40 Popular Adjectives That Start with C in English

40 Adjectives That Start With C

1. Capricious

2. Cantankerous

3. Crestfallen

4. Cadaverous

5. Crotchety

6. Cautious

7. Cultured

8. Carefree

9. Charitable

10. Childlike

11. Calm

12. Cool

13. Cheerful

14. Capacious

15. Cozy

16. Cruel

17. Careless

18. Captious

19. Cowardly

20. Cynical

21. Chaotic

22. Calamitous

23. Conspiratorial

24. Catastrophic

25. Controversial

26. Crumbly

27. Craggy

28. Crummy

29. Constrict

30. Cursed

31. Combative

32. Chivalrous

33. Commendable

34. Coercive

35. Courageous

36. Competitive

37. Coltish

38. Compulsive

39. Competent

40. Crucial

Interesting Adjectives

Capricious

/kəˈprɪʃ.əs/

Definition: Changing mood or behavior suddenly and unexpectedly

Example. A capricious child.

Cantankerous

/ˌkænˈtæŋ.kɚ.əs/

Definition: Annoyed and tending to argue and complain

Example. We get agitated, fretful, cantankerous, and panicky.

Crestfallen

/ˈkrestˌfɑː.lən/

Definition: Disappointed and sad because of having failed unexpectedly.

Example. She looked crestfallen at his decision.

Cadaverous

/kəˈdæv.ɚ.əs/

Definition: Looking pale, thin, and ill

Example. Her face is stupid, her skin is cadaverous… she does not have a human form.

Crotchety

/ˈkrɑtʃ·ɪ·t̬i/

Definition: Easily annoyed or angered

Example. After 9 hours in the car, we were all getting crotchety.

Positive Adjectives to Describe a Person

Cautious

/ˈkɑː.ʃəs/

Definition: not acting quickly in order to avoid risks; careful

Example. Most doctors are cautious about advising you to have surgery.

Cultured

/ˈkʌl.tʃɚd/

Definition: A cultured person has had a good education and knows a lot about art, music, literature, etc.

Example. Cultured family, but poverty.

Carefree

/ˈker.friː/

Definition: Having no problems or not being worried about anything

Example. She changed from a carefree girl into a woman.

Charitable

/ˈtʃer.ə.t̬ə.bəl/

Definition: Giving money, food, or help free to those who are in need because they are ill, poor, or have no home

Example. He is known as a charitable person.

Childlike

/ˈtʃaɪld.laɪk/

Definition: (of adults) showing the good qualities that children have, such as trusting people, being honest and enthusiastic

Example. All his life he had a childlike trust in other people.

Positive Adjectives to Describe a Place

Calm

/kɑːm/

Definition: Peaceful, quiet

Example. After a night of fighting, the streets are now calm.

Cool

/kuːl/

Definition: the pleasant, slightly cold temperature of a place

Example. She loved the cool of the early morning.

Cheerful

/ˈtʃɪr.fəl/

Definition: used to describe a place or thing that is bright and pleasant and makes you feel positive and happy

Example. The hospital waiting room was bright and cheerful with yellow walls and curtains.

Capacious

/kəˈpeɪ.ʃəs/

Definition: having a lot of space and able to contain a lot

Example. A capacious room.

Cozy

/ˈkoʊ.zi/

Definition: comfortable, pleasant, and inviting, esp. (of a room or building) because small and warm

Example. A cozy house tucked away in the trees.

Negative Adjectives to Describe a Person

Cruel

/ˈkruː.əl/

Definition: Extremely unkind and intentionally causing pain

Example. His classmates made some cruel remarks.

Careless

/ˈker.ləs/

Definition: not taking or showing enough care and attention

Example. She’s very careless with her money.

Captious

/ˈkæp.ʃəs/

Definition: often expressing criticisms about matters that are not important

Example. A captious teacher.

Cowardly

 /ˈkaʊ.ɚd.li/

Definition: in a way that is not at all brave and tries to avoid danger

Example. A cowardly attack on a helpless victim.

Cynical

/ˈsɪn.ɪ.kəl/

Definition: believing that people are only interested in themselves and are not sincere

Example. He has a pretty cynical view of women.

Negative Adjectives to Describe an Event

Chaotic

/keɪˈɑː.t̬ɪk/

Definition: in a state of chaos

Example. The house is a bit chaotic at the moment.

Calamitous

/kəˈlæm.ə.t̬əs/

Definition: causing great damage or suffering

Example. The team suffered a calamitous defeat yesterday.

Conspiratorial

/kənˌspɪr.əˈtɔː.ri.əl/

Definition: Relating to a secret plan to do something bad

Example. He gave me a sly, conspiratorial wink.

Catastrophic

/ˌkæt̬.əˈstrɑː.fɪk/

Definition: causing sudden and very great harm or destruction

Example. A catastrophic storm made landfall on UK soil.

Controversial

/ˌkɑːn.trəˈvɝː.ʃəl/

Definition: causing or likely to cause disagreement

Example. The book was very controversial.

Negative Adjectives to Describe a Place

Crumbly

/ˈkrʌm.bəl.i/

Definition: breaking easily into small pieces

Example. The cheese is crumbly and moist.

Craggy

/ˈkræɡ.i/

Definition: having many crags

Example. A craggy coastline.

Crummy

 /ˈkrʌm.i/

Definition: very bad quality

Example. A crummy old house.

Constrict

 /kənˈstrɪkt/

Definition: to become tighter and narrower

Example. He hated wearing a tie – he felt it constricted his breathing.

Cursed

 /ˈkɝːst/

Definition: experiencing bad luck caused by a magic curse

Example. I think my car is cursed – it never starts when I need it.

Heroic Adjectives

Combative

/ˈkɑːm.bə.t̬ɪv/

Definition: eager to fight or argue

Example. She’s done with a combative attitude.

Chivalrous

/ˈʃɪv.əl.rəs/

Definition: (of a man or his behavior) courteous and gallant, especially toward women.

Example. Shall I be chivalrous and offer you my coat?

Commendable

/kəˈmen.də.bəl/

Definition: Deserving praise

Example. It was very tough but commendable.

Coercive

/koʊˈɝː.sɪv/

Definition: Using force to persuade people to do things that they are unwilling to do

Example. It’s the coercive arm of the state, and if it turns bad.

Courageous

/kəˈreɪ.dʒəs/

Definition: not deterred by danger or pain; brave

Example. His courageous human rights work

Sporty Adjectives

Competitive

/kəmˈpet̬.ə.t̬ɪv/

Definition: involving competition

Example. A competitive sport.

Coltish

/ˈkoʊl.tɪʃ/

Definition: young and energetic but awkward

Example. Their impossibly coltish legs.

Compulsive

/kəmˈpʌl.sɪv/

Definition: doing something a lot and unable to stop doing it

Example. This play is compulsive viewing.

Competent

/ˈkɑːm.pə.t̬ənt/

Definition: able to do something well

Example. She’s highly competent at her work.

Crucial

/ˈkruː.ʃəl/

Definition: extremely important or necessary

Example. A crucial match.