perfunctory

Advancedzipf 2.45

Pronunciation

/pəˈfʌŋktəri/(puh-FUNK-tuh-ree)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

敷衍的；潦草的；走过场的

Definition

Done without care or interest; carried out as a routine duty without real effort.

Word family

  • perfunctorily/pəˈfʌŋktərɪli/(adv)敷衍地

Collocations

  • perfunctory glance
  • perfunctory nod
  • perfunctory inspection
  • perfunctory apology

Examples

  1. 1.He gave the document only a perfunctory glance before signing it. (hasty, careless)
  2. 2.Her apology felt perfunctory — she clearly wasn't sorry. (going through the motions)

Synonyms

  • cursory/ˈkɜːsəri/— hasty, not thorough
  • half-hearted/ˌhɑːfˈhɑːtɪd/— lacking enthusiasm
  • mechanical/mɪˈkænɪkəl/— done without thought

Etymology

from Latin "perfunctorius" = done carelessly — "perfungi" = to get through — just getting through it