|
contravene
(v.) to act contrary to; to oppose or contradict
The story of the accused contravened the story of the witness.
The United Nations held that the Eastern European nation had contravened
the treaty.
contrite
(adj.) regretful; sorrowful; having repentance
Regretting his decision not to attend college, the contrite man did not
lead a very happy life.
A contrite heart has fixed its wrongs.
contumacious
(adj.) resisting authority
The man was put in jail for contumacious actions.
contusion
(n.) a bruise; an injury where the skin is not broken
The man was fortunate to receive only contusions from the crash.
conundrum
(n.) a puzzle or riddle
I spent two hours trying to figure out the conundrum.
The legend says that to enter the secret passageway, one must answer the
ancient conundrum.
conventional
(adj.) traditional; common; routine
The bride wanted a conventional wedding ceremony, complete with white
dresses, many flowers, and a grand reception party.
Conventional telephones are giving way to videophones.
converge
(v.) to move toward one point (opposite: diverge)
It was obvious that an accident was going to occur as the onlookers watched
the two cars converge.
The two roads converge at the corner.
conviviality
(n.) a fondness for festiveness or joviality
His conviviality makes him a welcome guest at any social gathering.
convoke
(v.) a call to assemble
The teacher convoked her students in the auditorium to help prepare them
for the play.
copious
(adj.) abundant; in great quantities
Her copious notes touched on every subject presented in the lecture.
corpulence
(n.) obesity
The corpulence of the man kept him from fitting into the seat.
correlate
(v.) to bring into mutual relation
The service man was asked to correlate the two computer demonstration
pamphlets.
corroborate
(v.) to confirm the validity
The witness must corroborate the prisoner's story if she is to be set
free.
coterie
(n.) a clique; a group who meet frequently, usually socially
A special aspect of campus life is joining a coterie.
Every day after school she joins her coterie on the playground and they
go out for a soda.
covenant
(n.) a binding and solemn agreement
With the exchange of vows, the covenant was complete.
covetous
(adj.) greedy; very desirous
Lonnie, covetous of education, went to almost every lecture at the university.
Covetous of her neighbor's pool, she did everything she could to make
things unpleasant..
cower
(v.) to huddle and tremble
The lost dog cowered near the tree.
The tellers cowered in the corner as the bandit ransacked the bank.
coy
(adj.) modest; bashful; pretending shyness to attract
Her coy manners attracted the man.
He's not really that shy, he's just being coy.
crass
(adj.) stupid or dull; insensitive; materialistic
To make light of someone's weakness is crass.
They made their money the old-fashioned way, but still they were accused
of being crass.
My respect for the man was lowered when he made the crass remark.
craven
(n.; adj.) coward; abject person; cowardly
While many fought for their rights, the craven sat shaking, off in a corner
somewhere.
Craven men will not stand up for what they believe in.
culpable
(adj.) deserving blame; guilty
The convicted criminal still denies that he is culpable for the robbery.
curb
(n.) a restraint or framework
A curb was put up along the street to help drainage.
curmudgeon
(n.) an ill-tempered person
The curmudgeon asked the children not to play near the house.
cursory
(adj.) hasty; slight
The detective's cursory examination of the crime scene caused him to overlook
the lesser clues.
cynic
(n.) one who believes that others are motivated entirely by selfishness.
The cynic felt that the hero saved the man to become famous.
dais
(n.) a raised platform at one end of a room
The dais was lowered to make the speaker look taller.
|