The IRS was importunate in its requests for more money from Bob.  They kept demanding more of his paycheck.

importunate means ...

demanding

or

unreasonably persistent

"Get a job, put your socks away – no, you're doing it all wrong, you do everything wrong," whined Bob's wife, Grisella, a termagant.

termagant means ...

a quarrelsome, scolding woman

Bob was craven and, therefore, didn't have the guts to stand up to Grisella.

craven means ...

cowardly

Feeling the pressure from the IRS, Bob felt compelled to turn to Vinnie, a usurer, for a loan.

usurer means ...

a moneylender

In a typical display of parsimony, Grisella wouldn’t allow Bob to spend any of the money he received from Vinnie; she wouldn’t even let him pay his tax debt.

parsimony means ...

stinginess

Bob couldn’t stand it anymore. He became pensive for days, trying to figure out a way out of his suffering.

pensive means ...

deep in thought

or

meditative

Bob called Vinnie, who had “connections,” and took out a contract on Grisella. Now, she resides in a marble sepulcher.

sepulcher means ...

a grave

or

a tomb

Soon after the funeral, Bob hit the Lucky 7 Lotto and now lives a life of ostentation, driving fast cars, wearing gold chains and eating unpronounceable foods.

ostentation means ...

showiness

He now eschews the more ubiquitous shopping spots of middle America, such as Wal-Mart, preferring more selective shops. 

ubiquitous means ...

ever-present

or

existing everywhere 

or

seeming to be everywhere

Bob showed his munificent side when he donated millions to the Retired Hit Men of America Society (RHMAS).

munificent means ...

generous

“Get up you lazybones,” Tina cried to Tom, who lay on the couch, inert.

inert means ...

motionless

or

lifeless

By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential disputes in the event of a divorce.

forestall means ...

preempt

or

avert

or

prevent 

The jester wore a motley tunic, red and green and blue and gold all patched together haphazardly.

motley means ...

multicolored; assorted 

The professor’s lectures were so soporific that even he fell asleep during class.

soporific means ...

sleep-causing

or

dull

The police stopped the fracas and arrested the bruised participants.

fracas means ...

brawl; melee 

Although few people realized it, the stock market had reached its nadir and would soon begin an upward surge.

nadir means ...

lowest point

At this critical juncture, let’s consider all options before deciding which path to take.

juncture means ...

crisis point

or

joining point

To many of the male writers of the time, the female writer George Sand was seen as a ___ due to her insistence on wearing trousers, smoking cigars, and fighting her “proper” womanly role.

maverick means ...

rebel; non-conformist

The captain ordered the sergeant to punish all malingerers and force them to work.

malingerer means ...

time-waster

or

shirker

The hiking trails at the national park are varied enough to challenge neophytes as well as experts.

neophyte means ...

beginner

or

novice

or

newbie