Barron’s GRE Word List (Vocabulary) Test Prep- Letter C
cabal
small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests
By cursed cabals of women. –Dryden
cache
hiding place; V
She hid her jewelry in a little cache in the cellar
cacophonous
discordant; inharmonious; N. cacophony: unpleasant mixture of loud sounds
The student groups created a cacophony
cadaver
corpse; dead human body
That’s the pace where cadavers are kept
cadaverous
like a corpse; pale
He almost became cadaverous
cadence
rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat; regular beat of sound; rhythm
The water pipes twirled to the cadence of the music
cajole
persuade by praise or false promise; coax; wheedle
The mother cajoled her kid to eat
coax
persuade by flattery
The vain glorious Prince was coaxed frequently by his subjects
calamity
disaster; misery
He was suffering from a greater mental calamity
calculated
deliberately planned; likely
His talk sounds rather calculated
caldron(cauldron)
large kettle
The milk was stored in a caldron
caliber
ability; quality; diameter of the inside of a round cylinder; Ex. work of very high caliber
Caliber and not recommendation works in his office
calligraphy
beautiful writing; excellent penmanship
A calligraphy of Arabic verses can be found in the Taj
callous
hardened; unfeeling; without sympathy for the sufferings of others; unkind
Hardships made the young man callous
callus
area of thick hard skin
Heavy work callused his hands
callow
youthful; immature; inexperienced
Her callow nature attracted one and all instantly
calorific
heat-producing; N. calorie
Carbohydrates have a greater calorific value
calumny
malicious misrepresentation; slander
It was shard to bear such calumny
camaraderie
good-fellowship; CF. comrade
The President advocated the concept of camaraderie
cameo
shell or jewel carved in relief; star’s special appearance in a minor role in a film
He started accepting cameo roles in films
canard
unfounded false rumor; exaggerated false report
The old man was usually found propagating canards
candor
frankness; open honesty; ADJ. candid
The candor with which she speaks is remarkable
canine
related to dogs; doglike
Wolf belongs to the family of canines
canker
any ulcerous sore; ulcer; any evil; CF. cancer
A canker should not be ignored
canny
shrewd in money matters; thrifty
Her mother-in-law is both canny and cruel
cant
insincere speech or expression of piety; jargon of thieves; special words used by a particular group of people
The cant of the fashion industry
cantankerous
ill-humored; irritable
Her cantankerous nature kept friends away from her
cantata
story set to music to be sung by a chorus (shorter than an oratorio)
A cantata is a choral composition
canter
slow gallop; V. CF. trot
The horse was kicked to a canter
canto
division of a long poem
Dante’s Divine Comedy has several cantos
canvass
determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.; go through (a region) to solicit votes or orders; conduct a survey; N
Congress’ scrupulous canvassing yielded rich dividends in the elections
capacious
spacious
The room’s not capacious
capacity
mental or physical ability; role; position or duty; ability to accommodate
In my capacity as president I am not going to bear bribery
capillary
having a very fine bore; resembling a hair; fine and slender;
It was a capillary attraction
capitulate
surrender; give up all resistance
The terrorist finally capitulated
caprice
whim; sudden change of mind without any real cause
With the caprice of a despotic king, he alternated between kindness and cruelty
capricious
unpredictable; fickle
He seems to be rather capricious
caption
title; chapter heading; text under illustration
The caption of the book doesn’t go with the content
captious
faultfinding; too critical
It was hard for him to work under a captious boss
carafe
glass water bottle; decanter
A carafe was used for serving wine
carapace
shell covering the back (of a turtle, tortoise, crab, etc.)
The carapace of a turtle has great commercial value
carat(karat)
unit of weight for precious stones; measure of the purity of gold
Gold that is 50 percent pure is 12 karat
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carcinogenic
causing cancer; N. carcinogen
Tobacco is carcinogenic in nature
cardinal
chief; most important; N: priest; cardinal number: number that shows quantity rather than order
Achieving peace was his cardinal objective
cardiologist
doctor specializing in ailments of the heart
A cardiologist specializes in heart related diseases
careen
lurch; sway from side to side; move with irregular swinging movement; stagger
The barn was careening a little
Â
career
one’s job, profession
He sought a career as a lawyer
Â
caricature
distortion; burlesque
He specializes in sketching caricatures
carillon
a set of bells (often in a tower) capable of being played
The wild carillon of bells shook up the town
carnage
destruction of life; slaughter; killing of large numbers of people or animals
The carnage unleashed by Hitler was unpardonable
carnal
fleshly; sensual; concerning the desires of the body
An ascetic is one who has no carnal desires
carnivorous
meat-eating; N. carnivore; CF. herbivore
A lion is a carnivore
carousal
drunken revel; V. carouse
He danced in carousal
carping
petty criticism; fault-finding; fretful complaining; quibble
Her carping irritated her friends
carrion
rotting flesh of a dead body
Vulture feeds on carrion
Â
cartographer
map-maker
He is a professional cartographer
cascade
small waterfall
Children played near the cascade
caste
one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society; social stratification; prestige
caste based differentiation is still prevalent in India
castigation
punishment; severe criticism or disapproval
He was subjected to unbearable castigation
casualty
serious or fatal accident; person killed or wounded in an accident or battle
The World War II witnessed several casualties
casual
happening by chance; irregular; occasional; informal; showing or feeling little interest; Ex. casual reader/labor/remark
He’s a casual reader
cataclysm
deluge; upheaval; earthquake; violent and sudden event or change
He reached his destiny despite cataclysmic rain
catalyst
agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged; CF. catalysis
The Ferric ions are effective catalysts
catapult
slingshot; hurling machine; V: fire from catapult
The change of job catapulted him to success and fame
cataract
great waterfall; eye abnormality (causing a gradual loss of eyesight)
Cataracts attracted the nature poet, Wordsworth
catastrophe
calamity ; disaster
The blind prophet predicted a catastrophe
catcall
shout of disapproval or displeasure (made at the theater or a sports match)
The catcalls restricted us from paying attention
catechism
book for religious instruction in question-and-answer form; religious instruction by question and answer; V. catechize
“the core of the catechism of the antinuclear left, the notion that the threat to peace is technological, not political” (George F. Will)
categorical
without exceptions; made without any doubt in mind; unqualified; absolute
The students were requested to do a categorical analysis
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
The catharsis in King Oedipus sees him blinding himself
cathartic
purgative; medicine that causes the bowels to empty; ADJ.
The medicine had a cathartic effect
catholic
(of likings and interests) universal; general; broad; including many different parts; wide-ranging liberal; Ex. catholic opinions/tastes
She belongs to the catholic order
caucus
private meeting of a group of people in a political party to select officers or determine policy
The Caucus club of Boston
caulk(calk)
make watertight (by blocking up cracks as in a ship)
The bottle was caulked
causal
implying a cause-and-effect relationship; N. causality
A causal relationship between scarcity of goods and higher prices
cauterize
burn (a wound or snakebite, etc.) with hot iron or caustic substance to stop bleeding and prevent infection
In earlier days wounds were cauterized
cavalcade
procession of riders or horse-drawn carriages; parade; CF. cavalry
The cavalcade was a visual treat
cavalier
casual and offhand; arrogant; N: knight
His cavalier attitude made him unpopular
cavil
quibble; make frivolous objections; find fault unnecessarily
Some women cavil over anything and everything
cede
yield (title or territory) to (esp. after losing a war); surrender formally; N. cession
The troops were commanded to cede
celerity
speed; rapidity
The machine works with a remarkable celerity
celestial
heavenly
Her beauty is celestial
censor
(in ancient Rome) overseer of morals (also taking the census); person who eliminates inappropriate matter; V
Most of the movie was censored
censorious
severely critical
A censorious critique perturbed her
censure
blame; criticize; express strong disapproval; N: severe criticism; strong disapproval
He wants a censure free life
centaur
mythical figure, half man and half horse
Centaurs do not exist
centigrade
denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius)
Temperature is measured on a centigrade scale
centrifugal
radiating; departing from the center
Centrifugal forces pull the earth towards the center of the solar system
centrifuge
machine that separates substances by whirling them
A centrifuge is used in almost all the houses
centripetal
tending toward the center
Centripetal forces retain the earth within the orbit
centurion
Roman army officer (commanding a company of about 100 soldiers)
Hector was also a centurion
cerebral
pertaining to the brain or intellect; intellectual rather than emotional; CF. cerebrum
Pragmatism dwells in the cerebral part of the brain
cerebration
thought; working of the brain
After a deep cerebration he spoke out his plans
ceremonious
marked by formality; extremely formal and polite; CF. ceremony: conventional social courtesy
He walked ceremoniously
certitude
certainty
She loved him in absolute certitude
cessation
stoppage
The commander called for cessation of troops
chafe
warm by rubbing; make sore by rubbing; N
Her palms were chaffed
chaff
worthless products of an endeavor; husk(outer seed cover) separated from grain; separate the wheat from the chaff
chaffing
bantering; joking
Their chaffing was loud and offensive
chagrin
annoyance and disappointment; vexation (caused by humiliation or injured pride)
The rejection of his proposal chagrined him deeply
chalice
goblet; consecrated cup
The chalice is considered sacred
chameleon
lizard that changes color in different situations
Chameleons are found rarely these days
champion
support militantly; fight for; N: person who fights for or supports strongly (a principle, movement, person, etc.)
She championed the cause of women’s development
championship
position of champion; defense or support; competition held to determine a champion
The girl could not participate in championship
chaotic
in utter disorder
The market place is absolutely chaotic
charisma
divine gift; great popular charm or appeal; magnetism
Her charisma drew the crowds
charlatan
quack; pretender to knowledge (esp. in medicine)
That doctor is a charlatan
chary
cautious; unwilling to take risks; sparing or restrained about giving; OP. bold
He is both chary and pessimistic
chase
ornament a metal surface by indenting; follow rapidly to catch
The police chased the notorious criminal
chasm
abyss; very deep crack
He was saved from falling into a chasm
chassis
framework and working parts of an automobile; framework to which components are attached
The chassis of the flyover was laid
chaste
morally pure; virginal; abstaining from illicit sexual acts; modest; simple (of a style of writing); not highly decorated; austere
She is a chaste woman
chasten
discipline; punish in order to correct; CF. castigate
She appreciated being chastened
chastise
punish as by beating; criticize severely
He was chastised a bit more than required
chauvinist
blindly devoted patriot; zealous adherent of a group, cause, or sex; ADJ. chauvinistic; CF. chauvinism; Nicolas Chauvin
Chauvinism is a mental disorder
check
stop motion; curb or restrain
The program has to be implemented with checks
checkered (chequered)
marked by great changes in fortune; with many changes of fortune; CF. checked: having a pattern of squares
The floor is checkered
cherubic
angelic; innocent-looking; N. cherub; CF. seraph: winged angel of the highest order
Mythical tales show cherubs pruning beautiful women
chicanery
trickery; deception
She was a victim of chicanery
chide
scold; rebuke (someone who has done wrong)
The child was chided in front of everyone
chimerical
fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; N. chimera: unreal fancy; fire-breathing female creature
She lives in a chimerical world
chisel
swindle or cheat; N: wedge like tool for cutting
She was chiseled of her fund s
chip
lose a small piece from the surface or edge; N: small piece broken off something; CF. French fry; Potato chip/crisp
I love potato chips
chivalrous
courteous; faithful; brave; N. chivalry
She is a chivalrous woman
choleric
hot-tempered; bad-tempered; irritable; easily angered; CF. cholera
All the employees were afraid o their choleric boss
choreography
art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances
Choreography of the movie is remarkable
chore
daily domestic task (such as cleaning, cooking, and shopping); unpleasant task
I am fed up with these monotonous chores
chortle
chuckle with delight; N.
The woman chortled at the news
chuckle
laugh quietly
She chuckled at her husband’s remarks
chronic
long established as a disease
The disease was diagnosed to be chronic
chronicle
report; record (in chronological order)
The news spread like wild fire by the chronicles
churlish
boorish; rude; N. churl: boor; yahoo
His churlish attitude was condemned
ciliated
having minute hairs; CF. cilium; CF. cilia: eyelash
The animal’s body is ciliated
cipher
nonentity; worthless person or thing; zero; secret code; V
He is nothing but a cipher
circlet
small ring; band of gold, silver, jewel, etc. (worn on the head, arms, or neck as decoration)
The pageant winner was adorned with a circlet
circuitous
roundabout
I hate his circuitous arguments
circuit
closed circular line around an area; circumference; regularly repeated journey from place to place
The place has a circuit
circumlocution
indirect or roundabout expression (by using an unnecessarily large number of words esp. when trying to avoid answering a difficult question directly)
He confuses his audience with his circumlocutions
circumscribe
limit; confine; draw a line around
She circumscribed herself to her family
circumspect
prudent; cautious; acting after careful thought
He was called for his circumspect analysis
circumvent
outwit; defeat by behaving more cleverly; outsmart; baffle; avoid; get around
He circumvents his rivals
cistern
reservoir or water tank
Water has been preserved in cisterns
citadel
fortress
The citadel was a strong one
cite
quote; commend
He was cited for bravery in an official record
civil
having to do with citizens; not military or religious; courteous and polite; Ex. married in a civil ceremony; Ex. civil strife/disorder/law; N. civility; CF. civic
Civil laws of this country are rather stringent
clairvoyant
having foresight; fortuneteller; N. clairvoyance
She became popular for her clairvoyance
clamber
climb by crawling with difficulties; scramble
The thief clambered the huge walls of the fort
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12 Responses to “Barron’s GRE Word List (Vocabulary) Test Prep- Letter C”
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I want to receive lists of commonly used idioms and lists of expressions that contain “as … as”.
I think this website is very good for learners of English as a second language. I will recommend the website to my friends and my classmates.
I suggest that this website should be updated every day in order to meet an awful lot of learners of English.
I very much appreciate the creators of the useful website for the sake of learners of English as a second language all over the world.
Thanks Voan, we already have a list of idioms, please run through the website thoroughly. In fact there exists classified vocabulary for independent headings. We shall be in touch with you for sure. Also run through our blogs.
Regards,
Anu
i want information about
Hello Krishna, ur query is incomplete.
Regards,
Anu
first of all,thanks , of providing such an useful information to me…
and here it is what i wanna ask u.. many of many friends said that words of alphabets A,P,S,R,T,C are more probably asked in gre verbel.. is it true?
sorry. its ‘many of my friends said…..’
Vikram , true because there are many many words from the alphabets u suggested..u can include P, M and O also to the list..:-)
Regards,
It’s ok Vikram..:-)
this site is purely wonderful
Thanks Richard, in fact we have mentioned many vocabulary learning techniques in our blogs..read them all and comment too..
This is the link : http://www.learnwordlist.com/blog
i have found your wordlist related to ‘c’ incomplete.Can you provide me the remaining words?
Virendra , C list is complete Please send me link where you facing problem.