pollute
- contempt: scorn; disdain; ADJ. contemptuous; CF. contemptible
- contend: struggle; compete; assert earnestly; state strongly
- contention: assertion; claim; thesis; struggling; competition
- contentious: quarrelsome; controversial; likely to cause arguments
- contest: dispute; argue about the rightness of; compete for; try to win; Ex. contest the election results; Ex. contest a seat in Parliament; N.
- context: writings preceding and following the passage quoted; circumstance in which an event occurs
- contiguous: adjacent to; touching upon
- continence: self-restraint; sexual chastity; sexual abstinence; voluntary control over bladder and bowel functions; ADJ. continent
- contingent: dependent on something uncertain or in the future; conditional; happening by chance; accidental; N: a group of soldiers, ships to a larger force; CF. contingency: future event that may or may not occur; possibility; Ex. prepare for every contingency
- contortions: twistings; distortions; V. contort: twist violently out of shape; CF. contortionist
- contraband: illegal trade; smuggling; smuggled goods; ADJ.
- contravene: contradict; oppose; violate ; N. contravention
- contrite: penitent; repentant; N. contrition
- contrived: unnatural and forced; artificial; not spontaneous; Ex. The ending was rather contrived.
- controvert: oppose with arguments; attempt to refute; contradict; ADJ. controversial; N. controversy
- contumacious: stubborn and disobedient; resisting authority
- contusion: bruise
- conundrum: riddle; difficult problem
- convene: come together; assemble; call to meet; Ex. convene the council
- convention: social or moral custom; established practice; formal meeting; international agreement
- conventional: ordinary; typical; not nuclear; Ex. conventional weapons
- converge: approach; tend to meet; come together
- conversant: familiar with; having knowledge of
- converse: opposite; ADJ.
- convert: one who has adopted a different religion or opinion; V: change into another form; adopt a particular religion or belief
- convex: curving outward
- conveyance: vehicle; transfer; act of conveying; Ex. public conveyance
- conviction: judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief
- convivial: pleasantly merry; festive; joyous; gay; characterized by joviality; jovial
- convoke: call together; Ex. convoke Parliament; N. convocation
- convoluted: coiled around; twisted; involved; complicated; intricate; complex; N. convolution: twist; one of the convex folds of the surface of the brain
- copious: plentiful
- coquette: flirt; flirtatious woman; woman who tries to attract the admiration of men without sincere feelings; V.
- cordial: warmly friendly; gracious; heartfelt; Ex. cordial welcome
- cordon: extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress; V.
- cornice: projecting molding on building
- cornucopia: horn overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of abundance; horn of plenty
- corollary: natural consequence
- coroner: public official who investigates any death thought to be of other than natural causes
- corporeal: bodily ; of a bodily form; material; tangible
- corpulent: very fat; N. corpulence
- correlation: mutual relationship
- corroborate: confirm; support; strengthen
- corrode: destroy or wear away gradually by chemical action
- corrosive: eating away by chemicals or disease; fierce
- corrugated: wrinkled; ridged
- cosmic: pertaining to the universe; vast
- coterie: group that meets socially; select circle; close group of people with shared interests
- countenance: approve; support; tolerate; Ex. countenance his rude behavior; N: face; appearance
- countermand: cancel; revoke
- counterpart: thing that completes another; things very much alike; thing that has the same purpose in a different system
- coup: highly successful action or sudden attack; coup d"etat; CF. coup de grace: deathblow or shot which kills
- couple: join; unite; OP. uncouple
- courier: messenger
- court: attempt to gain; seek; woo; risk; behave so as to invite; attempt to gain the favor of by attention; Ex. court disaster
- covenant: binding agreement between two groups or people; compact; V: enter into a covenant; promise
- covert: secret; hidden; implied; OP. overt
- covetous: avaricious; desirous of ; V. covet: desire eagerly
- cow: terrorize; intimidate
- cower: shrink quivering as from fear; cringe
- coy: shy ; showing a lack of self-confidence; modest; coquettish; CF. job offer
- cozen: cheat; hoodwink; swindle
- crabbed: sour; bad-tempered; peevish; difficult to read as handwriting
- crass: very unrefined; grossly insensible; crude and undiscriminating; Ex. crass behavior
- craven: cowardly
- credence: belief
- credo: creed
- credulity: belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naivete; ADJ. credulous
- creed: system of religious or ethical belief
- crescendo: increase in the volume or intensity as in a musical passage; climax; CF. crescent
- crestfallen: dejected; dispirited
- crevice: crack; fissure
- cringe: shrink back as if in fear; cower
- criteria: standards used in judging; CF. criterion
- crone: hag; ugly old woman
- crotchety: eccentric; odd; whimsical; bad-tempered; N. crotchet: odd or whimsical notion
- crux: essential or main point; Ex. the crux of the problem; ADJ. crucial: of deciding importance
- crypt: secret recess or vault usually used for burial; underground room
- cryptic: mysterious; hidden; secret
- cubicle: small chamber used for sleeping or work
- cuisine: style of cooking; Ex. French cuisine
- culinary: relating to cooking or kitchen
- cull: pick out from others ; reject; select; collect ; N.
- culmination: highest point; climax; V. culminate in: reach the highest point in; end in; Ex. a series of minor clashes culminating in war
- culpable: deserving blame; blameworthy
- culvert: artificial channel for water; drain crossing under a road
- cumbersome: heavy and awkward to carry or wear; burdensome; Ex. cumbersome parcel/uniform
- cumulative: growing by addition; accumulative
- cupidity: greed ; CF. cupid; CF. Cupid
- curator: superintendent; manager
- curb: chain or strap used with a bit to restrain a horse; something that checks; V: check; restrain
- curmudgeon: churlish, miserly individual; bad-tempered old person
- cursive: flowing; running; having the successive letters joined
- cursory: casual; hastily done with little attention to detail
- curtail: shorten; reduce
- cynical: skeptical or distrustful of human motives; N. cynicism; CF. cynic: person who believes all people are motivated by selfishness
- cynosure: object of general attention; person or thing that is a center of attention; CF. Ursa Minor