| |
| 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 (of words or sounds); beat;
regular beat of sound; rhythm |
| cadet |
student at a military school |
| cajole |
persuade by praise or false promise; coax; wheedle |
| calamity |
disaster; misery |
| calculated |
deliberately planned; likely |
| caldron(cauldron) |
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 |
| callus |
area of thick hard skin |
| 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 |
| camp |
group sharing a common cause or opinion |
| 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 (shorter
than an oratorio) |
| canter |
slow gallop; V. CF. trot |
| canto |
division of a long poem |
| canvass |
determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.; go through
(a region) 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 |
| capsize |
(of a boat) turn over |
| caption |
title; chapter heading; text under illustration |
| captious |
faultfinding; too critical |
| carafe |
glass water bottle; decanter |
| carapace |
shell covering the back (of a turtle, tortoise, crab,
etc.) |
| carat(karat) |
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 thatn order |
| cardiologist |
doctor specializing in ailments of the heart |
| careen |
lurch; sway from side to side; move with irregular
swinging movement; stagger |
| career |
rush wildly; go at full speed |
| carefree |
free from worries; having no problems |
| caricature |
distortion; burlesque |
| carillon |
a set of bells (often in a tower) 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 |
| castrate |
remove the sex organs (of a male animal or person) |
| casual |
happening by chance; irregular; occasional; informal;
showing or feeling little interest; Ex. casual reader/labor/remark |
| 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 (causing a gradual
loss of eyesight) |
| catastrophe |
calamity ; disaster |
| catcall |
shout of disapproval or displeasure (made at the theater
or a sports match); 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 |
| cater |
provide food and drink (for); cater to: try to satisfy
(desires of a bad kind) |
| 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 |
(of likings and interests) 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(calk) |
make watertight (by blocking up cracks as in a ship) |
| causal |
implying a cause-and-effect relationship; N. causality |
| caustic |
burning; corrosive; able to burn by chemical action;
sarcastically biting; (of remarks) intended to hurt; bitter;
harmful; OP. harmless |
| cauterize |
burn (a wound or snakebite, etc.) 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 (title or territory) to (esp. after losing a
war); surrender formally; N. cession |
| celerity |
speed; rapidity |
| celestial |
heavenly |
| celibate |
abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried; N. celibacy |
| cemetery |
place for burying the dead |
| censor |
(in ancient Rome) overseer of morals (also taking the
census); 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 (basically
same as Celsius) |
| centrifugal |
radiating; departing from the center |
| centrifuge |
machine that separates substances by whirling them |
| centripetal |
tending toward the center |
| centurion |
Roman army officer (commanding a company of about 100
soldiers) |
| 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(outer seed
cover) separated from grain; Ex. separate the wheat from
the chaff |
| chaffing |
bantering; joking |
| chagrin |
annoyance and disappointment; vexation (caused by humiliation
or injured pride) |
| 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 (a principle, movement, person,
etc.) |
| championship |
position of champion; defense or support; competition
held to determine a champion |
| chancellor |
legal official of high rank; CF. chancellery(chancellory):
position of a chancellor |
| chant |
tune(melody) in which a number of words are sung on
the same note; V: sing (a chant); utter (a slogan) in
the manner of a chant |
| chaotic |
in utter disorder |
| chapel |
small church (in a prison, college, or hospital) |
| chaperon |
older person who accompanies and supervises a young
unmarried woman |
| chaplain |
clergyman attached to a chapel |
| char |
make or become black by burning; reduce or be reduced
to carbon or charcoal(black substance made by burning
wood) by incomplete combustion |
| charisma |
divine gift; great popular charm or appeal; magnetism |
| charlatan |
quack; pretender to knowledge (esp. in medicine) |
| charm |
quality of pleasing; amulet; action or formula thought
to have magical power; spell; V: attract; cast a spell
on; bewitch |
| 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 (of a style of writing); 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(chequered) |
marked by great changes in fortune; with many changes
of fortuene; 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 (someone who has done wrong) |
| chimerical |
fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; N. chimera:
unreal fancy; fire-breathing female creature |
| chip |
lose a small piece from the surface or edge; N: small
piece broken off something; CF. French fry; Potato chip/crisp |
| chisel |
swindle or cheat; N: wedgelike tool for cutting |
| chivalrous |
courteous; faithful; brave; N. chivalry |
| choice |
delicate; of very fine quality |
| choir |
group of people who sing together (esp. during religious
services); place for choir |
| choleric |
hot-tempered; bad-tempered; irritable; easily angered;
CF. cholera |
| chore |
daily domestic task (such as cleaning, cooking, and
shopping); unpleasant task |
| choreography |
art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement
of dances |
| chortle |
chuckle with delight; N. |
| chorus |
phrase repeated throughout a song or poem |
| chronic |
long established as a disease |
| chronicle |
report; record (in chronological order) |
| chuckle |
laugh quietly |
| 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. (worn
on the head, arms, or neck as decoration) |
| circuit |
closed circular line around an area; circumference;
regularly repeated journey from place to place |
| circuitous |
roundabout |
| circumlocution |
indirect or roundabout expression (by using an uncecessarily
large number of words esp. when trying to avoid answering
a difficult question directly) |
| 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; fortuneteller; N. clairvoyance |
| clamber |
climb by crawling with difficulties; scramble |
| clamor |
loud continous noise; continuous demand or complaint
made by a large number of people; V: make a clamor; express
(a demand) continually and loudly; ADJ. clamorous |
| clandestine |
secret |
| clangor |
loud resounding noise; sound of repeated clanging |
| clap |
strike the palms of the hands together with a sudden
explosive sound; come together suddenly with a sharp sound;
put or send promptly; Ex. clap the thief in jail; N: clapping;
loud or explosive sound; CF. applause |
| clapper |
striker (tongue) of a bell |
| clarion |
shrill, trumpetlike sound; kind of trumpet used in
former times |
| clasp |
hold firmly within arms |
| claustrophobia |
fear of being locked in |
| clavicle |
collarbone |
| cleave |
split or sever; cling to; remain faithful to; N. cleavage;
ADJ. cloven |
| cleft |
N: split |
| clemency |
disposition to be lenient in deciding punishments;
mildness as of the weather; ADJ. clement |
| clich\'e |
phrase dulled in meaning by repetition; platitude;
ADJ. clich\'ed |
| clientele |
body of customers |
| climactic |
relating to the highest point; N. climax; CF. climatic |
| clime |
climate |
| clip |
cut off with shears; fasten; N: something clipped off
(as a short extract from film); clasp or fastener |
| clipper |
sailing vessel built for great speed |
| clique |
small exclusive group of people |
| cloister |
monastery or convent |
| clot |
half-solid lump formed from a liquid (or blood); V. |
| clout |
great influence (especially political or social); hard
blow with fist |
| clown |
act stupidly; play the fool; N. |
| cloying |
distasteful (because excessive); 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 |
| coax |
persuade by flattery |
| 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 (laws or rules) 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 (in the ancient Rome) |
| coiffure |
hairstyle |
| coin |
make coins; invent or fabricate (a word or phrase);
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 (the sheets of a book before they are
bound) |
| collateral |
security given for loan; ADJ: secondary; descended
from the same person but through different sons or daughters |
| collation |
a light meal; collating |
| collected |
composed; calm; self-possessed |
| 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 |
| coma |
deep prolonged unconsciousness caused by disease, poison,
or a severe blow |
| comatose |
in a coma; extremely sleepy |
| combustible |
easily burned; N. CF. combustion |
| comeback |
retort; quick clever reply; return to former status |
| 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 (private property) for military use without needing
permission or giving payment; draft for military purposes |
| commemorate |
honor the memory of; serve as a memorial to; Ex. commemorate
the 100th anniversary/those who died in the war |
| 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 |
| commonplace |
ordinary; N: something ordinary or common; trite remark |
| commonwealth |
nation governed by the people; republic; people of
a nation |
| communal |
held in common; public; of a group of people; of a
commune |
| commune |
small (often rural) community whose members share work
and income; V: exchange thoughts or feelings; Ex. commune
with nature |
| compact |
agreement; contract; ADJ: tightly packed; firm; brief;
concise; Ex. compact statement |
| compartment |
one of the parts into which an enclosed space is divided |
| 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 (a report or a book)
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; comforming to requirements |
| complicity |
participation; involvement (in a questionable act or
a crime) |
| component |
element; ingredient |
| comport |
bear one's self; behave; Ex. comport oneself; N. comportment |
| compost |
mixture of decaying organic matter used as fertilizer;
V: put or make compost |
| 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; |
| comprehend |
include; understand |
| 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. |
| compulsion |
compelling; strong desire that is difficult to control;
irresistible impulse |
| compulsive |
resulting from compulsion |
| compulsory |
obligatory; that must be done |
| 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 (often reluctantly);
yield; grant; Ex. concede a goal |
| conceit |
vanity or self-love; too high opinion of one's own
value; extravagant metaphor (in poetry) |
| 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 (by removing anger) |
| concise |
brief and compact |
| conclave |
private secret meeting |
| conclusive |
decisive; ending all debate |
| concoct |
prepare by mixing or combining; make up in concert;
devise (something false) so as to deceive; Ex. concoct
an elaborate excuse for being late; N. concoction |
| concomitant |
that which accompanies; Ex. Deafnes is a frequent concommitant
of old age; ADJ: existing or happening together with something
else |
| concord |
harmony; accord |
| concordat |
formal agreement |
| concur |
agree; coincide; happen at the same time |
| concurrent |
happening at the same time; in agreement |
| condescend |
(derog.) bestow courtesies with a superior air; descend
to the level of one considered inferior |
| condign |
adequate; (of punishment) 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(confidante) |
trusted friend (to whom one tells one's secret) |
| confide |
tell in confidence (to a person one trusts); be confident
about |
| confidence |
self-assurance; calm unworried feeling based on a strong
belief in one's abilities; strong belief in the ability
of a person or plan; trust or faith in a person or thing;
something confided; secret; Ex. confidence in your ability;
Ex. I'm telling yo |
| confidential |
spoken or written in secret; trusted with private matters;
Ex. confidential secretary |
| confine |
shut in an enclosed space; restrict; keep within limits;
N. confinement |
| confiscate |
seize; take possession of (private property) by official
order (usu. as a punishment); commandeer |
| conflagration |
great fire |
| confluence |
flowing together; the place where two rivers flow together;
crowd; gathering together |
| conformist |
person who uncritically conforms to the customs of
a group; OP. nonconformist: one who does not conform to
accepted beliefs of norms |
| 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 |
| conglomerate |
corporation made up of several different companies
in diversified fields; mass of various material gathered
together; rock consisting of small stones held together
by clay; V. |
| 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 (usu. evergreen); cone-bearing tree; ADJ.
coniferous; CF. deciduous; CF. evergreen |
| conjecture |
surmise; guess; V. |
| conjugal |
pertaining to marriage |
| conjure |
cause to appear by magic; summon (a devil or a spirit)
by magical power; practice magic (esp. by very quick movement
of the hands); 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 (of
a wrong); cooperate secretly in an illegal action; conspire |
| connoisseur |
person competent to act as a judge of art, etc. (whose
judgments are respected); a lover of an art |
| connotation |
suggested or implied meaning of an expression; V. connote |
| connubial |
pertaining to marriage or the matrimonial state |
| consanguineous(consanguine) |
having a common ancestor |
| 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(conservatoire) |
school of the fine arts (especially music or drama);
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 (for
a special purpose); 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 |
| consonant |
harmonious; in agreement; N. |
| consort |
associate with; keep company; N: husband or wife (or
a ruler) |
| conspiracy |
treacherous plot; secret plan against the law (by two
or more people) |
| conspire |
take part in a conspiracy; (of events) work together;
combine; Ex. Events conspired to produce great difficulties. |
| consternation |
great shock; dismay |
| constituency |
voters represented by an elected official; district
so represented; group of supporters (or constituents) |
| constituent |
supporter; voter; member of a constituency; component |
| constitution |
constituting; system of laws; composition of something;
physical makeup or structure of a person; Ex. men with
strong constitutions |
| 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 (by contact); 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 (a rule, law, or custom);
N. contravention |
| contrite |
penitent; repentant; N. contrition |
| contrivance |
something contrived; machine or apparatus; clever deceitful
plan; scheme |
| contrive |
invent or fabricate in a clever way (by improvisation);
manage; Ex. contrive to attract his attention |
| 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 (esp.
disobedient to an order made by a court) |
| 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; (persuade to) 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 |
| convulsion |
violent uncontrollable shaking movement (caused by
illness); V. convulse; ADJ. convulsive |
| 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 (usually above columns
or pillars); |
| cornucopia |
horn (or horn-shaped container) overflowing with fruit
and grain; symbol of abundance; horn of plenty |
| corollary |
natural consequence (which naturally follows from something
else) |
| coroner |
public official who investigates any death thought
to be of other than natural causes |
| corporeal |
bodily (rather than spiritual); of a bodily form; material;
tangible |
| corpulent |
very fat; N. corpulence |
| corpus |
collection (of writings or information); Ex. the corpus
of Shakespear's works; Cf. corpse |
| corpuscle |
red or white cell in the blood |
| correlate |
either of the correlated things; V. |
| correlation |
mutual relationship |
| corroborate |
confirm; support; strengthen |
| corrode |
destroy or wear away gradually by chemical action (over
a long period) |
| corrosive |
eating away by chemicals or disease; (of language)
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 (an order) |
| 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(s)
d'\'etat; CF. coup de gr\^ace: 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 (someone else's possessions);
V. covet: desire eagerly (someone else's possessions) |
| cow |
terrorize; intimidate |
| cower |
shrink quivering as from fear; cringe |
| coy |
shy (flirtatiously); showing a (pretended) lack of
self-confidence; modest; coquettish; CF. job offer |
| cozen |
cheat; hoodwink; swindle |
| crabbed |
sour; bad-tempered; peevish; difficult to read as handwriting |
| craft |
skill (esp. with one's hands); skill in deceiving people;
guile; ADJ. crafty: cleverly deceitful; cunning |
| crass |
very unrefined; grossly insensible; crude and undiscriminating;
Ex. crass behavior |
| crave |
desire; want intensely |
| craven |
cowardly |
| credence |
belief |
| credential |
evidence concerning one's authority; written proof
of a person's position; Ex. The new ambassador presented
his credentials to the court. |
| credo |
creed |
| credulity |
belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naivet\'e;
ADJ. credulous |
| creed |
system of religious or ethical belief |
| creep |
move with body close to the ground; move stealthily
or slowly; N. |
| cremate |
incinerate (a corpse); N. crematory, crematorium |
| crescendo |
increase in the volume or intensity as in a musical
passage; climax; CF. crescent |
| crest |
top (as of a hill or wave); showy feathers on the head
of a bird |
| crestfallen |
dejected; dispirited |
| crevice |
crack; fissure |
| cringe |
shrink back as if in fear; cower |
| crinkle |
wrinkle |
| criteria |
standards used in judging; CF. criterion |
| crochet |
make (a piece of needlework) by looping thread with
a hooked needle; N. CF. crotchet |
| crone |
hag; ugly old woman |
| cross |
bad-tempered; showing ill-humor; angry |
| crossbreed |
hybridize; N: hybrid; CF. interbreed; CF. inbreed |
| crotchety |
(of someone old) eccentric; odd; whimsical; bad-tempered;
N. crotchet: odd or whimsical notion |
| crust |
hard outer covering (as of earth or snow) |
| 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 (under a church) |
| cryptic |
mysterious; hidden; secret |
| cubicle |
small chamber used for sleeping or work |
| cue |
word or signal (as in a play to prompt another actor's
speech or entrance); reminder or hint; V: give a cue to |
| cuisine |
style of cooking; Ex. French cuisine |
| culinary |
relating to cooking or kitchen |
| cull |
pick out from others (to kill the weakest members);
reject; select; collect (information); 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 |
| culprit |
one guilty of a crime |
| 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 |
| cunning |
clever in deceiving; sly; N: cleverness in deceiving;
deceit |
| cupidity |
greed (for wealth); CF. cupid; CF. Cupid |
| curator |
superintendent; manager (in charge of a museum or a
library) |
| curb |
chain or strap used with a bit to restrain a horse;
something that checks; V: check; restrain |
| curfew |
regulation requiring all people to leave the streets
at stated times; signal (as a bell) announcing the hour
of a curfew |
| curmudgeon |
churlish, miserly individual; bad-tempered old person |
| cursive |
(of writing) 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 |
