co

coagulate (v.) to thicken, clot (The top layer of the pudding had coagulated into a thick

skin.)

coalesce (v.) to fuse into a whole (Gordon’s ensemble of thrift-shop garments coalesced into a surprisingly handsome outfit.)

cobbler (n.) a person who makes or repairs shoes (I had my neighborhood cobbler replace my worn-out leather soles with new ones.)

coerce (v.) 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 coerced into signing it.)

cogent (adj.) intellectually convincing (Irene’s arguments in favor of abstinence were so cogent that I could not resist them.)

cognizant (adj.) aware, mindful (Jake avoided speaking to women in bars because he was cognizant of the fact that drinking impairs his judgment.)

coherent (adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (Renee could not figure out what Monroe had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)

collateral 1. (adj.) secondary (Divorcing my wife had the collateral effect of making me poor, as she was the only one of us with a job or money.) 2. (n.) security for a debt (Jacob left his watch as collateral for the $500 loan.)

colloquial (adj.) characteristic of informal conversation (Adam’s essay on sexual response in primates was marked down because it contained too many colloquial expressions.)

collusion (n.) secret agreement, conspiracy (The three law students worked in collusion to steal the final exam.)

colossus (n.) a gigantic statue or thing (For 56 years, the ancient city of Rhodes featured a colossus standing astride its harbor.)

combustion (n.) the act or process of burning (The unexpected combustion of the prosecution’s evidence forced the judge to dismiss the case against Ramirez.)

commendation (n.) a notice of approval or recognition (Jared received a commendation from Linda, his supervisor, for his stellar performance.)

commensurate (adj.) corresponding in size or amount (Ahab selected a very long roll and proceeded to prepare a tuna salad sandwich commensurate with his enormous appetite.)

commodious (adj.) roomy (Holden invited the three women to join him in the back seat of the taxicab, assuring them that the car was quite commodious.)

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compelling (adj.) forceful, demanding attention (Eliot’s speech was so compelling that Lenore accepted his proposal on the spot.)

compensate (v.) to make an appropriate payment for something (Reginald bought Sharona a new dress to compensate her for the one he’d spilled his ice cream on.)

complacency (n.) self-satisfied ignorance of danger (Colin tried to shock his friends out of their complacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them.)

complement (v.) to complete, make perfect (Ann’s scarf complements her blouse beautifully, making her seem fully dressed even though she isn’t wearing a coat.)

compliant (adj.) ready to adapt oneself to another’s wishes (Sue had very strong opinions about what to do on a first date, and Ted was absolutely compliant.)

complicit (adj.) being an accomplice in a wrongful act (By keeping her daughter’s affair a secret, Maddie became complicit in it.)

compliment (n.) an expression of esteem or approval (I blushed crimson when Emma gave me a compliment on my new haircut.)

compound 1. (v.) to combine parts (The difficulty of finding a fire escape amid the smoke was compounded with the dangers posed by the panicking crowds.) 2. (n.) a combination of different parts (My attraction to Donna was a compound of curiosity about the unknown, physical desire, and intellectual admiration.) 3. (n.) a walled area containing a group of buildings (When the fighting started, Joseph rushed into the family compound because it was safe and well defended.)

comprehensive (adj.) including everything (She sent me a comprehensive list of the ingredients needed to cook rabbit soufflé.)

compress (v.) to apply pressure, squeeze together (Lynn compressed her lips into a

frown.)

compunction (n.) distress caused by feeling guilty (He felt compunction for the shabby way he’d treated her.)

concede (v.) to accept as valid (Andrew had to concede that what his mother said about Diana made sense.)

conciliatory (adj.) friendly, agreeable (I took Amanda’s invitation to dinner as a very conciliatory gesture.)

covert (adj.) secretly engaged in (Nerwin waged a covert campaign against his enemies, while outwardly appearing to remain friendly.)

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concise (adj.) brief and direct in expression (Gordon did not like to waste time, and his instructions to Brenda were nothing if not concise.)

concoct (v.) to fabricate, make up (She concocted the most ridiculous story to explain her absence.)

concomitant (adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion (His dislike of hard work carried with it a concomitant lack of funds.)

concord (n.) harmonious agreement (Julie and Harold began the evening with a disagreement, but ended it in a state of perfect concord.)

condolence (n.) an expression of sympathy in sorrow (Brian lamely offered his condolences on the loss of his sister’s roommate’s cat.)

condone (v.) to pardon, deliberately overlook (He refused to condone his brother’s crime.)

conduit (n.) a pipe or channel through which something passes (The water flowed through the conduit into the container.)

confection (n.) a sweet, fancy food (We went to the mall food court and purchased a delicious confection.)

confidant (n.) a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, she became my chief confidant.)

conflagration (n.) great fire (The conflagration consumed the entire building.)

confluence (n.) a gathering together (A confluence of different factors made tonight the perfect night.)

conformist (n.) one who behaves the same as others (Julian was such a conformist that he had to wait and see if his friends would do something before he would commit.)

confound (v.) to frustrate, confuse (MacGuyver confounded the policemen pursuing him by covering his tracks.)

congeal (v.) to thicken into a solid (The sauce had congealed into a thick paste.)

congenial (adj.) pleasantly agreeable (His congenial manner made him popular wherever he went.)

congregation (n.) a gathering of people, especially for religious services (The priest told the congregation that he would be retiring.)

congruity (n.) the quality of being in agreement (Bill and Veronica achieved a perfect congruity of opinion.)

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connive (v.) to plot, scheme (She connived to get me to give up my vacation plans.)

consecrate (v.) to dedicate something to a holy purpose (Arvin consecrated his spare bedroom as a shrine to Christina.)

consensus (n.) an agreement of opinion (The jury was able to reach a consensus only after days of deliberation.)

consign (v.) to give something over to another’s care (Unwillingly, he consigned his mother to a nursing home.)

consolation (n.) an act of comforting (Darren found Alexandra’s presence to be a consolation for his suffering.)

consonant (adj.) in harmony (The singers’ consonant voices were beautiful.)

constituent (n.) an essential part (The most important constituent of her perfume is something called ambergris.)

constrain (v.)to forcibly restrict (His belief in nonviolence constrained him from taking revenge on his attackers.)

construe (v.) to interpret (He construed her throwing his clothes out the window as a signal that she wanted him to leave.)

consummate (v.) to complete a deal; to complete a marriage ceremony through sexual intercourse (Erica and Donald consummated their agreement in the executive boardroom.)

consumption (n.) the act of consuming (Consumption of intoxicating beverages is not permitted on these premises.)

contemporaneous (adj.) existing during the same time (Though her novels do not feature the themes of Romanticism, Jane Austen’s work was contemporaneous with that of Wordsworth and Byron.)

contentious (adj.) having a tendency to quarrel or dispute (George’s contentious personality made him unpopular with his classmates.)

contravene (v.) to contradict, oppose, violate (Edwidge contravened his landlady’s rule against overnight guests.)

contrite (adj.) penitent, eager to be forgiven (Blake’s contrite behavior made it impossible to stay angry at him.)

contusion (n.) bruise, injury (The contusions on his face suggested he’d been in a fight.)

conundrum (n.) puzzle, problem (Interpreting Jane’s behavior was a constant conundrum.)

convene (v.) to call together (Jason convened his entire extended family for a discussion.)

convention 1. (n.) an assembly of people (The hotel was full because of the cattle-ranchers’ convention.) 2. (n.) a rule, custom (The cattle-ranchers have a convention that you take off your boots before entering their houses.)

convivial (adj.) characterized by feasting, drinking, merriment (The restaurant’s convivial atmosphere put me immediately at ease.)

convoluted (adj.) intricate, complicated (Grace’s story was so convoluted that I couldn’t follow it.)

copious (adj.) profuse, abundant (Copious amounts of Snapple were imbibed in the cafeteria.)

cordial (adj.) warm, affectionate (His cordial greeting melted my anger at once.)

coronation (n.) the act of crowning (The new king’s coronation occurred the day after his father’s death.)

corpulence (adj.)extreme fatness (Henry’s corpulence did not make him any less attractive to his charming, svelte wife.)

corroborate (v.) to support with evidence (Luke’s seemingly outrageous claim was corroborated by witnesses.)

corrosive (adj.) having the tendency to erode or eat away (The effect of the chemical was highly corrosive.)

cosmopolitan (adj.) sophisticated, worldly (Lloyd’s education and upbringing were cosmopolitan, so he felt right at home among the powerful and learned.)

counteract (v.) to neutralize, make ineffective (The antidote counteracted the effect of the poison.)

coup 1. (n.) a brilliant, unexpected act (Alexander pulled off an amazing coup when he got a date with Cynthia by purposely getting hit by her car.) 2. (n.) the overthrow of a government and assumption of authority (In their coup attempt, the army officers stormed the Parliament and took all the legislators hostage.)

covet (v.) to desire enviously (I coveted Moses’s house, wife, and car.)