English Vocabulary Guide: The letter C

A collection of vocabulary terms and definitions starting with the letter C, spanning from cacophony to curtail as found in the lecture notes.

cacophony

disharmonious sound

cadence

a rhythm

cajole

to coax

calamity

an event with disastrous consequences

calibrate

to standardize

callous

harsh; cold

calumny

an attempt to ruin someone's reputation by spreading lies

camaraderie

brotherhood; friendship

candor

honesty

canny

shrewd

canvas

cloth for painting; to inspect

capacious

spacious

capitulate

to surrender

capricious

subject to whim

captivate

to attract or hold the attention of

carouse

to party

carp

to annoy or complain

catalog

to list

catalyze

to inspire or cause action

caucus

a meeting held by people with the same goal

caustic

bitter; biting

cavort

to behave boisterously

censure

harsh criticism; to rebuke formally

cerebral

related to the intellect

chaos

absolute disorder

chastise

to criticize severely

cherish

to feel or show affection for

chide

to voice disapproval

choreography

the arrangement of dances

chronicle

a written history

chronological

arranged in order of time

circuitous

roundabout

circumlocution

indirect and wordy language

circumscribed

marked off; bounded

circumspect

cautious

circumvent

to get around

clairvoyant

able to perceive things beyond normal senses

clamor

loud noise; to loudly insist

clandestine

secret

cleave

to divide into parts; to stick together firmly

clemency

mercy

clergy

members of Christian holy orders

cloying

sickeningly sweet

coagulate

to thicken; clot

coalesce

to fuse into a whole

cobbler

a person who makes or repairs shoes

coerce

to force someone to do something

cogent

intellectually convincing

cognizant

aware

coherent

logically consistent

collateral

secondary; security for a debt

colloquial

characteristic of informal conversation

collusion

conspiracy

colossus

something gigantic

combustion

the act or process of burning

commendation

praise or recognition

commensurate

corresponding in size or amount

commodious

roomy

compelling

forceful; demanding attention

compensate

to make appropriate payment for something

complacency

self-satisfied ignorance of danger

complement

to complete

compliant

willing to follow another's wishes

complicit

involved in wrongdoing

compliment

an expression of praise

compound

to combine parts; a walled group of buildings

comprehensive

including everything

compress

to apply pressure

compunction

guilt or remorse

concede

to accept as valid

conciliatory

friendly; agreeable

concise

brief and direct

concoct

to fabricate

concomitant

accompanying

concord

harmonious agreement

condolence

an expression of sympathy

condone

to deliberately overlook

conduit

a pipe or channel

confection

a sweet food

confidant

a trusted person

conflagration

a great fire

confluence

a gathering together

conformist

one who behaves like others

confound

to confuse or frustrate

congeal

to thicken into a solid

congenial

pleasantly agreeable

congregation

a gathering of people, especially for worship

congruity

agreement or harmony

connive

to scheme

consecrate

to dedicate to a holy purpose

consensus

agreement of opinion

consign

to place in another's care

consolation

comfort

consonant

in harmony

constituent

an essential part

constrain

to forcibly restrict

construe

to interpret

consummate

to complete

consumption

the act of consuming

contemporaneous

existing during the same time