C Flashcards
camaraderie
(noun) a spirit of friendship.
Spending long days and nights together on the road, the members of a traveling theater group develop a strong sense of camaraderie.
candor
(noun) openness, honesty, frankness.
In his memoir about the Vietnam War, former defense secretary McNamara described his mistakes with remarkable candor.
candid (adjective)
capricious
(adjective) unpredictable, whimsical.
The pop star Madonna has changed her image so many times that each new transformation now appears capricious rather than purposeful.
caprice (noun)
carnivorous
(adjective) meat-eating.
The long, dagger-like teeth of the Tyrannosaurus make it obvious that this was a carnivorous dinosaur.
carnivore (noun)
carping
(adjective) unfairly or excessively critical; querulous.
New York is famous for its demanding critics, but none is harder to please than the carping John Simon, said to have single-handedly destroyed many acting careers.
carp (verb)
catalytic
(adjective) bringing about, causing, or producing some result.
The conditions for revolution existed in America by 1765; the disputes about taxation that arose later were the catalytic events that sparked the rebellion.
catalyze (verb)
caustic
(adjective) burning, corrosive.
No one was safe when the satirist H. L. Mencken unleashed his caustic wit.
censure
(noun) blame, condemnation.
The news that the senator had harassed several women brought censure from many feminists.
censure (verb)
chaos
(noun) disorder, confusion, chance.
The first few moments after the explosion were pure chaos: no one was sure what had happened, and the area was filled with people running and yelling.
chaotic (adjective)
circuitous
(adjective) winding or indirect.
We drove to the cottage by a circuitous route so we could see as much of the surrounding countryside as possible.
circumlocution
(noun) speaking in a roundabout way; wordiness.
Legal documents often contain circumlocutions that make them difficult to understand.
circumscribe
(verb) to define by a limit or boundary.
Originally, the role of the executive branch of government was clearly circumscribed, but that role has greatly expanded over time.
circumscription (noun)
circumvent
(verb) to get around.
When James was caught speeding, he tried to circumvent the law by offering the police officer a bribe.
clandestine
(adjective) secret, surreptitious.
As a member of the underground, Balas took part in clandestine meetings to discuss ways of sabotaging the Nazi forces.
cloying
(adjective) overly sweet or sentimental.
The deathbed scenes in the novels of Dickens are famously cloying: as Oscar Wilde said, “One would need a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell without dissolving into tears . . . of laughter.”
cogent
(adjective) forceful and convincing.
The committee members were won over to the project by the cogent arguments of the chairman.
cogency (noun)
cognizant
(adjective) aware, mindful.
Cognizant of the fact that it was getting late, the master of ceremonies cut short the last speech.
cognizance (noun)
cohesive
(adjective) sticking together, unified.
An effective military unit must be a cohesive team, all its members working together for a common goal.
cohere (verb)
cohesion (noun)
collaborate
(verb) to work together.
To create a truly successful movie, the director, writers, actors, and many others must collaborate closely.
collaboration (noun)
collaborative (adjective)
colloquial
(adjective) informal in language; conversational.
Some expressions from Shakespeare, such as the use of thou and thee, sound formal today but were colloquial English in Shakespeare’s time.
competent
(adjective) having the skill and knowledge needed for a particular task; capable.
Any competent lawyer can draw up a will.
competence (noun)
complacent
(adjective) smug, self-satisfied.
Until recently, American auto makers were complacent, believing that they would continue to be successful with little effort.
complacency (noun)
composure
(noun) calm, self-assurance.
The company’s president managed to keep his composure during his speech even when the teleprompter broke down, leaving him without a script.
composed (adjective)
conciliatory
(adjective) seeking agreement, compromise, or reconciliation.
As a conciliatory gesture, the union leaders agreed to postpone a strike and to continue negotiations with management.
conciliate (verb)
conciliation (noun)
concise
(adjective) expressed briefly and simply; succinct.
Less than a page long, the Bill of Rights is a concise statement of the freedoms enjoyed by all Americans.
concision (noun)
condescending
(adjective) having an attitude of superiority toward another; patronizing.
“What a cute little car!” she remarked in a condescending style. “I suppose it’s the nicest one someone like you could afford!”
condescension (noun)
condolence
(noun) pity for someone else’s sorrow or loss; sympathy.
After the sudden death of Princess Diana, thousands of messages of condolence were sent to her family.
condole (verb)
confidant
(noun) someone entrusted with another’s secrets.
No one knew about Jane’s engagement except Sarah, her confidant.
confide (verb)
confidential (adjective)
conformity
(noun) agreement with or adherence to custom or rule.
In my high school, conformity was the rule: everyone dressed the same, talked the same, and listened to the same music.
conform (verb)
conformist (noun, adjective)
consensus
(noun) general agreement among a group.
Among Quakers, voting traditionally is not used; instead, discussion continues until the entire group forms a consensus.
consolation
(noun) relief or comfort in sorrow or suffering.
Although we miss our dog very much, it is a consolation to know that she died quickly, without suffering.
console (verb)
consternation
(noun) shock, amazement, dismay.
When a voice in the back of the church shouted out, “I know why they should not be married!” the entire gathering was thrown into consternation.
consummate
(verb) to complete, finish, or perfect.
The deal was consummated with a handshake and the payment of the agreed- upon fee.
consummate (adjective)
consummation (noun)
contaminate
(verb) to make impure.
Chemicals dumped in a nearby forest had seeped into the soil and contaminated the local water supply.
contamination (noun)
contemporary
(adjective) modern, current; from the same time.
I prefer old-fashioned furniture rather than contemporary styles. The composer Vivaldi was roughly contemporary with Bach.
contemporary (noun)
contrite
(adjective) sorry for past misdeeds.
The public is often willing to forgive celebrities who are involved in some scandal, as long as they appear contrite.
contrition (noun)
conundrum
(noun) a riddle, puzzle, or problem.
The question of why an all-powerful, all-loving God allows evil to exist is a conundrum many philosophers have pondered.
convergence
(noun) the act of coming together in unity or similarity.
A remarkable example of evolutionary convergence can be seen in the shark and the dolphin, two sea creatures that developed from different origins to become very similar in form.
converge (verb)
convoluted
(adjective) twisting, complicated, intricate.
Tax law has become so convoluted that it’s easy for people to accidentally violate it.
convolute (verb)
convolution (noun)
corroborating
(adjective) supporting with evidence; confirming.
A passerby who had witnessed the crime gave corroborating testimony about the presence of the accused person.
corroborate (verb)
corroboration (noun)
corrosive
(adjective) eating away, gnawing, or destroying.
Years of poverty and hard work had a corrosive effect on her beauty.
corrode (verb)
corrosion (noun)
credulity
(noun) willingness to believe, even with little evidence.
Con artists fool people by taking advantage of their credulity.
credulous (adjective)
criterion
(noun) a standard of measurement or judgment.
In choosing a design for the new taxicabs, reliability will be our main criterion.
criteria (plural)
critique
(noun) a critical evaluation.
The editor gave a detailed critique of the manuscript, explaining its strengths and its weaknesses.
critique (verb)
culpable
(adjective) deserving blame, guilty.
Although he committed the crime, because he was mentally ill he should not be considered culpable for his actions.
culpability (noun)
cumulative
(adjective) made up of successive additions.
Smallpox was eliminated only through the cumulative efforts of several generations of doctors and scientists.
accumulation (noun)
accumulate (verb)
curtail
(verb) to shorten.
The opening round of the golf tournament was curtailed by the severe thunderstorm.
