C Flashcards
Color
Change as if by dyeing, influence, distort
Knowing that James lied about his previous experience colored our evaluation of his application.
Commensurate
Matching, corresponding, or proportionate
Only if the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA championship would the fans feel the teams performance was commensurate with its potential.
Complaisance
The willingness to comply with the wishes of others
A YES man is characterized by his complaisance
Confound
To confuse, to frustrate
Physical chemistry was the most confounding class I took in college.
Connoisseur
An informed and astute judge of taste
Top chef often has wine connoisseurs help with the challenges.
Consequential
Primary def: logically following
Secondary def: Pompous, self important
Although he thought himself respected and well liked, his consequential air was intensely annoying to those around him.
Contemn
To scorn or despise
I contemn their attempts to curry flavor; the flavor so just make me think of vomit.
Contentious
Argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy
Sometime Dave’s contentious nature really drove me crazy. It seemed as if she argued with everything I said simply out of habit.
Contiguous
Sharing a border, touching, adjacent
The lower 48 are said to be contiguous.
Contrite
Regretful, seeking forgiveness
David’s contrite words were long overdue; if he had made his apology last week, his sister would have been a lot more willing to accept them.
Corrigible
Capable of being set right, correctable
The trend away from rehabilitative programs in prison may indicate a decrease in public belief that inmates are corrigable.
Incoragable: not reformable, uncontrollable
Countenance
To approve of or tolerate
Her refusal to countenance any of what she called back talk made her an unpopular babysitter, but even the children had to admit that things were less chaotic when she was around.
Dozen
Deceive, beguile, hoodwink
The corrupt televangelist come end millions of dollars out of his viewers by convincing them that he would perform miracles.
Craven
Lacking courage, faint hearted
Martha Stewart lived in craven fear of being found out as a fraud.
Credulous
Tending to believe too readily; gullible
Nathan was so credulous that he believed us when we told him that Naugahyde comes from hoarse like creatures called Nagasaki, that eat plastic.
Crescendo
Gradual increase in intensity.
A crescendo in the music.
Culpable
Deserving blame
Pat could hardly be there gut culpable for spilling the OJ on the floor, since he was in the shower when it happened.
Cynicism
An attitude that all people are motivated by selfishness
Tricia’s cynicism was matched only by her own selfishness; she believed no one else was altruistic because she never was herself.
Damp
To diminish the intensity or check something, such as a sound or feeling
Her hopes were damped when she checked the mailbox and there was still no letter for the fifth day in a row.
Daunt
To intimidate
The daunting prospect of getting all our laundry done by Sunday was so overwhelming that we put it off again.
Dearth
Smallness of quantity or number; scarcity
The dearth of snow this winter increases the likelihood of a drought this summer.
Debacle
Fiasco, complete failure
The Timberwolves have not been able to avoid debacle this season.
Debunk
To expose as false, or exaggerated
The notion that the earth is flat has been debunked for many years.
Decorum
Politeness or appropriate conduct or behavior.
Deleterious
Injurious, harmful
Though it originally seemed like a good idea to cut the quality of the product, the overall effect on customer relationships has been deleterious.
Demur
To question or oppose
Bob demurred at the suggestion that he clean the house while we swam.
Denigrate
Blacken, belittle, defame, disparage
Edna was notorious for denigrating everyone else’s work, but never being willing to hear the slightest criticism of her own.
Denouement
Outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot
Receiving the Nobel prize was a fitting denouement to his research.
