“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

or

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

or

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 maverick due to her insistence on wearing trousers and fighting her “proper” womanly role.

maverick means …

rebel

or

nonconformist

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

One would expect that a religious leader would act with probity.

probity means …

integrity

or

uprightness

Some people think aspirin is a panacea. They take it for every conceivable ailment.

panacea means …

cure-all

or

universal remedy

Pulchritude is only skin deep.

pulchritude means …

physical beauty

I have several peccadilloes, but fortunately, I don’t have any major flaws.

peccadillo means …

minor sins or offenses

If you cheat, you may expect to be chastised in addition to receiving a zero.

chastised means …

punished

or

criticized severely

To defeat an opposing army may be reason to celebrate. But, to subjugate its civilian population is an action that runs counter to our stated ideals.

subjugate means …

conquer

or

enslave

Since I didn’t have my work done, the two-hour delay of school was a propitious event.

propitious means …

favorable

or

well-timed

or

promising

Rocko figured he would extort a decent grade from his teachers instead of studying. He told them he would set their cars on fire unless they gave him an A.

extort means …

obtain by threat of force

Marvin was capricious when it came to leading the stamp club. He never seemed to have a solid reason for any of his decisions.

capricious means …

impulsive

or

erratic

The tenth “accident” on the new rug was just too much! Hershel finally felt he had to broach the subject of getting rid of the gerbil he loved so dearly.

broach means …

bring up

or

mention for the first time