bucolic

characteristic of countryside, rustic

burgeon

to flourish

burnish

to polish

buttress

to reinforce, support

cacophonous

unpleasant or harsh sounding

cadge

to beg, sponge

callous

thick-skinned, insensitive

calumny

false and malicious accusation, slander

canard

false, deliberately misleading story

canon

an established principle, basis for judgement for literary works

cant

insencere talk, language of a particular group

cantankerous

irritable, ill-humored

capricious

fickle

captious

fault finding, intended to entrap, as in an argument

cardinal

of foremost importance

carnal

of the flesh or body

carping

to find fault

castigation

punishment, criticism

cataclysm

a violent upheaval that causes great destruction and change

catalyst

something that causes change

categorical

absolute, without exception

caucus

smaller group within an organization

causal

involving a cause

caustic

sarcastically biting, burning

centrifugal

moving away from center

centripetal

moving or directed toward the center

champion

to defend or support

chasten

to correct by punishment, to restrain or subdue

chicanery

trickery or fraud

churlish

rude, boorish

circuitous

roundabout

clairvoyant

psychic, can predict the future

clamor

noisy outcry

cloister

to confine, seclude

coagulate

thicken, congeal

coalesce

to cause to become one

coda

concluding part of literary or musical composition, something that summarizes or concludes

codify

to systemize

cognizant

informed, conscious, aware

commensurate

proportional, being the same measure or amount

compendium

brief, comprehensive summary

complacent

pleased with oneself

complaisant

overly polite, willing to please

compunction

uneasiness caused by guilt

conciliatory

overcoming hostility or distrust

concomitant

existing concurrently

confound

to baffle, perplex

congenial

similar to tastes and habits, friendly, suited to (miss congeniality)

conjugal

pertaining to marriage agreement

conscript

person forced to enroll in military

consecrate

to declare sacred

contend

to assert (contender)

contentious

quarrelsome

contiguous

touching, neighboring, connecting without a break

continence

self control, abstinence

contrite

very sorrowful for a wrong

contumacious

disobedient, rebellious

conundrum

puzzle with no solution, riddle

convivial

sociable

coquette

woman who flirts

cozen

to mislead by trick or fraud, deceive

craven

cowardly

credence

acceptance of something as true

credo

statement of belief or principle, creed

daunt

to discourage, imtimidate

dearth

scarcity

debauchery

corruption

decorum

proper behavior

defame

to harm someone's reputation