SAT Vocabulary, The C Words

an event with disasterous consequences

"The earthquake in San Francisco was a ____________________ worse than any other natural disaster in history."

harsh, cold, unfeeling

"The murderer's ________________ lack of remorse shocked the jury."

brotherhood, jovial unity

"____________________ among employees usually leads to success in business."

honesty, frankness

"We were surprised by the ________________ of the mayor's speech because he is usually rather evasive."

shrewd, careful

"The ______________ runner hung at the back of the pack through much of the race to watch the other runners, and then sprinted past them at the end."

very spacious

"The workers delighted in their new ________________ office space."

to surrender

"The army finally _________________ after fighting a long, costly battle."

subject to whim, fickle

"The young girl's ______________________ tendencies made it difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals."

to party, celebrate

"We ___________________ all night after winning the big game."

to annoy, pester

"The husband divorced his wife after listening to her _______________ voice for decades."

to charge, inspire

"The president's speech _____________________ the nation and resuscitated the economy."

a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal

"The ironworkers held a ____________________ to determine how much of a pay increase they would request."

bitter, biting, acidic

"The politicians exchanged ___________________ insults for over an hour during the debate."

to leap about boisterously

"The adults ate their dinners on the patio, while the children ________________ around the pool area."

harsh criticism

"The frustrated teenager could not put up with anymore of her critical mother's ____________________________."

related to the intellect

"The books we read in this class are too _________________; they don't engage my emotions at all."

to criticize severely

"After being _________________ by her peers for mimicking Britney Spears, Miranda dyed her hair black and affected a Gothic style."

indirect and wordy language

"The professor's habit of speaking in ________________________ made it difficult to follow his lectures."

marked off, bounded

"The children were permitted to play tag within a carefully _____________________ area of the playground."

cautious

"Though I promised Rachel's father I would bring her home promptly by midnight, it would have been ____________________ not to have specified a time."

to get around

"The school's dress code was ______________________ by the determined students, who were careful to cover up with long coats when administrators were nearby."

able to perceive things that normal people cannot

"Zelda's uncanny ability to detect my lies was nothing short of _____________________."

loud noise or to be loudly insistent

"Each morning the birds outside my window make such a __________________ that they wake me up."

secret

"Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the gym, Sophie actually went to meet Joe for a ____________________ liaison."

mercy

"After he forgot their anniversary, Martin could only beg Maria for ____________________."

sickeningly sweet

"Though Ron was physically attractive, Maud found his constant compliments and solicitous remarks ______________________."

to fuse into a whole

"Gordon's ensemble of thrift-shop garments ______________________ into a surprisingly handsome outfit."

to make somebody do something by force or threat

"The court decided that Vanilla Ice did not have to honor the contract because he had been __________________ into signing it."

intellectually convincing

"Irene's arguments in favor of abstinence were so ______________ that I could not resist them."

aware, mindful

"Jake avoided speaking to women in bars because he was ________________ of the fact that drinking impairs his judgment."

logically consistent, intelligible

"Renee could not figure out what Monroe had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a __________________ statement."

secondary or security for a debt

"Jacob left his watch as __________________ for the $500 loan."

characteristic of informal conversation

"Adam's essay on American politics was marked down because it contained too many ______________________ expressions."

secret agreement, conspiracy

"The three law students worked in ____________ to steal the final exam."

a gigantic statue or thing

"For 56 years the ancient city of Rhodes featured a _______________ standing astride its harbor."

corresponding in size of amount

"Ahab selected a very long roll and proceeded to prepare a tuna salad sandwich __________________ with his enormous appetite."

roomy and large

"Holden invited the three women to join him in the back seat of the taxicab, assuring them that the car was quite __________________."

self-satisfied ignorance of danger

"Colin tried to shock his friends out of their ____________________ by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them."

ready to adapt oneself to another's wishes

"Sue had very strong opinions about what to do on the first date, and Ted was absolutely ________________________."

being an accomplice in a wrongful act

"By keeping her daughter's affair a secret, Maddie became _______________ in it."

distress caused by feeling guilty

"He felt _____________________ for the shabby way he'd treated her."

to accept as valid

"Andrew had to _________________ that what his mother said about Diana made sense."

friendly, agreeable

"I took Amanda's invitation to dinner as a very _____________________ gesture."

brief and direct in expression

"Gordon did not like to waste time, and his instructions to Brenda were nothing if not ___________________."

to fabricate, or make up

"She ______________________ the most ridiculous story to explain her absence."

accompanying in a subordinate fashion

"His dislike of hard work carried with it a ____________________ lack of funds."

harmonious agreement

Julie and Harold began the evening with a disagreement, but ended in a state of perfect _____________________."

an expression of sympathy in sorrow

"Brian lamely offered his ____________________ on the loss of his sister's roommate's cat."

to pardon, deliberately overlook

"He refused to ______________ his brother's crime."

a pipe or channel through which something passes

"The water flowed through the __________________ into the container."

a great fire

"The ______________________ consumed the entire building."

a gathering together

"A ______________________ of different factors made tonight the perfect night."

to frustrate, confuse

"MacGuyver _______________________ the policemen pursuing him by covering his tracks."

pleasantly agreeable

"His _______________________ manner made him popular wherever he went."

the quality of being in agreement

"Bill and Veronica achieved a perfect _______________ of opinion."

to plot, scheme

"She __________________ to get me to give up my vacation plans."

to dedicate something to a holy purpose

"Arvin _________________ his spare bedroom as a shrine to Christmas."

to give something over to another's care

"Unwillingly, he ___________________ his mother to a nursing home."

an essential part

"The most important __________________ of her perfume is something called ambergris."

to forcibly restrict

"His belief in nonviolence ____________________ him from taking revenge on his attackers."

to interpret

"He _________________ her throwing his clothes out the window as a signal that she wanted him to leave."

to complete a deal; to complete a marriage ceremony through sexual intercourse

"Erica and Donald _________________ their agreement in the executive boardroom."

existing during the same time

"Through her novels do not feature the themes of Romanticism, Jane Austen's work was ______________________ with that of Wordsworth and Byron."

having a tendency to quarrel or dispute

"George's _________________ personality made him unpopular with his classmates."

to contradict, oppose, violate

"Edwidge __________________ his landlady's rule against overnight guests."

penitent, eager to be forgiven

"Blake's _________________ behavior made it impossible to stay angry at him."

puzzle, problem

"Interpreting Jane's behavior was a constant ________________________."

to call together

"Jason ______________ his entire extended family for a discussion."

characterized by feasting, drinking, merriment

"The restaurant's ___________________ atmosphere put me immediately at ease."

intricate, complicated

"Grace's story was so _________________ that I couldn't follow it."

profuse, abundant

"___________________ amounts of Snapple were imbibed in the cafeteria."

warm, affectionate

"His __________________ greeting melted my anger at once."

extreme fatness

"Henry's ________________ did not make him any less attractive to his charming wife."

to support with evidence

"Luke's outrageous claim was __________________ by witnesses."

sophisticated, worldly

"Lloyd's education and upbringing were ____________________, so he felt right at home among the powerful and learned."

secretly engaged in

"Nerwin waged a __________________ campaign against his enemies, while outwardly appearing to remain friendly."

readiness to believe

"His ___________________ made him an easy target for con men."

standards by which something to judged

"Among Mrs. Fields's _________________ for good cookies are that they be moist and chewy."

the climax toward which something progresses

"The _________________ of the couple's argument was the decision to divorce."

deserving blame

"He was __________________ of the crime, and was sentenced to perform community service for 75 years."

greed, strong desire

"His ________________ made him enter the abandoned gold mine despite the obvious dangers."

brief to the point of being superficial

"Late for the meeting, she cast a __________________ glance at the agenda."