Definition of PERFUNCTORY

Other Words from perfunctory

perfunctorily \ pər-ˈfəŋ(k)-t(ə-)rə-lē

\ adverb

perfunctoriness \ pər-ˈfəŋ(k)-t(ə-)rē-nəs

\ noun

Did You Know?

Perfunctory is a word whose origins are found entirely in Latin. First appearing in English in the late 16th century, it derives via the Late Latin perfunctorius, meaning "done in a careless or superficial manner," from the Latin perfungi, meaning "to accomplish" or "to get through with." That verb is formed by combining the prefix per-, meaning "through," with the verb fungi, meaning "to perform." "Fungi" can be found in the roots of such words as "function," "defunct," and "fungible." "Perfunctory" can describe something that is carried out with little effort or care, as in "He did a perfunctory job raking the leaves," but when used to describe a person it usually means "lacking enthusiasm."

Examples of perfunctory in a Sentence

The eight-time Pro Bowl player sometimes goes several weeks without agreeing to do even the most perfunctory postgame interviews. — Nunyo Demasio, Sports Illustrated, 8 Jan. 2007 Convivial and self-absorbed, he talks freely about crime and crooks, with only the most perfunctory nods toward conventional morality. — Edward Dolnick, The Rescue Artist, 2005 You probably don't want to know how perfunctory was the presentation of the state's evidence, how tenth-rate was the performance of the court-appointed defense or how wretched was the end. — Christopher Hitchens, Nation, 23-30 Aug. 1999 the violinist delivered a perfunctory performance that displayed none of the passion and warmth he was once known for

Recent Examples on the Web

The Senate session Monday is likely to be perfunctory and brief, absent any developments. — Kristina Peterson, WSJ, "Partial Government Shutdown Likely to Stretch Into January," 27 Dec. 2018 The plot is twisty in a perfunctory way, the action predictably explosive, the sought-after exhilaration nonexistent. — The Seattle Times, "4 movies open the day before Thanksgiving in the Seattle area," 20 Nov. 2018 To many, the jokes feel almost perfunctory now, and the overlay of references between the Trumps’ real-life actions and the stuff of horror films feels less ironic and more like a form of obligatory commentary. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Melania Trump’s White House Christmas decorations have become a horror meme yet again," 27 Nov. 2018 First came the before pictures, as brightly lit and perfunctory as a mug shot. — Lena Dunham, Vogue, "Lena Dunham Goes on the Ultimate Eyelash Adventure in Los Angeles," 12 Nov. 2018 Though the New York story has received perfunctory coverage in the mainstream media, the Asian-American press and social media are on fire. — William Mcgurn, WSJ, "The Democrats’ Racial Fault Line," 25 June 2018 Some of the spending has been perfunctory, designed to paper over the cracks of poverty and stagnation in a country whose economy has grown merely 0.6% a year for the past decade. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "How Russia Gave Itself a Facelift for the World Cup," 4 July 2018 But more often than not, when celebrities do take to the internet to clarify their relationship, the reveal is brief, perfunctory and tightly controlled. — Kathryn Lindsay, refinery29.com, "YouTubers Are Reinventing The Celebrity Break Up," 8 June 2018 The athlete wandered up and gave a perfunctory sniff of hello to a stranger, then wandered away again. — Krista Stevens, Longreads, "Meet Spitty, the Whippet Who Holds Five World Records," 22 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perfunctory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.