Adjectives That Start With C: 400+ C Adjectives

Adjectives are descriptive words, so they’re perfect for adding detail to your writing. If you’re looking for an adjective that begins with C, we’ve got you covered. 

Whether you’re writing creative pieces, academic essays, or advertising copy, using adjectives is an essential part of writing. If you struggle with your vocabulary when you’re writing a first draft, you can always use some editing software to help you add more adjectives afterwards.

You might be familiar with the “show, don’t tell” rule, which suggests that writers should always provide sensory details instead of summary and exposition. Strong adjectives that provide concrete descriptions will help you do this.  

In this article, we’ll cover over 400 adjectives that start with C and some examples of when you could put them to good use.

Negative Words That Start With C

Negative words are used to describe something undesirable. If you’re writing about a villain, or something unpleasant, adding an adjective will give you more detail in your description.

There are different levels of negative adjectives, though. If you want to describe someone as the most evil person you’ve ever met, you could describe them as cruel or cold-hearted.

If you want to describe some negative qualities or flaws, you could use less intense adjectives, such as clueless or clumsy. These are still traits your character will suffer from, which means they are negative traits, but they’re not as bad as being contemptuous or creepy.

Each of the negative adjectives in our list will give your reader a more specific image in their mind of the thing you are describing. They all have very specific definitions, so consider this before switching out one negative word for another.

Here are 30 negative adjectives that start with C:

• Chauvinistic

• Cheerless

• Close-minded

• Clownish

• Clueless

• Clumsy

• Cocky

• Cold-hearted

• Conceited

• Condescending

• Conflicting

• Confounded

• Confusing

• Contemptuous

• Convulsive

• Corny

• Corrupt

• Costly

• Cowardly

• Crabby

• Crass

• Craven

• Crazy

• Creepy

• Criminal

• Critical

• Crude

• Cruel

• Crushed

• Cursed

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Positive Adjectives That Start With C

Positive adjectives describe something good or pleasant. Good is a weak adjective. It’s vague and subjective, so it’s always best to pick a word that provides more specific detail. That way, you’re more likely to create the right image in your reader’s mind.

Like negative words, positive words have different connotations and definitions, so they aren’t always easily swapped out. For example, if you describe someone as caring, they are likely to be kind towards others. However, you couldn’t swap caring for calming because the latter means someone who is quiet and helps others relax.

Here are 25 positive adjectives that start with C:

• Calming

• Capable

• Captivating

• Caring

• Charismatic

• Charitable

• Charming

• Cheeky

• Cheerful

• Cheery

• Classic

• Classy

• Clever

• Colorful

• Comfortable

• Comical

• Confident

• Content

• Convincing

• Cool

• Courageous

• Cozy

• Creative

• Credible

• Cute

Fun Words That Start With C

When we talk about fun words, we could mean words that have fun definitions, or that are fun to say. In our list, we’ve focused on words that are fun to say. However, one or two of them might also have fun meanings.

If you’re writing some copy for a brand that has a fun image, you might want to use silly and immature synonyms to describe it. If the brand name starts with a C, you can use an adjective that starts with C to create alliteration, which is when the first letters of consecutive words are the same.

Here are 30 fun adjectives that start with C:

• Cakey

• Candid

• Cardboardy

• Celestial

• Ceremonial

• Chalky

• Cheesy

• Chewy

• Chic

• Childlike

• Chock-full

• Choppy

• Chummy

• Citrusy

• Clammy

• Classy

• Cloistered

• Clumsy

• Cockamamie

• Comical

• Computerized

• Cosmic

• Cosmopolitan

• Cottony

• Craggy

• Crinkly

• Crystalline

• Cuddly

• Curly

• Cushy

Bad Words That Start With C

Bad is another weak adjective that can signify a variety of meanings for different people. We’ve gathered some descriptive adjectives that will help you create more vivid descriptions for your reader.

Bad has a similar definition to negative, so some of these words will work in both instances. However, negative usually refers to a lack of something, or a character trait, whereas our list of bad adjectives also includes words to describe poor quality.

Here is our list of 30 bad adjectives that start with C:

• Caged

• Callous

• Calorific

• Cantankerous

• Catastrophic

• Catty

• Challenging

• Choosy

• Churlish

• Clandestine

• Cliquish

• Coercive

• Colorless

• Commanding

• Conceited

• Condemned

• Constrictive

• Contemptuous

• Contradictory

• Contrived

• Controversial

• Convoluted

• Corruptive

• Cranky

• Crass

• Crooked

• Crowded

• Cunning

• Cursed

• Curt

C Words to Describe Someone

Positive and negative adjectives are only two ways you can describe people, so we’ve put together a list of descriptive words, beginning with C, you can use to describe a person.

If you’re writing about a character in a story, there’s more to it than simply telling the reader their physical details. Sometimes, it’s best to leave most physical descriptions out of your novel or story because readers will imagine their own image of what a character looks like.

Instead of physical details, try focusing on the character’s personality and use strong adjectives to describe it. For example, your character might be quiet around other people, but you can use adjectives to give more detail. They might be cagey and like keeping their thoughts to themselves because they don’t trust people. 

If you need adjectives that start with C to describe someone, here are 170+ you can use:

• Cadaverous

• Cagey

• Callous

• Callow

• Calm

• Calming

• Camera-shy

• Camouflaged

• Cantankerous

• Captivating

• Captive

• Carefree

• Careful

• Careless

• Caring

• Casual

• Catatonic

• Catty

• Cautious

• Cavalier

• Celebrated

• Celestial

• Centered

• Certain

• Challenging

• Charismatic

• Charitable

• Charmed

• Charming

• Chaste

• Chatty

• Chauvinistic

• Cheap

• Cheeky

• Cheerful

• Cheerless

• Cheery

• Cheesy

• Chic

• Childish

• Childlike

• Chinese

• Chiseled

• Chivalrous

• Choosy

• Chubby

• Chummy

• Chunky

• Churlish

• Civil

• Civilized

• Clammy

• Clamorous

• Clandestine

• Classic

• Classy

• Clean

• Clear-cut

• Clear-headed

• Clever

• Clingy

• Clinical

• Clipped

• Close

• Close-minded

• Clownish

• Clueless

• Clumsy

• Cluttered

• Cocky

• Coercive

• Cohesive

• Cold

• Coldhearted

• Collaborative

• Colombian

• Colonial

• Colorful

• Colorless

• Colossal

• Comforting

• Comical

• Commanding

• Commendable

• Committed

• Common

• Communicative

• Communist

• Compassionate

• Compelling

• Competent

• Competitive

• Complacent

• Complex

• Compliant

• Complicated

• Compulsive

• Concentrated

• Concerned

• Concise

• Condescending

• Confident

• Conflicted

• Confounded

• Confused

• Confusing

• Connected

• Conscientious

• Conservative

• Considerate

• Consistent

• Consoling

• Conspicuous

• Contagious

• Contaminated

• Contemplative

• Contemporary

• Contemptuous

• Content

• Contentious

• Contoured

• Contradictory

• Contrite

• Controllable

• Controlling

• Controversial

• Conventional

• Conversational

• Convincing

• Cool

• Cooperative

• Coordinated

• Corny

• Correct

• Corrupt

• Corruptive

• Cosmopolitan

• Courageous

• Courteous

• Cowardly

• Coy

• Crabby

• Crafty

• Cranky

• Crass

• Craven

• Crazy

• Creative

• Credible

• Creepy

• Crestfallen

• Criminal

• Crippled

• Critical

• Crooked

• Cross

• Crotchety

• Crude

• Cruel

• Crummy

• Cryptic

• Cuddly

• Cultural

• Cultured

• Cunning

• Curious

• Curly

• Cursed

• Curved

• Curvy

• Customer-oriented

• Cute

• Cutting Edge

• Cynical

Inspirational Words That Start With C

Inspirational words can make you feel hopeful and optimistic about the future. There are many words that can provide that motivation to make you feel more confident about doing something.

If you’re creating an inspiring print to go on the wall of your office, you could use words like calm, carefree, and clear to help your mind push away all the stress of your life so you can focus on your work.

You might find the words captivated, celebrated, and cherished could inspire some love for yourself and the things you might achieve that will make you proud.

Here are 20 inspirational adjectives that start with C:

• Calm

• Captivated

• Carefree

• Celebrated

• Celestial

• Ceremonial

• Certain

• Chance

• Cheery

• Cherished

• Choice

• Cinematic

• Classical

• Clear

• Comfortable

• Compelling

• Connected

• Continuous

• Creative

• Crucial

Descriptive Words That Start With C

We’ve identified lots of adjectives that are negative, positive, fun, bad, and inspirational, but there are more describing words beginning with C that we haven’t covered yet. It’s important to have a full range of words at your disposal when writing, so we didn’t want to leave any out.

A broad vocabulary will help you avoid writing clichéd descriptions because you’ll have more than the commonly used adjectives to work with.

Here is a list of 400+ descriptive words that start with C:

• Cackling

• Cadaverous

• Cadent

• Caged

• Cagey

• Caked

• Cakey

• Calamitous

• Calculated

• Calibrated

• Californian

• Callous

• Callow

• Calm

• Calming

• Calorific

• Camera-shy

• Camouflaged

• Canary

• Canceled

• Cancerous

• Candid

• Canine

• Cantankerous

• Capable

• Capital

• Capricious

• Captivated

• Captivating

• Captive

• Caramel

• Cardboardy

• Carefree

• Careful

• Careless

• Caring

• Carnal

• Carnivorous

• Carpeted

• Carsick

• Casual

• Catastrophic

• Catatonic

• Catchable

• Catty

• Caustic

• Cautious

• Cautious

• Cavalier

• Cavernous

• Ceaseless

• Celebrated

• Celestial

• Centered

• Central

• Ceramic

• Cerebral

• Ceremonial

• Certain

• Certifiable

• Certified

• Chagrined

• Chalky

• Challenged

• Challenging

• Chance

• Changeable

• Changing

• Chanting

• Charging

• Charismatic

• Charitable

• Charmed

• Charming

• Charred

• Chaste

• Chattering

• Chatting

• Chatty

• Chauvinistic

• Cheap

• Cheapest

• Checkered

• Cheeky

• Cheerful

• Cheering

• Cheerless

• Cheery

• Cheesy

• Chemical

• Cherish

• Cherished

• Chewable

• Chewy

• Chic

• Chicken

• Chief

• Childish

• Childlike

• Chilling

• Chilly

• Chinese

• Chiseled

• Chivalrous

• Chock-full

• Chocolate

• Choice

• Choking

• Choosy

• Choppy

• Chrome

• Chronic

• Chronological

• Chubby

• Chuckling

• Chummy

• Chunky

• Churlish

• Cinematic

• Circling

• Circular

• Circumstantial

• Citrus

• Citrusy

• Civil

• Civilian

• Civilized

• Clammy

• Clamoring

• Clamorous

• Clandestine

• Clanging

• Clapping

• Clashing

• Clasped

• Classic

• Classical

• Classifiable

• Classified

• Classy

• Clean

• Cleanable

• Cleansed

• Clear

• Clear-cut

• Cleared

• Clear-headed

• Clever

• Climatic

• Climbable

• Clinging

• Clingy

• Clinical

• Clipped

• Cliquish

• Clogged

• Cloistered

• Close

• Close-minded

• Closable

• Closed

• Cloudless

• Cloudy

• Clownish

• Clueless

• Clumsy

• Cluttered

• Coachable

• Coarse

• Coastal

• Cockamamie

• Cocky

• Codified

• Coercive

• Cognitive

• Coherent

• Cohesive

• Coincidental

• Cold

• Cold-hearted

• Collaborative

• Collapsed

• Collapsing

• Collectable

• Collegial

• Colloquial

• Colombian

• Colonial

• Colorful

• Colorless

• Colossal

• Combative

• Combined

• Comfortable

• Comforted

• Comforting

• Comical

• Commanding

• Commemorative

• Commendable

• Commercial

• Committed

• Common

• Communal

• Communicable

• Communicative

• Communist

• Compact

• Comparable

• Comparative

• Compassionate

• Compelling

• Competent

• Competitive

• Complacent

• Complaining

• Complete

• Completed

• Complex

• Compliant

• Complicated

• Complimentary

• Composed

• Compound

• Comprehensive

• Compulsive

• Compulsory

• Computer

• Computerized

• Concave

• Concealable

• Concealed

• Conceited

• Conceivable

• Concentrated

• Concerned

• Concerning

• Concerted

• Concise

• Concrete

• Concurrent

• Condemned

• Condensed

• Condescending

• Conditional

• Confident

• Confidential

• Confirmable

• Confirmed

• Conflicted

• Conflicting

• Conformable

• Confounded

• Confused

• Confusing

• Congealed

• Congenial

• Congenital

• Congested

• Congressional

• Congruent

• Congruous

• Conical

• Connectable

• Connected

• Connecting

• Connective

• Conscientious

• Conscious

• Consecutive

• Consensual

• Consenting

• Conservative

• Considerable

• Considerate

• Consistent

• Consoling

• Conspicuous

• Conspiratorial

• Constant

• Constitutional

• Constricted

• Constrictive

• Constructive

• Consumable

• Consummate

• Contagious

• Containable

• Contaminated

• Contemplative

• Contemporary

• Contemptible

• Contemptuous

• Content

• Contented

• Contentious

• Contextual

• Continual

• Continuing

• Continuous

• Contorted

• Contoured

• Contractual

• Contradicting

• Contradictory

• Contrarian

• Contrary

• Contributive

• Contrite

• Controllable

• Controlling

• Controversial

• Convenient

• Conventional

• Conversational

• Convex

• Convinced

• Convincing

• Convoluted

• Convulsive

• Cooing

• Cooked

• Cool

• Cooperative

• Coordinated

• Copious

• Copper

• Cordial

• Corner

• Cornered

• Corny

• Corporate

• Corpulent

• Correct

• Correctable

• Corrective

• Corresponding

• Corrosive

• Corrupt

• Corrupting

• Corruptive

• Cosmetic

• Cosmic

• Cosmopolitan

• Costly

• Cotton

• Cottony

• Coughing

• Countless

• Courageous

• Courteous

• Covered

• Covert

• Coveted

• Cowardly

• Cowering

• Coy

• Cozy

• Crabby

• Cracked

• Crackling

• Crafty

• Craggy

• Crammed

• Cramped

• Cranky

• Crashing

• Crass

• Craven

• Crawling

• Crazy

• Creaking

• Creaky

• Cream

• Creamy

• Creative

• Credible

• Creeping

• Creepy

• Crestfallen

• Criminal

• Crimson

• Crinkly

• Crippled

• Crippling

• Crisp

• Crispy

• Crisscross

• Critical

• Critical-thinking

• Criticized

• Crooked

• Cropped

• Cross

• Crossed

• Crotchety

• Crowded

• Crucial

• Crude

• Cruel

• Crumbling

• Crumbly

• Crummy

• Crumply

• Crunchable

• Crunching

• Crunchy

• Crushable

• Crushed

• Crushing

• Crusty

• Crying

• Cryptic

• Crystalline

• Crystallized

• Cuddly

• Cultivated

• Cultural

• Cultured

• Cumbersome

• Cumulative

• Cunning

• Culpable

• Curable

• Curative

• Curious

• Curly

• Current

• Cursed

• Curt

• Curved

• Curvy

• Cushy

• Customary

• Customer-oriented

• Cut

• Cute

• Cutting

• Cutting Edge

• Cylindrical

• Cynical

That’s our complete list of adjectives that start with C.

If you’re wondering what any of these mean, you can use the ProWritingAid Word Explorer. Simply type a word into the Word Explorer, and it’ll give you the definitions, synonyms, antonyms, and much more information about that word.

You can also try using the Thesaurus report in ProWritingAid, which will tell you how many adjectives you’ve used in your writing. If you haven’t included many adjectives, try adding some from our list above.

We hope this list of adjectives that start with C becomes a useful resource for you. You can bookmark this article for future reference if you need any adjectives that start with C for your writing.