Motley means incongruously varied in appearance or character; disparate.

For example, “Keith’s motley arrangement of the slides in his presentation was embarrassing.”

Cogent means clear, logical and convincing.

For example, “Keith made a cogent argument for repainting the stripes in the employee parking lot.”

Sedulous means showing dedication and diligence.

For example, “Keith was sedulous in his pursuit of the perfect Quiche Lorraine that he wanted to make for the Christmas party.”

Hapless means having no luck; unfortunate.

For example, “Keith could only smile at the intern’s hapless attempt to impress the CEO.”

Ostentatious means designed to impress or attract notice, usually with a vulgar or pretentious display.

For example, “Keith felt that the CEO’s ostentatious lifestyle sent the wrong message to the company’s employees.”

Dearth means a scarcity or lack of something.

For example, “The dearth of ideas at the quarterly sales meeting left Keith feeling depressed.”

Importune means to ask someone pressingly and persistently for or to do something.

For example, “Keith importuned his boss to give him a paid day off to take his dog to the vet.”

Burgeon means to grow and expand rapidly; flourish; bloom.

For example, “Keith’s confidence burgeoned after he received the employee of the quarter award.”

Cubit means an ancient unit of measurement equal to the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger (typically about 18 inches).

For example, “When Keith suggested that the new shelves in the conference room should be four cubits long, his boss had no idea what he was talking about.”

Shanghai means to coerce or trick someone into doing something.

For example, “The CIO shanghaied Keith into attending the tradeshow in his place.”