Adj.

Thin; lean; of poor quality or small amount. 

The visiting team lamponed the meager dinner served by their hosts.

Adjective

out of date

Propeller planes have become obsolete

Noun

An outcase

The Western mind finds it difficult to accept the idea of a pariah class

Quandary

Noun

Condition of being doubtful or confused

The benefits and dangers of a nuclear plant leave us in a quandary

Noun

a person skilled at telling stories or anecdotes

Comedians and masters of ceremonies must be consummate raconteurs

noun

loud applause; approval

Jonas Salk won great acclaim for his medical discoveries

adjective

happy and cheerful; gay

Lori's blithe attitude toward her terrible predicament was bizarre indeed

adjective

unfeeling; insensitive

It was a surprise to see the tears flowing from someone we had considered to be callous

noun

great respect

Out of deference to my father, we never smoked in the house. 

adjective

lively, giving off bubbles

Because I do not enjoy carbonated drinks. I do not like the effervescent quality of ginger ale.

noun

intense emotion; great warmth of feeling

Alicia does her volunteer work with tremendous fervor

garrulous

adjective

talkative

Nothing galvanizes me into leaving a beauty parlor as much as a garrulous hairdresser

noun

a person who upholds religious doctrines contrary to the establish beliefs of his church.

Serverely chastised for being a heretic, brother Vincent was asked to leave the monastery

adjective

never changing

My father's immutable optimism can be treaced back to the pleasant atmosphere in my grandmother's home

noun

strong, satirical writing, usually attacking or ridiculing someone. 

The college quarterly featured a lampoon of fraternity hazing.

meandering

verb

winding back and forth; rambling. 

Meandering through the crowded streets of a foreign city is my idea of a tourist's delight

adjective

meddling; giving unnecessary or unwanted advice or services. 

Mr. Klar's officious manner helped him gain friends easily but lose them in short order.

adjective

too thrifty; stingy

Dickens Scroogs, before his metamorphosis, is regarded as the prototype of the parsimonious man.

adjective

peevish; faultfinding; expressing or suggestive of complaint. 

We tend to turn a deaf ear to querulous demands for attention.

noun

deep spite or malice; strong hate or bitter feeling

A forgiving heart will save you from the corrosive effects of rancor

verb

to accept the conclusions or arrangements of others; to accede; to give consent by keeping silent

The president said that we will never acquiesce to the demands of the terrorists

adjective

high sounding; marked by use of language without much real meaning

The citizens failed to be arounsed by their mayor's bombastic speech

verb

to surrender; to cease resisting

Colonel Leeds was adamant in his decision not to capitulate under any terms

verb

to let air out of; to reduce in size or importance

 The boss's criticism deflated John's ego

adjective

extraordinarily bad

An egregious bookkepping error cost our company $1,000,000.

adjective

spasmodic; intermittent

Monte's fitful sleep tended to exacerbate his normal irritability

adjective

freely given; unnecessary; uncalled for.

Hillary's gratuitous suggestion was rejected by the other guests who blithely ignored it

noun

organization by rank, class, or grade

In the company's hierarchy, I'm the low man on the totem pole

adjective

fair; just; showing no favoritism

An impartial attorney was asked to serve as a judge in the dispute

noun

state or feeling of being tired and listless; weariness

Lassitude comes from a feeling of hopelessness

adjective

very careful about details; fussy

Sidney was meticulous about his clothing but quite sloppy about his room

noun

one who takes advantage of any opportunity without regard for moral principles

The opportunist is so anxious to get ahead that he is rewady to ignore the needs, feelings and welfare of his fellow man

noun

one who strongly supports a party or cause; characteristic of a guerilla fighter. 

A partisan of the animal rights cause, John believes all use of animals for testing should be banned.

adjective

idealistic and utterly impractical

It is quixotic to think that we can ignore the environmental consequences of pollution

verb

to tear down completely; to destroy

The corporation voted to raze the decaying structure and replace it with a modern skyscraper

verb

to advise against something; to warn; to scold gently; to urge strongly.

 This is the last time I plan to admonish you about coming late to work

noun

a clown; someone who amuses with tricks and jokes

After Bert had a few drinks, he became a willing buffoon at the party

adjective

changeable, fickle

Our weather is so capricous that it's difficult to make weekend plans

verb

to describe in words; to sketch

When challenged to delineate Sam's crass behavior, we were speechless

verb

to make clear

Public relations experts were hired to elucidate the chairman's position.