Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Done routinely and with little interest or care: The operator answered the phone with a perfunctory greeting.
- adj. Acting with indifference; showing little interest or care.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Done mechanically or without interest or zeal, and merely for the sake of getting rid of the duty; done in a half-hearted or careless manner, or so as to conform to the letter but not to the spirit; careless; negligent.
Wiktionary
- adj. Done merely to discharge a duty; performed mechanically and as a thing of rote; done in a careless and superficial manner; characterized by indifference; as, perfunctory admonitions.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. 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.
- adj. Hence: Mechanical; indifferent; listless; careless.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. as a formality only
- adj. hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
Etymologies
- Late Latin perfūnctōrius, from Latin perfūnctus, past participle of perfungī, to get through with : per-, per- + fungī, to perform.
Examples
“Sequences that could sing with tension and excitement are done in perfunctory fashion.”
“Although previously prepared forms may be used, special care should be exercised to insure that the use of forms of report of investigation does not result in perfunctory or inaccurate certifications of compliance with the requirements of this paragraph (34).”
“I introduced myself, and at my name his perfunctory manner changed.”
“In other news I’m still a bit sick, working my way through the Tennessee Hamthrax Aric gave me last week; so if posting is a bit light or perfunctory which is to say, a string of announcements or links for a few more days, I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“Appropriate commentary then becomes an issue of finding the right kind of perfunctory praise, in some cases an emphasis on the "sensational copy" that occasionally accompanies this or that book.”
“I heard Bill Nichols, managing editor of Politico. com, tell all DC news radio WTOP that Hillary gave only a "perfunctory" performance -- a "bare minimum of support for Obama.”
“When Willie did bother to sing, his voice was rich and strong, but "perfunctory" would be a kind way to describe most of his vocal and instrumental work.”
“There weren't any kind of perfunctory congratulations at all, Heidi.”
“This kind of perfunctory but nuanced characterization runs throughout the film, which is blessed with a seemingly never-ending parade of memorable bit players who each get their chance to chew some scenery and spit it out again.”
“He was a temptation beyond imagining, but she didn't think she could bear it if he was going to be "perfunctory" with her once more.”
Tender Rebel
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘perfunctory’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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SAT Words
But only the ones that I don't already know.
abase, abash, abominate, abstruse, acclivity, accolade, accost, adroit, adulate, adulterate, adumbrate, affray and 241 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( etymology )
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 837 more...
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January 2012
bloviate, pastiche, apparat, facile, paroxysm, pique, bedfellow, pedigree, tutelage, protege, protégé, retroactive and 196 more...
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Words that are like SAT words that I should learn
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GRE hit parade words
enervate, prevaricate, perfunctory, approbation, disparate, inure, capricious, aberrant
garyguthrie Heard about you on A Way with Words, one of my three favorite podcasts (Fresh Air and Sound Opinions being the others). Oct 1, 2009
bilby "Though it was supposed to be proper for them to have an occupation, the crude fact of money-making was still regarded as derogatory, and the law, being a profession, was accounted a more gentlemanly pursuit than business. But none of these young men had much hope of really advancing in his profession, or any earnest desire to do so; and over many of them the green mould of the perfunctory was already perceptibly spreading."
- Edith Wharton, 'The Age of Innocence'. Sep 19, 2009
Prolagus Time is not a great healer. It is an indifferent and perfunctory one. Sometimes it does not heal at all. And sometimes when it seems to, no healing has been necessary.
Ivy Compton-Burnett Mar 14, 2008
ravages forced
out-of-habit
monotonous
careless
superficial
Dec 15, 2007