guardian
After my brother's death I became the legal guardian of my niece Susan.
stern
I have not spoiled my children. I have always been a stern father.
peasant
I was born in a small village. I like peasant life.
spirits
She is a nice girl and always in good spirits.
sincere
Her apology was sincere.
similar
The two sisters are quite similar in appearance, but their characters are quite different.
idle
She believed that most men were idle good-for-nothings.
dogged
Her dogged determination made her realize her goals.
taciturn
My father is modest and taciturn by nature, but this does not mean he is unfriendly.
cunning
Be careful: he is as cunning as a fox.
crude
She is not very polite, she has crude manners.
envy
She was green with envy at my new job.
dependable
She is a most dependable employee.
To caress
They kissed and he caressed her hair.
desolate
He felt desolate after his divorce.
trait
His personality traits had made him an impopular lecturer.
cordial
You will find her friendly and a cordial hostess.
bully
I hate my form master. He is a bully.
capricious
She is absolutely unpredictable and capricious.
callous
Stalin was a callous tyrant.
undertaker
I do not want to be an undertaker.
Conscientious objector
He is a pacifist and a conscientious objector.
dissenter
In the Soviet Union dissenters were often deported to Siberia.
To mourn
They mourned their only son’s death.
I have also heard "dogged" pronounced like "dogd" as one syllable, but this is how I heard it growing up...