C Flashcards
(40 cards)
Cabal
Noun
A secret group seeking to overturn something:
The boys on the street formed a cabal to keep girls out of their tree house.
Synonym: circle; clique
Cacophony
Noun
Harsh; jarring noise:
The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable cacophony as they tried to tune their instrument.
Synonym: chaos; disharmony; noise
Calumny
Noun
False and malicious accusation; misrepresentation:
The unscrupulous politician used calumny to bring down his opponent in the senatorial race.
Synonym: defamation; libel; slander
Canard
Noun
A lie:
That tabloid’s feature story about a goat giving birth to a human child was clearly a canard.
Synonym: falsity; fib
Candid
Adj
Impartial and honest in speech:
The observation of a child can be charming since they’re candid and unpretentious.
Synonym: direct; frank; sincere
Capricious
Adj
Changing one’s mind quickly and often:
Queen Elizabeth I was quite capricious; her courtiers could never be sure which one would catch her fancy.
Synonym: arbitrary; erratic; whimsical
Cartography
Noun
Science of art of making maps
Castigate
Verb
To punish or criticize harshly :
Martina castigated her boyfriend for not remembering her birthday.
Synonym: admonish; chastise; upbraid; scold
Catalyst
Noun
Something that brings about a change in something else
Catholic
Adj
Universal; broad and comprehensive:
Hot tea with honey is a catholic remedy for a sore throat.
Synonym: extensive; general
Caustic
Adj
Biting in wit:
Dorothy gained her reputation for being caustic from her cutting, yet witty insult.
Synonym: acerbic; biting; mordant; trenchant
Chaos
Noun
Great disorder
Chauvinist
Noun
Someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs:
The attitude that men should earn more money than women is common among many male chauvinists.
Synonym: biased; partial
Chicanery
Noun
Deception by means of craft or guile :
Dishonest used-car salesmen often use chicanery to sell their beat-up old cars.
Synonym: artifice, deviousness
Circumspect
Adj
Cautious, aware of potential consequences:
She was circumspect in her language and behavior when introduced to her finance’s parents.
Cloying
Adj
Sickly sweet; excessive:
When Lisa and Jay first started dating, their cloying affection toward one another often made their friends ill.
Synonym: excessive; fulsome
Coalesce
Verb
To grow together to form a single whole:
The sun and planets eventually coalesced out of a vast cloud of gas and dust.
Synonym: amalgamate; blend; fuse
Coffer
Noun
Strongbox; large chest for money:
The bulletproof of glass of the coffer is what keeps the Crown Jewels secure.
Synonym: chest; treasury; war chest
Cogent
Adj
Convincing and well-reasoned:
Swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant.
Synonym: convincing; persuasive; solid
Collusion
Noun
Collaboration, complicity, conspiracy:
It came to light that the police chief and the mafia had a collusion in running the numbers racket.
Synonym: machination; connivance; intrigue
Condone
Verb
To overlook, to pardon, to disregard:
Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as condoning an air of lawlessness.
Synonym: exculpate; excuse; remit
Connoisseur
Noun
A person with expert knowledge or discriminating tastes:
Dr. Crane was a connoisseur of fine food and wine, drinking and eating only the best.
Synonym: expert; epicure
Contrite
Adj
Deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong:
After three residents were mugged in the lobby while the watchman was away from his post, he felt very contrite.
Synonym: apologetic; regretful; remorseful
Contumacious
Adj
Rebellious:
The contumacious teenager ran away from home when her parents told her she was grounded.
Synonym; factious; insubordinate; insurgent