Adjacent Words

Perfunctory definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PERFUNC'TORY, a. [supra.] Slight; careless; negligent.
1. Done only for the sake of getting rid of the duty.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough; "a casual (or cursory) inspection failed to reveal the house's structural flaws"; "a passing glance"; "perfunctory courtesy" [syn: casual, cursory, passing, perfunctory]
2: as a formality only; "a one-candidate pro forma election" [syn: pro forma, perfunctory]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Late Latin perfunctorius, from Latin perfungi to accomplish, get through with, from per- through + fungi to perform — more at per-, function Date: 1593 1. characterized by routine or superficiality ; mechanical <a perfunctory smile> 2. lacking in interest or enthusiasm • perfunctorily adverb • perfunctoriness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 done merely for the sake of getting through a duty. 2 superficial; mechanical. Derivatives: perfunctorily adv. perfunctoriness n. Etymology: LL perfunctorius careless f. L perfungi perfunct- (as PER-, fungi perform)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Perfunctory Per*func"to*ry, a. [L. perfunctorius, fr. perfunctus dispatched, p. p. of perfungi to discharge, dispatch; per (see Per) + fungi to perform. See Function.] 1. Done merely to get rid of a duty; performed mechanically and as a thing of rote; done in a careless and superficial manner; characterized by indifference; as, perfunctory admonitions. --Macaulay. 2. Hence: Mechanical; indifferent; listless; careless. ``Perfunctory in his devotions.'' --Sharp.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

A perfunctory action is done quickly and carelessly, and shows a lack of interest in what you are doing. She gave the list only a perfunctory glance... Our interest was purely perfunctory. ADJ: usu ADJ n • perfunctorily Melina was perfunctorily introduced to the men. ADV: ADV with v

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Indifferent, careless, slovenly, heedless, reckless, negligent, slight, mechanical, unmindful, thoughtless.

Moby Thesaurus

Laodicean, airy, apathetic, at odds, ataractic, automatic, averse, backward, balking, balky, blase, businesslike, careless, casual, cold, cool, cursory, degage, devil-may-care, differing, dilatory, disagreeing, disinclined, disinterested, dismissive, disobedient, dispassionate, disregardant, disregardful, distant, easygoing, fervorless, fleeting, flippant, forced, forgetful, formal, fractious, free and easy, grudging, halfhearted, hasty, heedless, hurried, impersonal, inattentive, inconsiderate, incurious, indifferent, indisposed, indocile, inexcitable, insouciant, involuntary, lackadaisical, laggard, lazy, listless, loath, lukewarm, mechanical, mindless, mutinous, negligent, neuter, neutral, nonchalant, oblivious, offhand, opposed, pococurante, recalcitrant, reckless, refractory, regardless, reluctant, removed, renitent, resistant, respectless, restive, routine, rushed, sketchy, slipshod, slovenly, slow, slow to, spotty, standard, stock, sulky, sullen, superficial, tactless, tepid, thoughtless, turned-off, unanxious, unaware, unconcerned, unconsenting, undiplomatic, undiscriminating, unenthusiastic, unheedful, unheeding, uninterested, uninvolved, unmindful, unprepared, unready, unsolicitous, untactful, unthinking, unwilling, unzealous, usual, wooden, zealless