ACT - SAT Vocab Words - C Flashcards
(132 cards)
1
Q
cacophony
A
(n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound (The elementary school orchestra created a cacophonyat the recital.)
2
Q
cadence
A
(n.) a rhythm, progression of sound (The pianist used the foot pedal to emphasize the cadenceof the sonata.)
3
Q
cajole
A
(v.) to urge, coax (Fred’s buddies cajoledhim into attending the bachelor party.)
4
Q
calamity
A
(n.) an event with disastrous consequences (The earthquake in San Francisco was a calamityworse than any other natural disaster in history.)
5
Q
calibrate
A
(v.) to set, standardize (The mechanic calibratedthe car’s transmission to make the motor run most efficiently.)
6
Q
callous
A
(adj.) harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderer’s callouslack of remorse shocked the jury.)
7
Q
calumny
A
(n.) an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies (The local official’s calumnyended up ruining his opponent’s prospect of winning the election.)
8
Q
camaraderie
A
(n.) brotherhood, jovial unity (Camaraderie among employees usually leads to success in business.)
9
Q
candor
A
(n.) honesty, frankness (We were surprised by the candorof the mayor’s speech because he is usually rather evasive.)
10
Q
canny
A
(adj.) shrewd, careful (The cannyrunner hung at the back of the pack through much of the race to watch the other runners, and then sprinted past them at the end.)
11
Q
canvas
A
(n.) a piece of cloth on which an artist paints (Picasso liked to work on canvasrather than on bare cement.) 2. (v.) to cover, inspect (We canvassedthe neighborhood looking for clues.)
12
Q
capacious
A
(adj.) very spacious (The workers delighted in their new capaciousoffice space.)
13
Q
capitulate
A
(v.) to surrender (The army finally capitulatedafter fighting a long costly battle.)
14
Q
capricious
A
(adj.) subject to whim, fickle (The young girl’s capricioustendencies made it difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals.)
15
Q
captivate
A
(v.) to get the attention of, hold (The fireworks captivatedthe young boy, who had never seen such things before.)
16
Q
carouse
A
(v.) to party, celebrate (We carousedall night after getting married.)
17
Q
carp
A
(v.) to annoy, pester (The husband divorced his wife after listening to her carping voice for decades.)
18
Q
catalog
A
(v.) to list, enter into a list (The judge catalogedthe victim’s injuries before calculating how much money he would award.) 2. (n.) a list or collection (We received a catalogfrom J. Crew that displayed all of their new items.)
19
Q
catalyze
A
(v.) to charge, inspire (The president’s speech catalyzedthe nation and resuscitated the economy.)
20
Q
caucus
A
(n.) a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal (The ironworkers held a caucusto determine how much of a pay increase they would request.)
21
Q
caustic
A
(adj.) bitter, biting, acidic (The politicians exchanged causticinsults for over an hour during the debate.)
22
Q
cavort
A
(v.) to leap about, behave boisterously (The adults ate their dinners on the patio, while the children cavortedaround the pool.)
23
Q
censure
A
(n.) harsh criticism (The frustrated teenager could not put up with anymore of her critical mother’s censure.) 2. (v.) to rebuke formally (The principal censured the head of the English Department for forcing students to learn esoteric vocabulary.)
24
Q
cerebral
A
(adj.) related to the intellect (The books we read in this class are too cerebral— they don’t engage my emotions at all.)
25
chaos
(n.) absolute disorder (Mr. Thornton’s sudden departure for the lavatory plunged his classroom into chaos.)
26
chastise
(v.) to criticize severely (After being chastised by her peers for mimicking Britney Spears, Miranda dyed her hair black and affected a Gothic style.)
27
cherish
(v.) to feel or show affection toward something (She continued to cherish her red plaid trousers, even though they had gone out of style and no longer fit her.)
28
chide
(v.) to voice disapproval (Lucy chided Russell for his vulgar habits and sloppy appearance.)
29
choreography
(n.) the arrangement of dances (The plot of the musical was banal, but the choreography was stunning.)
30
chronicle
(n.) a written history (The library featured the newly updated chronicle of World War II.) 2. (v.) to write a history (Albert’s diary chronicled the day-to-day growth of his obsession with Cynthia.)
31
chronological
(adj.) arranged in order of time (Lionel carefully arranged the snapshots of his former girlfriends in chronological order, and then set fire to them.)
32
circuitous
(adj.) roundabout (The bus’s circuitous route took us through numerous outlying suburbs.)
33
circumlocution
(n.) indirect and wordy language (The professor’s habit of speaking in circumlocutions made it difficult to follow his lectures.)
34
circumscribed
(adj.) marked off, bounded (The children were permitted to play tag only within a carefully circumscribed area of the lawn.)
35
circumspect
(adj.) cautious (Though I promised Rachel’s father I would bring her home promptly by midnight, it would have been more circumspect not to have specified a time.)
36
circumvent
(v.) to get around (The school’s dress code forbidding navel-baring jeans was circumvented by the determined students, who were careful to cover up with long coats when administrators were nearby.)
37
clairvoyant
(adj.) able to perceive things that normal people cannot (Zelda’s uncanny ability to detect my lies was nothing short of clairvoyant.)
38
clamor
(n.) loud noise (Each morning the birds outside my window make such a clamor that they wake me up.) 2. (v.)to loudly insist (Neville’s fans clamored for him to appear on stage, but he had passed out on the floor of his dressing room.)
39
clandestine
(adj.) secret (Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the gym, Sophie actually went to meet Joseph for a clandestine liaison.)
40
cleave
(v.) to divide into parts (Following the scandalous disgrace of their leader, the entire political party cleaved into warring factions.) 2. (v.) to stick together firmly (After resolving their marital problems, Junior and Rosa cleaved to one another all the more tightly.)
41
clemency
(n.) mercy (After he forgot their anniversary, Martin could only beg Maria for clemency.)
42
clergy
(n.) members of Christian holy orders (Though the villagers viewed the church rectory as quaint and charming, the clergy who lived there regarded it as a mildewy and dusty place that aggravated their allergies.)
43
cloying
(adj.) sickeningly sweet (Though Ronald was physically attractive, Maud found his constant compliments and solicitous remarks cloying.)
44
coagulate
(v.) to thicken, clot (The top layer of the pudding had coagulated into a thick skin.)
45
coalesce
(v.) to fuse into a whole (Gordon’s ensemble of thrift-shop garments coalesced into a surprisingly handsome outfit.)
46
cobbler
(n.) a person who makes or repairs shoes (I had my neighborhood cobbler replace my worn-out leather soles with new ones.)
47
coerce
(v.) to make somebody do something by force or threat (The court decided that Vanilla Ice did not have to honor the contract because he had been coerced into signing it.)
48
cogent
(adj.) intellectually convincing (Irene’s arguments in favor of abstinence were so cogent that I could not resist them.)
49
cognizant
(adj.) aware, mindful (Jake avoided speaking to women in bars because he was cognizant of the fact that drinking impairs his judgment.)
50
coherent
(adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (Renee could not figure out what Monroe had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)
51
collateral
(adj.) secondary (Divorcing my wife had the collateral effect of making me poor, as she was the only one of us with a job or money.) 2. (n.) security for a debt (Jacob left his watch as collateral for the $500 loan.)
52
colloquial
(adj.) characteristic of informal conversation (Adam’s essay on sexual response in primates was marked down because it contained too many colloquial expressions.)
53
collusion
(n.) secret agreement, conspiracy (The three law students worked in collusion to steal the final exam.)
54
colossus
(n.) a gigantic statue or thing (For 56 years, the ancient city of Rhodes featured a colossus standing astride its harbor.)
55
combustion
(n.) the act or process of burning (The unexpected combustion of the prosecution’s evidence forced the judge to dismiss the case against Ramirez.)
56
commendation
(n.) a notice of approval or recognition (Jared received a commendation from Linda, his supervisor, for his stellar performance.)
57
commensurate
(adj.) corresponding in size or amount (Ahab selected a very long roll and proceeded to prepare a tuna salad sandwich commensurate with his enormous appetite.)
58
commodious
(adj.) roomy (Holden invited the three women to join him in the back seat of the taxicab, assuring them that the car was quite commodious.)
59
compelling
(adj.) forceful, demanding attention (Eliot’s speech was so compelling that Lenore accepted his proposal on the spot.)
60
compensate
(v.) to make an appropriate payment for something (Reginald bought Sharona a new dress to compensate her for the one he’d spilled his ice cream on.)
61
complacency
(n.) self-satisfied ignorance of danger (Colin tried to shock his friends out of their complacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them.)
62
complement
(v.) to complete, make perfect (Ann’s scarf complements her blouse beautifully, making her seem fully dressed even though she isn’t wearing a coat.)
63
compliant
(adj.) ready to adapt oneself to another’s wishes (Sue had very strong opinions about what to do on a first date, and Ted was absolutely compliant.)
64
complicit
(adj.) being an accomplice in a wrongful act (By keeping her daughter’s affair a secret, Maddie became complicit in it.)
65
compliment
(n.) an expression of esteem or approval (I blushed crimson when Emma gave me a compliment on my new haircut.)
66
compound
(v.) to combine parts (The difficulty of finding a fire escape amid the smoke was compounded with the dangers posed by the panicking crowds.) 2. (n.) a combination of different parts (My attraction to Donna was a compound of curiosity about the unknown, physical desire, and intellectual admiration.) 3. (n.) a walled area containing a group of buildings (When the fighting started, Joseph rushed into the family compound because it was safe and well defended.)
67
comprehensive
(adj.) including everything (She sent me a comprehensive list of the ingredients needed to cook rabbit soufflé.)
68
compress
(v.) to apply pressure, squeeze together (Lynn compressed her lips into a frown.)
69
compunction
(n.) distress caused by feeling guilty (He felt compunction for the shabby way he’d treated her.)
70
concede
(v.) to accept as valid (Andrew had to concede that what his mother said about Diana made sense.)
71
conciliatory
(adj.) friendly, agreeable (I took Amanda’s invitation to dinner as a very conciliatory gesture.)
72
concise
(adj.) brief and direct in expression (Gordon did not like to waste time, and his instructions to Brenda were nothing if not concise.)
73
concoct
(v.) to fabricate, make up (She concocted the most ridiculous story to explain her absence.)
74
concomitant
(adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion (His dislike of hard work carried with it a concomitant lack of funds.)
75
concord
(n.) harmonious agreement (Julie and Harold began the evening with a disagreement, but ended it in a state of perfect concord.)
76
condolence
(n.) an expression of sympathy in sorrow (Brian lamely offered his condolences on the loss of his sister’s roommate’s cat.)
77
condone
(v.) to pardon, deliberately overlook (He refused to condone his brother’s crime.)
78
conduit
(n.) a pipe or channel through which something passes (The water flowed through the conduit into the container.)
79
confection
(n.) a sweet, fancy food (We went to the mall food court and purchased a delicious confection.)
80
confidant
(n.) a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, she became my chief confidant.)
81
conflagration
(n.) great fire (The conflagration consumed the entire building.)
82
confluence
(n.) a gathering together (A confluence of different factors made tonight the perfect night.)
83
conformist
(n.) one who behaves the same as others (Julian was such a conformist that he had to wait and see if his friends would do something before he would commit.)
84
confound
(v.) to frustrate, confuse (MacGuyver confounded the policemen pursuing him by covering his tracks.)
85
congeal
(v.) to thicken into a solid (The sauce had congealed into a thick paste.)
86
congenial
(adj.) pleasantly agreeable (His congenial manner made him popular wherever he went.)
87
congregation
(n.) a gathering of people, especially for religious services (The priest told the congregation that he would be retiring.)
88
congruity
(n.) the quality of being in agreement (Bill and Veronica achieved a perfect congruity of opinion.)
89
connive
(v.) to plot, scheme (She connived to get me to give up my vacation plans.)
90
consecrate
(v.) to dedicate something to a holy purpose (Arvin consecrated his spare bedroom as a shrine to Christina.)
91
consensus
(n.) an agreement of opinion (The jury was able to reach a consensus only after days of deliberation.)
92
consign
(v.) to give something over to another’s care (Unwillingly, he consigned his mother to a nursing home.)
93
consolation
(n.) an act of comforting (Darren found Alexandra’s presence to be a consolation for his suffering.)
94
consonant
(adj.) in harmony (The singers’ consonant voices were beautiful.)
95
constituent
(n.) an essential part (The most important constituent of her perfume is something called ambergris.)
96
constrain
(v.)to forcibly restrict (His belief in nonviolence constrained him from taking revenge on his attackers.)
97
construe
(v.) to interpret (He construed her throwing his clothes out the window as a signal that she wanted him to leave.)
98
consummate
(v.) to complete a deal; to complete a marriage ceremony through sexual intercourse (Erica and Donald consummated their agreement in the executive boardroom.)
99
consumption
(n.) the act of consuming (Consumption of intoxicating beverages is not permitted on these premises.)
100
contemporaneous
(adj.) existing during the same time (Though her novels do not feature the themes of Romanticism, Jane Austen’s work was contemporaneous with that of Wordsworth and Byron.)
101
contentious
(adj.) having a tendency to quarrel or dispute (George’s contentious personality made him unpopular with his classmates.)
102
contravene
(v.) to contradict, oppose, violate (Edwidge contravened his landlady’s rule against overnight guests.)
103
contrite
(adj.) penitent, eager to be forgiven (Blake’s contrite behavior made it impossible to stay angry at him.)
104
contusion
(n.) bruise, injury (The contusions on his face suggested he’d been in a fight.)
105
conundrum
(n.) puzzle, problem (Interpreting Jane’s behavior was a constant conundrum.)
106
convene
(v.) to call together (Jason convened his entire extended family for a discussion.)
107
convention
(n.) an assembly of people (The hotel was full because of the cattle- ranchers’ convention.) 2. (n.) a rule, custom (The cattle-ranchers have a convention that you take off your boots before entering their houses.)
108
convivial
(adj.) characterized by feasting, drinking, merriment (The restaurant’s convivial atmosphere put me immediately at ease.)
109
convoluted
(adj.) intricate, complicated (Grace’s story was so convoluted that I couldn’t follow it.)
110
copious
(adj.) profuse, abundant (Copious amounts of Snapple were imbibed in the cafeteria.)
111
cordial
(adj.) warm, affectionate (His cordial greeting melted my anger at once.)
112
coronation
(n.) the act of crowning (The new king’s coronation occurred the day after his father’s death.)
113
corpulence
(adj.)extreme fatness (Henry’s corpulence did not make him any less attractive to his charming, svelte wife.)
114
corroborate
(v.) to support with evidence (Luke’s seemingly outrageous claim was corroborated by witnesses.)
115
corrosive
(adj.) having the tendency to erode or eat away (The effect of the chemical was highly corrosive.)
116
cosmopolitan
(adj.) sophisticated, worldly (Lloyd’s education and upbringing were cosmopolitan, so he felt right at home among the powerful and learned.)
117
counteract
(v.) to neutralize, make ineffective (The antidote counteracted the effect of the poison.)
118
coup
(n.) a brilliant, unexpected act (Alexander pulled off an amazing coup when he got a date with Cynthia by purposely getting hit by her car.) 2. (n.) the overthrow of a government and assumption of authority (In their coup attempt, the army officers stormed the Parliament and took all the legislators hostage.)
119
covet
(v.) to desire enviously (I coveted Moses’s house, wife, and car.)
120
covert
(adj.) secretly engaged in (Nerwin waged a covert campaign against his enemies, while outwardly appearing to remain friendly.)
121
credulity
(n.) readiness to believe (His credulity made him an easy target for con men.)
122
crescendo
(n.) a steady increase in intensity or volume (The crescendo of the brass instruments gave the piece a patriotic feel.)
123
criteria
(n.) standards by which something is judged (Among Mrs. Fields’s criteria for good cookies are that they be moist and chewy.)
124
culmination
(n.) the climax toward which something progresses (The culmination of the couple’s argument was the decision to divorce.)
125
culpable
(adj.) deserving blame (He was culpable of the crime, and was sentenced to perform community service for 75 years.)
126
cultivate
(v.) to nurture, improve, refine (At the library, she cultivated her interest in spy novels.)
127
cumulative
(adj.) increasing, building upon itself (The cumulative effect of hours spent in the sun was a deep tan.)
128
cunning
(adj.) sly, clever at being deceitful (The general devised a cunning plan to surprise the enemy.)
129
cupidity
(n.) greed, strong desire (His cupidity made him enter the abandoned gold mine despite the obvious dangers.)
130
cursory
(adj.) brief to the point of being superficial (Late for the meeting, she cast a cursory glance at the agenda.)
131
curt
(adj.) abruptly and rudely short (Her curt reply to my question made me realize that she was upset at me.)
132
curtail
(v.) to lessen, reduce (Since losing his job, he had to curtail his spending.)
