| GRE word list - C |
| cabal |
the artifices and intrigues of a group of persons secretly
united to bring about an overturn or usurpation especially
in public affairs |
| cache |
hiding place |
| cacophony |
harsh or discordant sound:DISSONANCE |
| cadet |
one in training for a military or naval commission;
especially :a student in a service academy |
| cadge |
BEG, SPONGE |
| caisson |
a usually 2-wheeled vehicle for artillery ammunition
attachable to a horse-drawn limber |
| cajole |
to persuade with flattery or gentle urging especially
in the face of reluctance:COAX |
| calamity |
An event that brings terrible loss, lasting distress,
or severe affliction; a disaster: |
| calcify |
to make inflexible or unchangeable |
| calibrate |
to determine, rectify, or mark the graduations of |
| calligrapher |
one who writes a beautiful |
| callous |
a:feeling no emotion b:feeling no sympathy for others |
| callow |
lacking adult sophistication:IMMATURE |
| callus |
a thickening of or a hard thickened area on skin or
bark |
| calorie |
the amount of heat required at a pressure of one atmosphere
to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree
Celsius that is equal to about 4.19 joules |
| calumniate |
to utter maliciously false statements, charges, or imputations
about |
| camaraderie |
a spirit of friendly good-fellowship |
| cameo |
a:a small piece of sculpture on a stone or shell cut
in relief in one layer with another contrasting layer
serving as backgroundb:A brief but dramatic appearance
of a prominent actor, as in a single scene of a motion
picture. |
| camouflage |
behavior or artifice designed to deceive or hide |
| candidate |
one that aspires to or is nominated or qualified for
an office, membership, or award |
| candor |
unreserved, honest, or sincere expression:FORTHRIGHTNESS |
| cane |
A stick used as an aid in walking or carried as an accessory |
| canon |
a regulation or dogma decreed by a church council |
| canonical |
appearing in a biblical canon ; of or relating to or
required by canon law |
| canopy |
a cover (as of cloth) fixed or carried above a person
of high rank or a sacred object:BALDACHIN |
| cantankerous |
difficult or irritating to deal with |
| canvas |
a piece of cloth backed or framed as a surface for a
painting |
| canvass |
to seek orders or votes:SOLICIT |
| canyon |
a deep narrow valley with steep sides and often with
a stream flowing through it |
| capitulate |
to cease resisting:ACQUIESCE |
| caprice |
a sudden, impulsive, and seemingly unmotivated notion
or action |
| caption |
the part of a legal document that shows where, when,
and by what authority it was taken, found, or executed |
| captivate |
to influence and dominate by some special charm, art,
or trait and with an irresistible appeal |
| carefree |
Free of worries and responsibilities. |
| careworn |
showing the effect of grief or anxiety |
| caricature |
exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion
of parts or characteristics |
| carnal |
fleshly |
| carouse |
to drink liquor deeply or freely |
| carp |
to find fault or complain querulously |
| cartographer |
one that makes maps |
| cast |
the set of actors in a dramatic production; to assign
a certain role to (an actor) |
| castigate |
to subject to severe punishment, reproof, or criticism |
| castigation |
severe punishment |
| catalyze |
BRING ABOUT, INSPIRE supervisor:oversight,catalysis:initiate |
| cataract |
WATERFALL; especially:a large one over a precipice |
| catastrophe |
a momentous tragic event ranging from extreme misfortune
to utter overthrow or ruin |
| categorical |
ABSOLUTE, UNQUALIFIED |
| cater |
to supply what is required or desired |
| catholic |
COMPREHENSIVE, UNIVERSAL; especially :broad in sympathies,
tastes, or interests |
| caustic |
marked by incisive sarcasm |
| cavalier |
A gallant or chivalrous man, especially one serving
as escort to a woman of high social position; a gentleman |
| caveat |
a warning enjoining one from certain acts or practices |
| cavern |
CAVE; especially:one of large or indefinite extent |
| cavil |
to raise trivial and frivolous objection |
| cavort |
to walk or move in a spirited manner:PRANCE |
| cede |
to yield or grant typically by treaty |
| celebrity |
the state of being celebrated |
| cement |
a binding element or agency:as a substance to make objects
adhere to each other |
| censor |
to examine in order to suppress or delete anything considered
objectionable |
| censorious |
marked by or given to censure |
| censure |
to find fault with and criticize as blameworthy |
| census |
a count of the population |
| centrifuge |
a machine using centrifugal force for separating substances
of different densities, for removing moisture, or for
simulating gravitational effects |
| ceramic |
of or relating to the manufacture of any product (as
earthenware, porcelain, or brick) made essentially from
a nonmetallic mineral (as clay) by firing at a high temperature |
| ceremony |
a formal act or series of acts prescribed by ritual,
protocol, or convention |
| certitude |
the state of being or feeling certain |
| cessation |
a temporary or final ceasing (as of action):STOP |
| chaff |
the seed coverings and other debris separated from the
seed in threshing grain |
| chagrin |
disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation,
disappointment, or failure |
| chameleon |
any of a family (Chamaeleontidae) of chiefly arboreal
Old World lizards with prehensile tail, independently
movable eyeballs, and unusual ability to change the color
of the skin |
| champion |
to act as militant supporter of:UPHOLD, ADVOCATE |
| chaotic |
a:a state of utter confusion b:a confused mass or mixture |
| charade |
a word represented in riddling verse or by picture,
tableau, or dramatic action |
| charlatan |
one making usually showy pretenses to knowledge or ability:FRAUD,
FAKER |
| chary |
discreetly cautious:as a:hesitant and vigilant about
dangers and risks b:slow to grant, accept, or expend |
| chasm |
a deep cleft in the surface of a planet (as the earth):GORGE |
| check |
to block the progress of |
| chef |
a skilled cook who manages the kitchen (as of a restaurant) |
| cherubic |
innocent-looking usually chubby and rosy |
| chevron |
a sleeve badge that usually consists of one or more
chevron-shaped stripes that indicates the wearer's rank
and service (as in the armed forces) |
| chiaroscuro |
the interplay or contrast of dissimilar qualities, pictorial
representation in terms of light and shade without regard
to color |
| chic |
smart elegance and sophistication especially of dress
or manner:STYLE |
| chicanery |
deception by artful subterfuge or sophistry:TRICKERY |
| chide |
to voice disapproval to:reproach in a usually mild and
constructive manner:SCOLD |
| chip |
a small usually thin and flat piece (as of wood or stone)
cut, struck, or flaked off |
| choke |
to check normal breathing of by compressing or obstructing
the trachea or by poisoning or adulterating available
air |
| choleric |
easily moved to often unreasonable or excessive anger:hot-tempered |
| chord |
three or more musical tones sounded simultaneously |
| choreography |
the composition and arrangement of dances especially
for ballet |
| chorus |
a body of singers who perform choral compositions |
| chronic |
always present or encountered; especially :constantly
vexing, weakening, or troubling |
| chronicle |
a usually continuous historical account of events arranged
in order of time without analysis or interpretation |
| chronological |
of, relating to, or arranged in or according to the
order of time |
| churlish |
marked by a lack of civility or graciousness:SURLY |
| cinder |
small piece of partly burnt coal, wood, etc that is
no longer burning but may still be hot |
| cineast |
a film or movie enthusiast |
| cipher |
a method of transforming a text in order to conceal
its meaning |
| circuitous |
not being forthright or direct in language or action |
| circumference |
the perimeter of a circle |
| circumlocutory |
the use of an unnecessarily large number of words to
express an idea |
| circumscribe |
to construct or be constructed around (a geometrical
figure) so as to touch as many points as possible |
| circumspect |
careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences:PRUDENT |
| circumvent |
to manage to get around especially by ingenuity or stratagem |
| cistern |
an artificial reservoir (as an underground tank) for
storing liquids and especially water (as rainwater) |
| citation |
an official summons to appear (as before a court) |
| civility |
COURTESY, POLITENESS |
| clairvoyant |
unusually perceptive:DISCERNING |
| clamp |
device for holding things tightly together, usu by means
of a screw |
| clandestine |
marked by, held in, or conducted with secrecy:SURREPTITIOUS |
| clarion |
loud and clear |
| clarity |
the quality or state of being clear:LUCIDITY |
| clasp |
a device (as a hook) for holding objects or parts together |
| claustrophobia |
abnormal dread of being in closed or narrow spaces |
| cleft |
a usually V-shaped indented formation:a hollow between
ridges or protuberances |
| clement |
inclined to be merciful:LENIENT |
| cliche |
a trite phrase or expression |
| clique |
a narrow exclusive circle or group of persons; especially
one held together by common interests, views, or purposes |
| clog |
something that shackles or impedes:ENCUMBRANCE |
| closed-minded |
not easily subdued, remedied, or removed |
| closet |
a cabinet or recess for especially china, household
utensils, or clothing |
| clot |
a coagulated mass produced by clotting of blood |
| cloture |
closing, device (in Parliament) to end a debate by voting |
| cloudburst |
a sudden copious rainfall |
| clout |
PULL, INFLUENCE |
| cloying |
excessively sweet or sentimental |
| clumsy |
lacking dexterity, nimbleness, or grace |
| coagulant |
something that produces coagulation |
| coalesce |
to unite into a whole:FUSE |
| coarse |
not precise or detailed with respect to adjustment or
discrimination |
| coax |
to manipulate with great perseverance and usually with
considerable effort toward a desired state or activity |
| coda |
a concluding musical section that is formally distinct
from the main structure |
| coerce |
to bring about by force or threat |
| coeval |
of the same or equal age, antiquity, or duration |
| cogent |
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason:CONVINCING |
| cognizant |
knowledgeable of something especially through personal
experience |
| colander |
a perforated utensil for washing or draining food |
| collapse |
to fall or shrink together abruptly and completely |
| collude |
CONSPIRE, PLOT |
| colonnade |
a series of columns set at regular intervals and usually
supporting the base of a roof structure |
| colossal |
of a bulk, extent, power, or effect approaching or suggesting
the stupendous or incredible |
| coma |
a state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease,
injury, or poison |
| combustible |
capable of combustion |
| comely |
having a pleasing appearance:not homely or plain |
| comity |
friendly social atmosphere:social harmony |
| commencement |
1. the ceremonies or the day for conferring degrees
or diplomas 2. an act, instance, or time of beginning |
| commend |
to mention with approbation:PRAISE |
| commensurate |
equal in measure or extent:COEXTENSIVE |
| commercial |
an advertisement broadcast on radio or television |
| commingle |
mingle together |
| commitment |
an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a
future date |
| committed |
OBLIGATE, BIND |
| commodious |
comfortably or conveniently spacious:ROOMY |
| commonsense |
sound and prudent but often unsophisticated judgment |
| commotion |
an agitated disturbance:TO-DO |
| compendium |
a brief summary of a larger work or of a field of knowledge:ABSTRACT |
| compensate |
to offset an error, defect, or undesired effect |
| complacency |
COMPLACENCE; especially :self-satisfaction accompanied
by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies |
| complaisance |
disposition to please or comply:AFFABILITY |
| compliant |
ready or disposed to comply:SUBMISSIVE |
| compliment |
expressing or containing a compliment |
| comply |
to conform or adapt one's actions to another's wishes,
to a rule, or to necessity |
| composed |
free from agitation:CALM; especially :SELF-POSSESSED |
| compress |
to reduce in size or volume as if by squeezing |
| compromise |
1. to come to agreement by mutual concession 2. to cause
the impairment of |
| compunction |
anxiety arising from awareness of guilt |
| concatenate |
to link together in a series or chain |
| concede |
to grant as a right or privilege |
| concentrate |
to bring or direct toward a common center or objective:FOCUS |
| concerted |
mutually contrived or agreed on |
| concerto |
a piece for one or more soloists and orchestra with
three contrasting movements |
| concession |
an act of yielding |
| conciliate |
APPEASE:to cause to subside:ALLAY especially :to buy
off (an aggressor) by concessions usually at the sacrifice
of principles |
| concise |
marked by brevity of expression or statement:free from
all elaboration and superfluous detail |
| conciseness |
Expressing much in few words |
| concomitant |
that which accompanies |
| concord |
a state of agreement:HARMONY |
| concur |
to act together to a common end or single effect |
| condemn |
to declare to be reprehensible, wrong, or evil usually
after weighing evidence and without reservation |
| condescending |
showing or characterized by condescension:PATRONIZING |
| condign |
deserved, appropriate |
| condole |
to express sympathetic sorrow |
| condone |
to pardon or overlook voluntarily; especially :to treat
as if trivial, harmless, or of no importance |
| conducive |
tending to promote or assist |
| confess |
to disclose one's faults; specifically :to unburden
one's sins or the state of one's conscience to God or
to a priest |
| confidant |
one to whom secrets are entrusted |
| confident |
characterized by assurance; especially :SELF-RELIANT |
| confine |
something that restrains |
| confluence |
a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering
at one point |
| conform |
to be similar or identical; also :to be in agreement
or harmony |
| confront |
to face especially in challenge:OPPOSE |
| congeal |
to make viscid or curdled:COAGULATE |
| congenial |
OCIABLE, GENIAL congenial:bonhomie ???:?? 9????: |
| congruent |
superposable so as to be coincident throughout |
| conjecture |
inference from defective or presumptive evidence |
| connive |
to cooperate secretly or have a secret understanding |
| connoisseur |
EXPERT; especially :one who understands the details,
technique, or principles of an art and is competent to
act as a critical judge |
| conquest |
the act or process of conquering |
| conscientious |
Thorough and assiduous |
| consensus |
group solidarity in sentiment and belief |
| conservative |
tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions,
or institutions:TRADITIONAL |
| conservatory |
a school specializing in one of the fine arts |
| conserve |
to keep in a safe or sound state |
| considerable |
worth consideration:SIGNIFICANT |
| consign |
to give, transfer, or deliver into the hands or control
of another; also :to commit especially to a final destination
or fate |
| console |
to alleviate the grief, sense of loss, or trouble of:COMFORT |
| consolidate |
to join together into one whole:UNITE |
| consonance |
harmony or agreement among components |
| conspicuous |
obvious to the eye or mind |
| conspiracy |
An agreement to perform together an illegal, wrongful,
or subversive act. |
| constellation |
the configuration of stars. |
| constitute |
to appoint to an office, function, or dignity |
| constrained |
to appoint to an office, function, or dignity |
| constringe |
to cause to contract; constrict. |
| consult |
COUNCIL, CONFERENCE; specifically :a deliberation between
physicians on a case or its treatment |
| consummate |
Complete in every detail; of the highest degree; extremely
skilled and accomplished. |
| contagious |
communicable by contact:CATCHING |
| contaminate |
to soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association |
| contemplate |
to view or consider with continued attention:meditate
on consider |
| contempt |
the act of despising:the state of mind of one who despises:DISDAIN |
| content |
feeling or manifesting satisfaction with one's possessions,
status, or situation |
| contentious |
exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency
to quarrels and disputes |
| contingent |
likely but not certain to happen:POSSIBLE |
| contort |
to twist into or as if into a strained shape or expression |
| contortion |
contortingor being contorted (esp of the face or body) |
| contradictory |
involving, causing, or constituting a contradiction |
| contravene |
to oppose in argument:CONTRADICT |
| contrite |
grieving and penitent for sin or shortcoming |
| contrived |
ARTIFICIAL, LABORED |
| control |
an individual or group used as a standard of comparison
in a control experiment |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient:REBELLIOUS |
| conundrum |
a:a question or problem having only a conjectural answer
b:an intricate and difficult problem |
| convalesce |
to recover health and strength gradually after sickness
or weakness |
| convenience |
something (as an appliance, device, or service) conducive
to comfort or ease |
| convention |
usage or custom especially in social matters |
| conventional |
lacking originality or individuality:TRITE |
| convergent |
tending to move toward one point or to approach each
other:CONVERGING |
| conversant |
having frequent or familiar association |
| convert |
to bring over from one belief, view, or party to another |
| convex |
curved or rounded like the exterior of a sphere |
| convey |
to transfer or deliver to another |
| conviction |
1. a strong persuasion or belief 2. the act or process
of convicting of a crime especially in a court of law |
| convivial |
relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking,
and good company |
| convoke |
to call together to a meeting |
| convoluted |
INVOLVED, INTRICATE |
| convulsion |
an abnormal violent and involuntary contraction or series
of contractions of the muscles |
| coop |
a cage or small enclosure (as for poultry) |
| copious |
present in large quantity:taking place on a large scale |
| coquette |
a woman who endeavors without sincere affection to gain
the attention and admiration of men |
| cord |
a unit of wood cut for fuel equal to a stack 4 x 4 x
8 feet or 128 cubic feet |
| cordon |
a line of persons or objects around a person or place |
| cornucopia |
an inexhaustible store:ABUNDANCE |
| coronation |
the act or occasion of crowning; also :accession to
the highest office |
| corporeal |
having, consisting of, or relating to a physical material
body:as a:not spiritual b:not immaterial or intangible:SUBSTANTIAL |
| corral |
a pen or enclosure for confining or capturing livestock |
| corroborate |
to support with evidence or authority:make more certain |
| corrosive |
tending or having the power to corrode |
| cosmopolitan |
having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope
or bearing |
| cosset |
to treat as a pet:PAMPER |
| coterie |
an intimate and often exclusive group of persons with
a unifying common interest or purpose |
| countenance |
to extend approval or toleration to:SANCTION |
| counterfeit |
made in imitation of something else with intent to deceive:FORGED |
| counterpart |
one of two corresponding copies of a legal instrument:DUPLICATE |
| court |
to seek the affections of; especially :to seek to win
a pledge of marriage from |
| courtesy |
a courteous act or expression |
| coven |
an assembly or band of usually 13 witches |
| covetous |
marked by inordinate desire for wealth or possessions
or for another's possessions |
| cow |
to destroy the resolve or courage of |
| cowardice |
lack of courage or resolution |
| cower |
to shrink away or crouch especially for shelter from
something that menaces, domineers, or dismays |
| cozen |
cheat; hoodwink; swindle |
| craft |
skill in planning, making, or executing:DEXTERITY |
| cramp |
restricted; narrowed |
| crass |
having or indicating such grossness of mind as precludes
delicacy and discrimination |
| craven |
lacking the least bit of courage:contemptibly fainthearted |
| craving |
an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing |
| credence |
acceptance as true or valid; belief |
| credulous |
ready to believe especially on slight or uncertain evidence |
| creek |
a natural stream of water normally smaller than and
often tributary to a river |
| creep |
to move slowly,quietly and carefully, esp so as not
to attract attention |
| crescendo |
a gradual increase; specifically :a gradual increase
in volume of a musical passage |
| crest |
the top of a wave |
| crestfallen |
feeling shame or humiliation:DEJECTED |
| criterion |
a standard on which a judgment or decision may be based |
| crockery |
EARTHENWARE |
| cronyism |
partiality to cronies especially as evidenced in the
appointment of political hangers-on to office without
regard to their qualifications |
| croon |
to sing or speak in a gentle murmuring manner; especially
:to sing in a soft intimate manner adapted to amplifying
systems |
| crouch |
to bend or bow servilely:CRINGE |
| crown |
to place a crown or wreath on the head of; specifically
:to invest with regal dignity and power |
| crucial |
important or essential as resolving acrisis:DECISIVE |
| crude |
marked by the primitive, gross, or elemental or by uncultivated
simplicity or vulgarity |
| crutch |
a support typically fitting under the armpit for use
by the disabled in walking |
| crux |
an essential point requiring resolution or resolving
an outcome |
| cryptic |
having or seeming to have a hidden or ambiguous meaning:MYSTERIOUS |
| cuisine |
manner of preparing food:style of cooking; also:the
food prepared |
| culpable |
meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or
harmful |
| cultivated |
REFINED, EDUCATED |
| cumbersome |
unwieldy because of heaviness and bulk |
| cunning |
characterized by wiliness and trickery |
| curator |
one that has the care and superintendence of something;
especially:one in charge of a museum, zoo, or other place
of exhibit |
| curmudgeon |
a crusty, ill-tempered, and usually old man |
| curriculum |
A group of related courses, often in a special field
of study: |
| cursory |
rapidly and often superficially performed or produced:HASTY |
| curt |
sparing of words:TERSE |
| curtail |
to make less by or as if by cutting off or away some
part |
| cyclone |
a storm or system of winds that rotates about a center
of low atmospheric pressure, and often brings heavy rain |
| cynical |
having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic;
especially :contemptuously distrustful of human nature
and motives |
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