C Flashcards
Cacophony
Harsh-sounding mixture of words, voices, or sounds
Cadence
Rhythm; the rise and fall of sounds
Cajole
To persuade someone to do something he or she doesn’t want to do
Callow
Immature
Candor
Truthfulness; sincere honesty
Captitalism
An economic system in which businesses are owned by private citizens (not by the government) and in which the resulting products and services are sold with relatively little government control
Capitulate
To surrender; to give up or give in
Capricious
Unpredictable; likely to change at any moment
Caricature
A portrait or description that is purposely distorted or exaggerated, often to prove some point about its subject
Castigate
To criticize severely; to chastise
Catalyst
Anyone or anything that makes something happen without being directly involved in it
Categorical
Unconditional; absolute
Catharsis
Purification that brings emotional relief or renewal
Catholic
Universal; embracing everything
Caustic
Like acid; corrosive
Celibacy
Abstinence from sex
Censure
To condemn severely for doing something bad
Cerebral
Brainy; intellectually refined
Chagrin
Humiliation; embarrassed disappointment
Charisma
A magical-seeming ability to attract followers or inspire loyalty
Charlatan
Fraud; quack; con man
Chasm
A deep, gaping hole; a gorge
Chastise
To inflict punishment on; to discipline
Chicanery
Trickery; deceitfulness; artifice, especially legal or political
Chimera
An illusion; a foolish fancy
Choleric
Hot-tempered; quick to anger
Chronic
Constant; lasting a long time; inveterate
Chronicle
A record of events in order of time; a history
Circuitous
Roundabout; not following a direct path
Circumlocution
An indirect expression; use of wordy or language
Circumscribe
To draw a line around; to set the limits; to define; to restrict
Circumspect
Cautious
Circumvent
To frustrate as though by surrounding
Civil
Polite; civilized; courteous
Clemency
Mercy; forgiveness; mildness
Cliché
An overused saying or idea
Clique
An exclusive group bound together by some shared quality or interest
Coalesce
To come together as one; to fuse; to unite
Coerce
To force someone to do or not to do something
Cogent
Powerfully convincing
Cognitive
Dealing with how we know the world around us through our senses; mental
Cognizant
Aware; conscious
Coherent
Holding together; making sense
Colloquial
Conversational; informal in language
Collusion
Conspiracy; secret cooperation
Commensurate
Equal; proportionate
Compelling
Forceful; causing to yield
Compendium
A summary; an abridgment
Complacent
Self-satisfied; overly pleased with oneself; contented to a fault
Complement
To complete or fill up; to be the perfect counterpart
Complicity
Participation in wrongdoing; the act of being an accomplice
Comprehensive
Covering or including everything
Comprise
To consist of
Conciliatory
Making peace; attempting to resolve a dispute through goodwill
Concise
Brief and to the point; succinct
Concord
Harmony; agreement
Concurrent
Happening at the same time; parallel
Condescend
To stoop to someone else’s level, usually in an offensive way; to patronize
Condone
To overlook; to permit to happen
Conducive
Promoting
Confluence
A flowing together, especially of rivers; the place where they being to flow together
Congenial
Agreeably suitable; pleasant
Congenital
Describing a trait or condition acquired between conception and birth; innate
Congregate
To come together
Conjecture
To guess; to deduce or infer on slight evidence
Conjure
To summon or bring into being as if by magic
Connoisseur
An expert, particularly in matters of art or taste
Consecrate
To make or declare sacred
Consensus
Unanimity or general agreement
Consonant
Harmonious; in agreement
Construe
To interpret
Consummate
Perfect; complete; supremely skillful
Contentious
Argumentative; quarrelsome
Contiguous
Side by side; adjoining
Contingent
Dependent; possible
Contrite
Admitting guilt; especially feeling remorseful
Contrived
Artificial; labored
Conventional
Common; customary; unexceptional
Convival
Fond of partying; festive
Copious
Abundant; plentiful
Corollary
Something that follows; a natural consequence
Corroborate
To confirm; to back up with evidence
Cosmopolitan
At home in many places or situations; internationally sophisticated
Countenance
Face; facial expression, especially an encouraging one
Coup
A brilliant victory or accomplishment; the violent overthrow of a government by a small internal group
Covenant
A solemn agreement; a contract; a pledge
Covert
Secret; hidden
Covet
To wish for enviously
Credulous
Eager to believe; gullible
Criterion
Standard; basis for judgement
Cryptic
Mysterious; mystifying
Culinary
Relating to cooking or the kitchen
Culminate
To climax; to reach full effect
Culpable
Deserving blame; guilty
Cursory
Hasty; superficial
Curtail
To shorten; to cut short
Cynic
One who deeply distrusts human nature; one who believes humans are motivated only by selfishness
Complaisant
Someone who is willing or eager to please other people, or is easily convinced to do what other people want
