vocab words that start with the letter c

cajole

to urge, coax

callous

harsh, cold, unfeeling

calumny

an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies

camaraderie

brotherhood, jovial unity

candor

honesty, frankness

canny

shrewd, careful

capacious

very spacious

capitulate

to surrender

capricious

subject to whim, fickle

carouse

to party, celebrate

carp

to annoy, pester

catalyze

to charge, inspire

caucus

a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal

caustic

bitter, biting, acidic

cavort

to leap about, behave boisterously

censure

harsh criticism

chastise

to criticize severely

chide

to voice disapproval

circuitous

roundabout

circumlocution

indirect and wordy language

circumscribed

marked off, bounded

circumspect

cautious

circumvent

to get around

clairvoyant

able to perceive things that normal people cannot

clandestine

secret

cleave

to divide into parts

clemency

mercy

clergy

members of Christian holy orders

cloying

sickeningly sweet

coagulate

to thicken, clot

coalesce

to fuse into a whole

cogent

intellectually convincing

cognizant

aware, mindful

collateral

secondary

colloquial

characteristics of informal conversation

collusion

secret agreement, conspiracy

colossus

a gigantic statue or thing

commendation

a notice of approval or recognition

commensurate

corresponding in size or amount

commodious

roomy

concomitant

accompanying in a subordinate fashion

concord

harmonious agreement

conduit

a pipe or channel through which something passes

confection

a sweet, fancy food

confidant

a person entrusted with secrets

conflagration

great fire

confluence

gathering together

congeal

to thicken into a solid

congenial

pleasantly agreeable

congruity

the quality of being in agreement

complacency

self-satisfied ignorance of danger

compunction

distress caused by feeling guilty

concede

to accept as valid

conciliatory

friendly, agreeable

connive

to plot, scheme

consecrate

to dedicate something to a holy purpose

consign

to give something over to another’s care

consonant

in harmony

constituent

an essential part

construe

to interpret

consummate

to complete a deal; to complete a marriage ceremony through sexual intercourse

contemporaneous

existing during the same time

contentious

having a tendency to quarrel or dispute

contravene

to contradict, oppose, violate

contrite

penitent, eager to be forgiven

contusion

bruise, injury

convivial

characterized by feasting, drinking, merriment

cordial

warm, affectionate

corpulence

extreme fatness

cosmopolitan

sophisticated, worldly

coup

a brilliant, unexpected act, or the overthrow of a government and assumption of authority

covet

to desire enviously

credulity

readiness to believe

cupidity

greed, strong desire

cursory

brief to the point of being superficial

curtail

to lessen, reduce