Barron GRE word list - C
cabal
small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests
cache
hiding place; V.
cacophonous
discordant; inharmonious; N. cacophony: unpleasant mixture of loud sounds
cadaver
corpse; dead human body
cadaverous
like a corpse; pale
cadence
rhythmic rise and fall ; beat; regular beat of sound; rhythm
cadet
student at a military school
cajole
persuade by praise or false promise; coax; wheedle
calamity
disaster; misery
calculated
deliberately planned; likely
caldron
large kettle
caliber
ability; quality; diameter of the inside of a round cylinder; Ex. work of very high caliber
calligraphy
beautiful writing; excellent penmanship
callous
hardened; unfeeling; without sympathy for the sufferings of others; unkind
callow
youthful; immature; inexperienced
callus
area of thick hard skin
calorific
heat-producing; N. calorie
calumny
malicious misrepresentation; slander
camaraderie
good-fellowship; CF. comrade
cameo
shell or jewel carved in relief; stars special appearance in a minor role in a film
camp
group sharing a common cause or opinion
canard
unfounded false rumor; exaggerated false report
candor
frankness; open honesty; ADJ. candid
canine
related to dogs; doglike
canker
any ulcerous sore; ulcer; any evil; CF. cancer
canny
shrewd in money matters; thrifty
cant
insincere speech or expression of piety; jargon of thieves; special words used by a particular group of people
cantankerous
ill-humored; irritable
cantata
story set to music to be sung by a chorus
canter
slow gallop; V. CF. trot
canto
division of a long poem
canvass
determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.; go through to solicit votes or orders; conduct a survey; N.
capacious
spacious
capacity
mental or physical ability; role; position or duty; ability to accommodate; Ex. in my capacity as president
capillary
having a very fine bore; resembling a hair; fine and slender; Ex. capillary attraction; N: very fine hairlike tube; CF. capillarity
capitulate
surrender; give up all resistance
caprice
whim; sudden change of mind without any real cause
capricious
unpredictable; fickle
capsize
turn over
caption
title; chapter heading; text under illustration
captious
faultfinding; too critical
carafe
glass water bottle; decanter
carapace
shell covering the back
carat
unit of weight for precious stones; measure of the purity of gold
carcinogenic
causing cancer; N. carcinogen
cardinal
chief; most important; N: priest; cardinal number: number that shows quantity rather thatn order
cardiologist
doctor specializing in ailments of the heart
careen
lurch; sway from side to side; move with irregular swinging movement; stagger
career
rush wildly; go at full speed
carefree
free from worries; having no problems
caricature
distortion; burlesque
carillon
a set of bells capable of being played
carnage
destruction of life; slaughter; killing of large numbers of people or animals
carnal
fleshly; sensual; concerning the desires of the body
carnivorous
meat-eating; N. carnivore; CF. herbivore
carousal
drunken revel; V. carouse
carping
petty criticism; fault-finding; fretful complaining; quibble
carrion
rotting flesh of a dead body; CF. vulture
cartographer
map-maker
cascade
small waterfall
caste
one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society; social stratification; prestige
castigation
punishment; severe criticism or disapproval
castrate
remove the sex organs
casual
happening by chance; irregular; occasional; informal; showing or feeling little interest; Ex. casual reader/labor/remark
casualty
serious or fatal accident; person killed or wounded in an accident or battle
cataclysm
deluge; upheaval; earthquake; violent and sudden event or change
catalyst
agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged; CF. catalysis
catapult
slingshot; hurling machine; V: fire from catapult
cataract
great waterfall; eye abnormality
catastrophe
calamity ; disaster
catcall
shout of disapproval or displeasure ; boo; V.
catechism
book for religious instruction in question-and-answer form; religious instruction by question and answer; V. catechize
categorical
without exceptions; made without any doubt in mind; unqualified; absolute
cater
provide food and drink ; cater to: try to satisfy
catharsis
purging or cleansing of any passage of the body; purging and weakening of strong emotions as a result of experiencing a dramatic work of art
cathartic
purgative; medicine that causes the bowels to empty; ADJ.
catholic
universal; general; broad; including many different parts; wide-ranging liberal; Ex. catholic opinions/tastes
caucus
private meeting of a group of people in a political party to select officers or determine policy; CF. the Caucus club of Boston
caulk
make watertight
causal
implying a cause-and-effect relationship; N. causality
caustic
burning; corrosive; able to burn by chemical action; sarcastically biting; intended to hurt; bitter; harmful; OP. harmless
cauterize
burn with hot iron or caustic substance to stop bleeding and prevent infection
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