ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsPperfunctory
ISEE/SSAThard
perfunctory
Meaning: carried out without real interest or effort
perfunctory in a sentence
How perfunctory is used in real sentences:
He gave the essay only a perfunctory glance.
He gave the essay only a perfunctory glance.
“Nevertheless, some Ridge wares were insipid, their dull surfaces suggesting that a perfunctory splash of glaze had replaced sustained artistic thought.”
— from the passage Clay and Conviction
“Still, he offered no perfunctory concession merely to end the quarrel; instead, he removed the cadenza and rebuilt the aria.”
— from the passage An Opera by Post
Synonyms for perfunctory
Other words for perfunctory — cursory, superficial and halfhearted — carry the same meaning.
- cursory
- superficial
- halfhearted
Antonyms of perfunctory
Words that mean the opposite of perfunctory:
Where it comes from
From Latin perfunctorius 'done carelessly'
Word parts
- per — through, thoroughly
perfunctory: per- (through) + funct (perform) + -ory (relating to)
Memory hook
PER-FUNCT-ORY = just PERformed the FUNCTion, nothing more.
Practice perfunctory in the app