as in nonchalant
having or showing a lack of interest or concern
the violinist delivered a perfunctory performance that displayed none of the passion and warmth he was once known for
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Recent Examples of perfunctory
Every other elimination is perfunctory at best.
—
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2025
Later that school year, a perfunctory and poorly organized Arab Heritage Month celebration was staged to appease my public criticism of the school’s silence on Gaza.
—Sahar Mustafah
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Despite taking up 13 whole minutes of a 49-minute run time, the sequence feels perfunctory, blessed with neither inventive choreography nor elegant camerawork and editing.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2025
Only two actors were called in, but the second was more of a perfunctory meet.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perfunctory
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2025
Later that school year, a perfunctory and poorly organized Arab Heritage Month celebration was staged to appease my public criticism of the school’s silence on Gaza.
—Sahar Mustafah
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Despite taking up 13 whole minutes of a 49-minute run time, the sequence feels perfunctory, blessed with neither inventive choreography nor elegant camerawork and editing.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2025
Only two actors were called in, but the second was more of a perfunctory meet.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perfunctory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perfunctory
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, the rest of his look was rather, well, nonchalant.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Despite its hefty price tag, Chalamet styled the piece in a nonchalant way, pairing it with a leather jacket, sweatpants, and a cool pair of tan sneakers.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Nylons are a must with all but the most casual outfits.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Find it at a casual affair or on the elegant Thanksgiving buffet.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perfunctory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perfunctory. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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