-
Trending Now:
More Trending:
- beleaguer scaramouch non sequitur admiral's mast calumny
- ALL
Definition of cursory
: rapidly and often superficially performed or produced : hasty a cursory glance Only a cursory inspection of the building's electrical wiring was done.
From the M-W Editors
cursory was our Word of the Day on 08/02/2008. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Examples of cursory in a Sentence
Only a cursory inspection of the building's electrical wiring was done.
The mayor gave a cursory glance at the report.
Even the most cursory look at the organization's records shows problems.
Recent Examples of cursory from the Web
-
The lawsuit says detectives conducted a cursory investigation and ignored information Ponyicky offered in her own defense.
-
But even a cursory look at the site reveals that there has been virtually no effort to edit out racism and sexism.
-
The divide Even a cursory glance at the headlines reveals deep fault lines running through our country.
-
My cursory research shows that Nike and Adidas are both good choices for super-fast footwear.
-
A cursory check by the AP in a handful of states found at least 20 locations where bridges have been raised or construction will begin soon.
-
Again, even a cursory reading of the mayor's remarks reveal how obviously Trump had misrepresented them.
-
But Palestinians have a politics, too, which usually gets only cursory attention.
-
The school had drilled for just this sort of emergency, but this was real, not a cursory test run.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cursory'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What Is the Difference Between cursory,superficial, and shallow?
Cursory and its synonyms "superficial" and "shallow" all mean "lacking in depth or solidity" - but these words are not used in exactly the same way in all cases. "Cursory," which comes from the Latin verb currere ("to run"), implies speed and stresses a lack of attention to detail. While "cursory" suggests a lack of thoroughness, "superficial" implies a concern only with surface aspects or obvious features. An analysis of a problem might be labeled "superficial" if it considers only the obvious and fails to dig deeper into the issue. "Shallow" is more generally derogatory in implying lack of depth in knowledge, reasoning, emotions, or character, as in "insensitive and shallow comments."
Origin and Etymology of cursory
Late Latin cursorius of running, from Latin currere —see 1cursive
Synonym Discussion of cursory
CURSORY Defined for English Language Learners
CURSORY Defined for Kids
cursory
playDefinition of cursory for Students
: done or made quickly a cursory reply
Learn More about cursory
-
See words that rhyme with cursory Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for cursory Spanish Central: Translation of cursory Nglish: Translation of cursory for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of cursory for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up cursory? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!