This list includes 92 Hard words that start with C, from “Cabal” to “Cynosure”. They are mostly rare, polysyllabic, or technical words useful for writing, tests, and editing.
Hard words that start with C are often low-frequency, multisyllabic entries borrowed from Latin or Greek. For example, “cynosure” comes from Greek and became a literary word for guiding excellence.
Below you’ll find the table with Etymology and Definition.
Etymology: Concise origin details show root language, key elements, and approximate dates so you can trace each word.
Definition: One clear sentence lists the part of speech and gives a concise meaning you can use in writing or study.
Hard words that start with C
| Word | Part of speech | Pronunciation (IPA or simple respelling) | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabal | noun | /kəˈbæl/ | From Hebrew `qabbālāh` via French `cabale` (secret scheme). |
| Cachexia | noun | /kəˈkɛksiə/ | From Greek `kakos` ‘bad’ + `hexis` ‘state’. |
| Cacography | noun | /kæˈkɒɡrəfi/ | From Greek `kakos` ‘bad’ + `graphein` ‘to write’. |
| Cacophony | noun | /kəˈkɒfəni/ | From Greek `kakos` ‘bad’ + `phōnē` ‘voice’. |
| Cadge | verb | /kædʒ/ | Origin uncertain, perhaps from `cadger` ‘a peddler’. |
| Caducous | adjective | /kəˈdjuːkəs/ | From Latin `caducus` ‘tending to fall’. |
| Calumniate | verb | /kəˈlʌmnieɪt/ | From Latin `calumniari` ‘to accuse falsely’. |
| Calumny | noun | /ˈkæləmni/ | From Latin `calumnia` ‘slander’. |
| Canard | noun | /kəˈnɑːrd/ | From French, literally ‘duck’. |
| Capacious | adjective | /kəˈpeɪʃəs/ | From Latin `capax` ‘able to hold much’. |
| Capitulate | verb | /kəˈpɪtʃəleɪt/ | From Medieval Latin `capitulare` ‘draw up in chapters’. |
| Capricious | adjective | /kəˈprɪʃəs/ | From Italian `capriccio` ‘whim’. |
| Captious | adjective | /ˈkæpʃəs/ | From Latin `captiosus` ‘fallacious’. |
| Carapace | noun | /ˈkærəpeɪs/ | From Spanish `carapacho`. |
| Castigate | verb | /ˈkæstɪɡeɪt/ | From Latin `castigare` ‘to punish, chastise’. |
| Catachresis | noun | /ˌkætəˈkriːsɪs/ | From Greek `katakhrēsis` ‘misuse’. |
| Catechize | verb | /ˈkætɪkaɪz/ | From Greek `katēkhein` ‘to teach orally’. |
| Causistry | noun | /ˈkæʒuɪstri/ | From Latin `casus` ‘a case’. |
| Caveat | noun | /ˈkæviæt/ | From Latin, ‘let him beware’. |
| Celerity | noun | /sɪˈlɛrɪti/ | From Latin `celer` ‘swift’. |
| Cenobite | noun | /ˈsiːnəbaɪt/ | From Greek `koinos` ‘common’ + `bios` ‘life’. |
| Cenotaph | noun | /ˈsɛnətɑːf/ | From Greek `kenos` ’empty’ + `taphos` ‘tomb’. |
| Censorious | adjective | /sɛnˈsɔːriəs/ | From Latin `censorius` ‘of a censor’. |
| Certiorari | noun | /ˌsɜːrʃiəˈrɛəraɪ/ | From Latin, ‘to be made certain’. |
| Chary | adjective | /ˈtʃɛəri/ | From Old English `cearig` ‘sorrowful, careful’. |
| Chiaroscuro | noun | /kiˌɑːrəˈsk(j)ʊəroʊ/ | From Italian `chiaro` ‘light’ + `scuro` ‘dark’. |
| Chicanery | noun | /ʃɪˈkeɪnəri/ | From French `chicaner` ‘to quibble’. |
| Chimera | noun | /kaɪˈmɪərə/ | From Greek `khimaira`, a mythical beast. |
| Choleric | adjective | /ˈkɒlərɪk/ | From Greek `kholē` ‘bile’. |
| Chthonic | adjective | /ˈθɒnɪk/ | From Greek `khthōn` ‘earth’. |
| Cicerone | noun | /ˌtʃɪtʃəˈroʊni/ | From Italian, after the Roman orator Cicero. |
| Circumlocution | noun | /ˌsɜːrkəmləˈkjuːʃən/ | From Latin `circum` ‘around’ + `loqui` ‘to speak’. |
| Circumscribe | verb | /ˈsɜːrkəmskraɪb/ | From Latin `circum` ‘around’ + `scribere` ‘to write’. |
| Circumspect | adjective | /ˈsɜːrkəmspekt/ | From Latin `circumspicere` ‘look around’. |
| Clandestine | adjective | /klænˈdɛstɪn/ | From Latin `clandestinus` ‘secret’. |
| Clairaudience | noun | /ˌklɛərˈɔːdiəns/ | From French `clair` ‘clear’ + `audience` ‘hearing’. |
| Clemency | noun | /ˈklɛmənsi/ | From Latin `clementia` ‘mildness’. |
| Clerisy | noun | /ˈklɛrɪsi/ | From German `Klerisei`, after English `clergy`. |
| Clinquant | adjective | /ˈklɪŋkənt/ | From French, ‘clinking, glittering’. |
| Coadjutor | noun | /ˌkoʊəˈdʒuːtər/ | From Latin `co-` ‘together’ + `adiutor` ‘helper’. |
| Coalesce | verb | /ˌkoʊəˈlɛs/ | From Latin `coalescere` ‘grow together’. |
| Codicil | noun | /ˈkɒdɪsɪl/ | From Latin `codicillus`, diminutive of `codex` ‘book’. |
| Cogent | adjective | /ˈkoʊdʒənt/ | From Latin `cogere` ‘to compel’. |
| Cogitate | verb | /ˈkɒdʒɪteɪt/ | From Latin `cogitare` ‘to consider’. |
| Cognoscenti | noun | /ˌkɒnjəˈʃɛnti/ | From Italian `cognoscente` ‘knowing person’. |
| Colligate | verb | /ˈkɒlɪɡeɪt/ | From Latin `colligare` ‘to bind together’. |
| Colloquy | noun | /ˈkɒləkwi/ | From Latin `colloquium` ‘conversation’. |
| Comity | noun | /ˈkɒmɪti/ | From Latin `comitas` ‘courtesy’. |
| Comminute | verb | /ˈkɒmɪnjuːt/ | From Latin `comminuere` ‘to break into small pieces’. |
| Commensurate | adjective | /kəˈmɛnʃərət/ | From Latin `commensuratus` ‘measured with’. |
| Complaisant | adjective | /kəmˈpleɪzənt/ | From French, ‘pleasing’. |
| Compunction | noun | /kəmˈpʌŋkʃən/ | From Latin `compungere` ‘prick sharply’. |
| Concatenation | noun | /kənˌkætɪˈneɪʃən/ | From Latin `catena` ‘chain’. |
| Concinnity | noun | /kənˈsɪnɪti/ | From Latin `concinnitas` ‘skillfully joined’. |
| Concomitant | adjective | /kənˈkɒmɪtənt/ | From Latin `concomitari` ‘to accompany’. |
| Concupiscence | noun | /kənˈkjuːpɪsəns/ | From Latin `concupiscere` ‘to long for’. |
| Condign | adjective | /kənˈdaɪn/ | From Latin `condignus` ‘very worthy’. |
| Confabulate | verb | /kənˈfæbjʊleɪt/ | From Latin `confabulari` ‘to chat together’. |
| Conflagration | noun | /ˌkɒnfləˈɡreɪʃən/ | From Latin `conflagrare` ‘to burn up’. |
| Confrere | noun | /ˈkɒnfrɛər/ | From French, literally ‘brother’. |
| Congeries | noun | /kənˈdʒɪəriːz/ | From Latin, plural of `congeries` ‘a heap’. |
| Consanguineous | adjective | /ˌkɒnsæŋˈɡwɪniəs/ | From Latin `con-` ‘together’ + `sanguis` ‘blood’. |
| Conspectus | noun | /kənˈspɛktəs/ | From Latin, ‘a viewing’. |
| Contravene | verb | /ˌkɒntrəˈviːn/ | From Latin `contra` ‘against’ + `venire` ‘to come’. |
| Contretemps | noun | /ˈkɒntrətɒ̃/ | From French, ‘motion out of time’. |
| Contumacious | adjective | /ˌkɒntjuˈmeɪʃəs/ | From Latin `contumax` ‘stubborn, insolent’. |
| Contumely | noun | /ˈkɒntjuːmli/ | From Latin `contumelia` ‘abuse, insult’. |
| Conurbation | noun | /ˌkɒnərˈbeɪʃən/ | Coined by Patrick Geddes in 1915. |
| Convivial | adjective | /kənˈvɪviəl/ | From Latin `convivium` ‘a feast’. |
| Corrigendum | noun | /ˌkɒrɪˈdʒɛndəm/ | From Latin, ‘thing to be corrected’. |
| Corroborate | verb | /kəˈrɒbəreɪt/ | From Latin `corroborare` ‘to strengthen’. |
| Coruscate | verb | /ˈkɒrəskeɪt/ | From Latin `coruscare` ‘to flash, glitter’. |
| Corvine | adjective | /ˈkɔːrvaɪn/ | From Latin `corvinus`, from `corvus` ‘raven’. |
| Coterie | noun | /ˈkoʊtəri/ | From French, originally a peasant group. |
| Countermand | verb | /ˌkaʊntərˈmænd/ | From Old French `contremander`. |
| Countenance | verb | /ˈkaʊntənəns/ | From Old French `contenance` ‘bearing’. |
| Covert | adjective | /ˈkoʊvɜːrt/ | From Old French, past participle of `covrir` ‘to cover’. |
| Crapulous | adjective | /ˈkræpjʊləs/ | From Latin `crapulosus` ‘drunken’. |
| Crassitude | noun | /ˈkræsɪtjuːd/ | From Latin `crassitudo` ‘thickness’. |
| Craven | adjective | /ˈkreɪvən/ | Possibly from Old French `crevanté` ‘defeated’. |
| Credulous | adjective | /ˈkrɛdʒʊləs/ | From Latin `credulus` ‘believing easily’. |
| Crepitate | verb | /ˈkrɛpɪteɪt/ | From Latin `crepitare` ‘to crackle’. |
| Crepuscular | adjective | /krɪˈpʌskjʊlər/ | From Latin `crepusculum` ‘twilight’. |
| Cruciverbalist | noun | /ˌkruːsɪˈvɜːrbəlɪst/ | From Latin `crux` ‘cross’ + `verbum` ‘word’. |
| Cubicular | adjective | /kjuːˈbɪkjələr/ | From Latin `cubiculum` ‘bedroom’. |
| Culpable | adjective | /ˈkʌlpəbəl/ | From Latin `culpabilis` ‘blameworthy’. |
| Cunctation | noun | /kʌŋkˈteɪʃən/ | From Latin `cunctatio` ‘delay’. |
| Cupidity | noun | /kjuːˈpɪdɪti/ | From Latin `cupiditas` ‘desire’. |
| Curmudgeon | noun | /kərˈmʌdʒən/ | Origin unknown. |
| Curtilage | noun | /ˈkɜːrtɪlɪdʒ/ | From Old French `cortil` ‘little court’. |
| Cybernetics | noun | /ˌsaɪbərˈnɛtɪks/ | From Greek `kubernētēs` ‘steersman’. |
| Cynosure | noun | /ˈsaɪnəʃʊər/ | From Greek `kunos oura` ‘dog’s tail’ (the Pole Star). |
Descriptions
Cabal
A small group of people secretly united in a plot or scheme.
Cachexia
A profound and marked state of constitutional disorder; general ill health and malnutrition.
Cacography
Bad handwriting or poor spelling.
Cacophony
A harsh, discordant, and meaningless mixture of sounds.
Cadge
To ask for or obtain something to which one is not strictly entitled.
Caducous
Pertaining to a part of a plant that withers and falls off early.
Calumniate
To make false and defamatory statements about someone.
Calumny
The making of false statements in order to damage someone’s reputation; slander.
Canard
An unfounded rumor or story.
Capacious
Having a lot of space inside; roomy.
Capitulate
To cease resisting an opponent or an unwelcome demand; to surrender.
Capricious
Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.
Captious
Tending to find fault or raise petty objections.
Carapace
The hard upper shell of a turtle, crustacean, or arachnid.
Castigate
To reprimand someone severely.
Catachresis
The use of a word in a way that is not correct, such as a mixed metaphor.
Catechize
To instruct someone by a series of questions and answers, especially on religious doctrine.
Causistry
The use of clever but unsound reasoning, especially in relation to moral questions.
Caveat
A warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations.
Celerity
Swiftness of movement or action.
Cenobite
A member of a monastic community.
Cenotaph
A monument to someone buried elsewhere, especially one for those who died in a war.
Censorious
Severely critical of others.
Certiorari
A writ by which a higher court reviews a decision of a lower court.
Chary
Cautiously or suspiciously reluctant to do something.
Chiaroscuro
The treatment of light and shade in drawing and painting.
Chicanery
The use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose.
Chimera
A thing that is hoped for but is illusory or impossible to achieve.
Choleric
Bad-tempered or irritable.
Chthonic
Concerning, belonging to, or inhabiting the underworld.
Cicerone
A guide who gives information about antiquities and places of interest to sightseers.
Circumlocution
The use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague.
Circumscribe
To restrict something within limits.
Circumspect
Wary and unwilling to take risks.
Clandestine
Kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit.
Clairaudience
The supposed faculty of perceiving sounds or words from a source beyond ordinary hearing.
Clemency
Mercy or lenience, especially in the judgment of an offense.
Clerisy
A distinct class of educated people or intellectuals.
Clinquant
Glittering with gold or tinsel; speciously attractive.
Coadjutor
An assistant, especially a bishop appointed to assist and often succeed a diocesan bishop.
Coalesce
To come together and form one mass or whole.
Codicil
An addition or supplement that explains, modifies, or revokes a will or part of one.
Cogent
Clear, logical, and convincing (used of an argument or case).
Cogitate
To think deeply about something; to meditate or reflect.
Cognoscenti
People who are considered to be especially well informed about a particular subject.
Colligate
To bind or group together; to bring facts or observations together systematically.
Colloquy
A conversation or a formal discussion.
Comity
Courtesy and considerate behavior toward others; also mutual recognition of laws between nations.
Comminute
To reduce to minute particles; to pulverize.
Commensurate
Corresponding in size or degree; in proportion.
Complaisant
Willing to please others; obliging and agreeable.
Compunction
A feeling of guilt or moral scruple that follows the doing of something bad.
Concatenation
A series of interconnected things or events.
Concinnity
The skillful and harmonious arrangement or fitting together of the different parts of something.
Concomitant
Naturally accompanying or associated with something.
Concupiscence
Strong sexual desire; lust.
Condign
Appropriate to the crime or wrongdoing; fitting and deserved (used of punishment).
Confabulate
To engage in conversation; to chat.
Conflagration
An extensive fire that destroys a great deal of land or property.
Confrere
A fellow member of a profession; a colleague.
Congeries
A disorderly collection; a jumble.
Consanguineous
Relating to or denoting people descended from the same ancestor.
Conspectus
A summary or overview of a subject.
Contravene
To violate the prohibition or order of a law, treaty, or code of conduct.
Contretemps
A minor dispute or disagreement; an unexpected and unfortunate occurrence.
Contumacious
Stubbornly or willfully disobedient to authority.
Contumely
Insolent or insulting language or treatment.
Conurbation
An extended urban area, consisting of several towns merging with a central city’s suburbs.
Convivial
Friendly, lively, and enjoyable (used of an atmosphere or event).
Corrigendum
An error to be corrected, typically in a printed book.
Corroborate
To confirm or give support to a statement, theory, or finding.
Coruscate
To flash or sparkle.
Corvine
Relating to or resembling a crow or raven.
Coterie
A small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive.
Countermand
To revoke or cancel a previous command.
Countenance
To admit as acceptable or possible.
Covert
Not openly acknowledged or displayed; secret.
Crapulous
Relating to the drinking of alcohol or the sickness caused by it.
Crassitude
Grossness or stupidity.
Craven
Contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly.
Credulous
Having or showing too great a readiness to believe things.
Crepitate
To make a crackling or rattling sound.
Crepuscular
Of, resembling, or relating to twilight; also active at twilight (of animals).
Cruciverbalist
A person who is skillful in creating or solving crossword puzzles.
Cubicular
Relating to a bedroom or a chamber.
Culpable
Deserving blame; guilty of doing something wrong.
Cunctation
The action or practice of delaying; procrastination.
Cupidity
Greed for money or possessions.
Curmudgeon
A bad-tempered or surly person.
Curtilage
An area of land attached to a house and forming one enclosure with it.
Cybernetics
The science of communications and automatic control systems in both machines and living things.
Cynosure
A person or thing that is the center of attention or admiration.