Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
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.
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.
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."
flying, hasty, headlong, helter-skelter, hurried, overhasty, pell-mell, precipitate, precipitous, rash, rushed;
calculated, calculating, measured;
circumspect, foresighted, forethoughtful;
drawn-out, extended, long-term, prolonged;
faltering, hesitant, hesitating, tentative;
dallying, dawdling, laggard, leisurely, poky (or pokey), shilly-shallying, slow;
headstrong, heady, hotheaded, impatient, impetuous, impulsive, madcap, reckless, unadvised;
horseback, impromptu, makeshift, offhand, offhanded, off-the-cuff, rush, slapdash, snap, spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment;
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
What made you want to look up cursory? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Words Used by Nabokov Quiz
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
