Word a Day
perfunctory
What does perfunctory mean?
perfunctory (adjective): performed in a careless or indifferent manner as a thing of rote.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you use perfunctory in a sentence?
- He did a perfunctory job cleaning his dad's car, finishing quickly but leaving a few spots still dirty. (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0)
How do you pronounce perfunctory?
/pɚˈfʌŋktəɹi/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does perfunctory come from?
From Late Latin perfunctōrius (“careless, negligent”), from the past participial stem of perfungor, perfunct- (“perform, carry through”), from per- + fungor.
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “perfunctory”?
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What does “perfunctory” mean?
performed in a careless or indifferent manner as a thing of rote
Right! That's what “perfunctory” means.
impossible or nearly impossible to see; imperceptible by the eye
Not quite: that's what invisible means.
proceeding or advancing by small, slow, regular steps or degrees
Not quite: that's what gradual means.
uncommon, rare; difficult to find; insufficient to meet a demand
Not quite: that's what scarce means.
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