C Flashcards
Cabal
a scheme or plot a group of plotters
Cadge
to beg; to get by begging
Cagey
wary, cautious; Reluctant to give information owing to caution or suspicion.
Cajole
use flattery or deceit to persuade
Calamitous
involving calamity; catastrophic or disastrous.
Calibrate
- make fine adjustments or divide into marked intervals for optimal measuring;
- measure the caliber of;
- mark (the scale of a measuring instrument) so that it can be read in the desired units
Calipers
metal supports attached to the legs measuring instrument
Calisthenics
exercises to develop strong bodies
Callous
feeling or showing no sympathy for others
Callow
young and inexperienced
Calumny
a false and slanderous statement.
Camaraderie
the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability
Candid
openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness; informal or natural; especially caught off guard or unprepared; characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
Candor
- the quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech;
- ability to make judgments free from discrimination or dishonesty
Canny
having or showing shrewdness and good judgment, especially in money or business matters.
Canonize
treat or regard as being above reproach or of great significance.
Cant
- insincere talk/jargon
- a slope in the turn of a road or track
Cantankerous
bad-tempered/quarrelsome
Canvass
discuss thoroughly sort of touting
Caprice (adj. Capricious)
a sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior.
At length, when they were fully out of earshot, Manners himself stopped, thinking that he had humoured his companion’s caprices far enough.
Captor
a person who entraps and holds someone else
Caret
A mark (‸, ⁁) placed below the line to indicate a proposed insertion in a printed or written text.
Caricature
a representation of a person that is exaggerated for comic effect; verb represent in or produce a caricature of
Castigate (n.Castigation)
to chastise; correct by punishing
Catalyst
a person or thing that precipitates an event
Catastrophe
an event causing great and often sudden damage or suffering; a disaster.
Catholic
- free from provincial prejudices or attachments;
- of or relating to or supporting Catholicism;
- noun: a member of a Catholic church
Caustic
- biting, sarcastic;
- capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
Cavalcade
A formal procession of people walking, on horseback, or riding in vehicles.
Cavern
a large cave or a large chamber in a cave
Celebrated
having an illustrious past; widely known and esteemed
Censor
a person authorized to suppress unacceptable material
Censure
- harsh criticism or disapproval; the state of being excommunicated;
- verb: rebuke formally
Centurion
leader of a unit of 100 soldiers
Cerebral
intellectual rather than emotional or physical.
Cessation
a stopping
Chagrin
distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated.
Champion
- holding first place in a contest;
- noun: someone who fights for a cause; someone who has won first place in a competition; someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field; a person who backs a politician or a team etc.;
- verb: protect or fight for as a champion
Charter
a document creating an institution and specifying its rights
Chary
cautious; wary
Many, perhaps chary of the misspelling bell, backed away slowly after their word.
Chaste
pure
Chastened
corrected; punished
Chastisement
punishment
Chauvinist
a blindly devoted patriot; elitist
Check
stop or slow down the progress of (something undesirable).
Cherish
protect and care for (someone) lovingly.
Chicane
deception
Chicanery
legal trickery/false argument
Chisel
steel tool for shaping materials
Chortle
loud chuckle of pleasure or amusement
Churl
bad-tempered person
Churlish
(adj) boorish
Circumlocution
an indirect way of expressing something
Circumspect
heedful of potential consequences
Circumstantial
pointing indirectly toward someone’s guilt but not conclusively proving it.
Cite
- a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage;
- verb: call in an official matter, such as to attend court;
- advance evidence for; commend; repeat a passage from; refer to for illustration or proof; make reference to; refer to
Claim
assert or affirm strongly
Clamor
shout complain with a lot of noise
Clangor
a continuous loud banging or ringing sound.
Clearheaded
alert and thinking logically and coherently.
Clerical
- (of a job or person) concerned with or relating to work in an office, especially routine documentation and administrative tasks.
- relating to the clergy.
Clientele
customers
Clinch
come to grips/settle conclusively
Cling
to resist separation
Cloak
hide, cover, or disguise (something).
Clot
half-solid lump formed from liquid
Cloture
closing device (in Parliament) to end a debate by voting
Clumsy
done awkwardly or without skill or elegance.
Coagulation
change to a thick and solid state
agent: coagulant
They were all suitable coagulants when used in quantity calculated from the discovered acidity, but produced rubber darker than ordinary when air-dried.
Coalesce
come together to form one mass or whole.
Coalescing
coming together and uniting into one substance
Coax
get somebody to do something by kindness
Coda
passage that completes a piece of music
Coddle
treat with care and tenderness
Code
- a coding system used for transmitting messages requiring brevity or secrecy;
- (computer science) the symbolic arrangement of data or instructions in a computer program or the set of such instructions; a set of rules or principles or laws (especially written ones);
- verb: attach a code to; convert ordinary language into code
Coerce
compel to force to make obedient
Coeval
of the same period; coexisting
Cogent
(of an argument or case) clear, logical, and convincing.
Cogitate
think deeply; mediate
Cognizance
range or scope of what is perceived; range of what one can know or understand; having knowledge of
Cognizant
being fully aware of
Coherent
(of an argument, theory, or policy) logical and consistent.
Cohort
a group or band of people
Colander
bowl-shaped vessel with many holes used to drain off water
Colloquial
involving or using conversation.
Collusion
secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others.
Combustion
process of burning
Commemorate
keep the memory of
Commensurate
corresponding in size or degree; in proportion.
“He was terribly hyper, ambitious,” Mr. Evtushenkov said — and thus, he implied, forgot the rule about operating commensurate with political influence.
Commentator
an expert who observes and remarks on something
Commiserate
to feel or express sympathy or compassion
Commodious
having plenty of space for what is needed
Commonplace
a trite saying or topic; a platitude, a usual or ordinary thing.
Commuter
person who travels regularly
Compel
force or oblige (someone) to do something.
Compete
compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others
Complacent
showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.
Complaisance (adj. Complaisant)
tending to comply obliging willingness to please
Complementary
acting or serving to complete; completing.
Compliance
unworthy or excessive acquiescence.
Compliant
disposed or willing to comply
Compliment
- a remark (or act) expressing praise and admiration;
- verb: say something to someone that expresses praise; express respect or esteem for
Complimentary
- conveying or resembling a compliment;
- costing nothing
Composure
steadiness of mind under stress
Compounded
- combined into or constituting a chemical compound
- make (something bad) worse; intensify the negative aspects of.
Comprehensive
- including all or everything; broad in scope;
- noun: an intensive examination testing a student’s proficiency in some special field of knowledge
Compunction
feeling of regret for one’s action
Conceal
hide; keep secret
Concede
give over
Conceit
over-high opinion of too much pride
Concession
the act of yielding
Conciliatory
intended or likely to overcome animosity or hostility; making or willing to make concessions
Concoct
invent, prepare by mixing together
Concomitant
naturally accompanying or associated / (n) a phenomenon that naturally accompanies or follows something
Concord
agreement or harmony
Concur
agree in opinion; happen together
Condense
increase in density, strength; make laconic
Condescending (verb. Condescend)
(used of behavior or attitude) characteristic of those who treat others with condescension
Condign
(of punishment or retribution) Appropriate to the crime or wrongdoing; fitting and deserved;
Conditional
subject to one or more conditions or requirements being met; made or granted on certain terms.
Condone
accept and allow (behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive) to continue.
Conduce (n. Conducive)
To bring about
Confidential
given in secret
Confine
place limits on
Conflagration
a very intense and uncontrolled fire
There are concerns that the conflict could cause a regional conflagration that sucks in neighboring countries.
Conflate
mix together different elements
Confound
cause surprise or confusion in (someone), especially by acting against their expectations.
Confrontation
discord resulting from a clash of ideas or opinions
Congeal
make or become stiff and solid
Congruent
corresponding in character or kind
Conifer
a type of tree or shrub bearing cones
Conjecture
- reasoning that involves the formation of conclusions from incomplete evidence; a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence); a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence;
- verb: to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
Conjoin
to join together
Conjure
summon into action or bring into existence
Connoisseur
a person with good judgement (e.g.. in art)
Connotation
suggestion; in addition to
Connote
Suggest or imply in addition to the precise, literal meaning
Conscript
enroll into service compulsorily
Consensus
a general agreement.
Consequential
having important issues or results
Consign
give over to another for care or safekeeping
Console
give comfort or sympathy to
Conspicuous
standing out so as to be clearly visible.
Conspire
act in agreement and in secret towards a deceitful purpose
Consternation
surprise and fear; dismay
Constrain
compel or restrict
Constraining
restricting the scope or freedom of action
Constrict
make tight or smaller
Consume
get to the end of
Consummate
perfect/make; perfect/complete
Contemn
to scorn or despise
Contemporary
living or occurring at the same time.
Contemptuous
feeling or expressing angry disgust, as at something unworthy or wicked; scornful.
Contend
- struggle to surmount (a difficulty or danger).
- assert something as a position in an argument.
- engage in a competition or campaign in order to win or achieve (something).
Contentious
argumentative, pugnacious, combative, quarrelsome
Contentment
a state of happiness and satisfaction.
Contiguous
touching, neighboring, near
Continence
self-control, abstention from sexual activity
Contingent
- uncertain because of uncontrollable circumstances; determined by conditions or circumstances not yet established; possible but not certain to occur;
- noun: a gathering of persons representative of some larger group; a temporary military unit
Contravene
Violate the prohibition or order of (a law, treaty, or code of conduct).
Conflict with (a right, principle, etc.), esp. to its detriment.
Contrite
feeling regret for a fault or offense; feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses
Controversial
marked by or capable of causing disagreement
Contumacious
insubordinate, rebellious
Conundrum
a confusing and difficult problem or question.
Conviction
convincing, firm, belief
Convoke
call together, summon
Convoluted
(especially of an argument, story, or sentence) extremely complex and difficult to follow.
Cope
(of a person) deal effectively with something difficult.
Copious
abundant in supply or quantity.
Cordial
warm and sincere
Cordon
line (of police acting as a guard)
Cornucopia
abundant supply
Corporal
affecting the body as opposed to the mind or spirit
Corporeal
physical of or for the body
Correlate
have a mutual relation
Corroborate
confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding).
Corroboration
additional strengthening evidence
Coruscate
sparkle
Cosmopolitan
- of worldwide scope or applicability; composed of people from or at home in many parts of the world; especially not provincial in attitudes or interests; growing or occurring in many parts of the world;
- noun: a sophisticated person who has travelled in many countries
Countenance
to favor or approve of
Countercultural
a culture with values and mores that run counter to those of established society.
Counterfeit
a fraudulent imitation of something else; a forgery.
Counterintuitive
contrary to intuition or to common-sense expectation (but often nevertheless true).
Counterproductive
having the opposite of the desired effect.
Countervail
counterbalance
Covert
not openly acknowledged or displayed
Covetous (v. Covet)
eagerly, desirous
Cow
cause (someone) to submit to one’s wishes by intimidation.
Cower
crouch, shrink back, show fear
Coy
shy/modest (especially of a girl)
Cozen
to mislead by trick or fraud; deceive
Craft
- a vehicle designed for navigation in or on water or air or through outer space;
- shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception;
- skill in an occupation or trade; people who perform a particular kind of skilled work; the skilled practice of a practical occupation;
- verb make by hand and with much skill
Crafty
clever at achieving one’s aims by indirect or deceitful methods.
Crass
without refinement or sensitivity; gross.
Cravat
piece of linen worn as a necktie
Crave
have an appetite or great desire for
Craven
cowardly
Crease
line made by crushing white line on the ground in cricket
Credible
appearing to merit belief or acceptance; capable of being believed; a common but incorrect usage where `credulous’ would be appropriate
Credulity
too great a readiness to believe things
Credulous
having or showing too great a readiness to believe things.
Crestfallen
sad and disappointed.
Crockery
ceramic dishes used for serving food
Crumble
break or fall apart into fragments; fall apart; fall into decay or ruin
Crush
press, lose shape, subdue, overwhelm
Cryptic
secret with a hidden meaning
Culpable
deserving blame or censure as being wrong or injurious
Culprit
someone who perpetrates wrongdoing
Cumbersome
burdensome; heavy and awkward to carry
Cunning
having or showing skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit or evasion.
Cupid
a symbol for love in the form of a cherubic naked boy with wings and a bow and arrow; (Roman mythology) god of love; counterpart of Greek Eros
Curb
the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess
Curmudgeon
bad-tempered person
Curriculum
course of study
Cursory
hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed.
Curtail
to make less by or as if by cutting off or away some part
Cynical
believing that people are motivated by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity.
