Day 5 Flashcards
(33 cards)
caustic
Capable of corroding metal or burning the
skin; very critical or sarcastic
“the players were making caustic comments about the refereeing”
censure
Strong disapproval or official reprimand
(noun); to issue such disapproval or
reprimand (verb)
“the company was heavily censured by inspectors from the Department of Trade”
chauvinism
Fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm
for military glory; undue or biased
devotion to any group, cause, etc.
“we stand together to stamp out chauvinism and bigotry”
chicanery
Trickery, deception by knowingly false
arguments
“storylines packed with political chicanery”
chronological
Arranged in or relating to time order
“the diary provided a chronological framework for the events”
circumscribe
Strictly limit a role, range of activity, or
area; in math, to be constructed around so
as to touch as many points as possible
“the minister’s powers are circumscribed both by tradition and the organization of local government”
circumspect
Cautious, prudent; careful to consider the
circumstances and consequences
“the officials were very circumspect in their statements”
clamber
Climb awkwardly or with difficulty,
scramble”
I clambered out of the trench”
clamor
Noisy uproar or protest, as from a crowd; a
loud, continuous noise
“the growing public clamour for more police officers on the beat”
clinch
Make final or settle conclusively; to fasten
or hold together
“the Texan wanted to impress him to clinch a business deal”
cloying
Disgustingly or distastefully sweet
“a romantic, rather cloying story”
coagulate
Cause a liquid to become solid or semisolid
“blood had coagulated round the edges of the gash”
coalesce
Come together, unite; fuse together
“his idea served to coalesce all that happened into one connected whole”
coda
Final part of a musical composition; an
ending, esp. one that sums up what has
come before
“his new novel is a kind of coda to his previous books”
coffer
Chest for storing valuables; financial
resources, a treasury
“a battered leather coffer sealed with a waxen crest”
cogent
Very convincing, logical
“they put forward cogent arguments for British membership”
collude
Conspire; cooperate for illegal or
fraudulent purposes
“the president accused his opponents of colluding with foreigners”
commensurate
The same in size, extent, etc., equivalent;
proportional
“salary will be commensurate with age and experience”
compendium
Concise but complete summary; a list or
collection
“an invaluable compendium of useful information about language”
complacent
Self-satisfied, smug; overly content (and
therefore lazy, neglectful, or some other
bad quality)
“you can’t afford to be complacent about security”
complaisant
Eager to please; cheerfully complying
“there are too many complaisant doctors signing sick notes”
complementary
Completing; fitting together well; filling
mutual needs
“they had different but complementary skills”
compliant
Obeying, submissive; following the
requirements
“a compliant labour force”
concede
Give in, admit, yield; acknowledge
reluctantly; grant or give up (such as giving
up land after losing a war)
“I had to concede that I’d overreacted”
