Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective cursory contrast with its synonyms?

The words shallow and superficial are common synonyms of cursory. While all three words mean "lacking in depth or solidity," cursory suggests a lack of thoroughness or a neglect of details.

gave the letter only a cursory reading

When would shallow be a good substitute for cursory?

The words shallow and cursory can be used in similar contexts, but shallow is more generally derogatory in implying lack of depth in knowledge, reasoning, emotions, or character.

a light, shallow, and frivolous review

When is it sensible to use superficial instead of cursory?

The synonyms superficial and cursory are sometimes interchangeable, but superficial implies a concern only with surface aspects or obvious features.

a superficial analysis of the problem

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cursory All of this is given a very, very cursory recap that makes this incredible, traumatic mission feel like an underwhelming jaunt in Lee’s life. James Grebey, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2024 Many rejections have been cursory, simply informing researchers that their projects no longer meet agency priorities. Paisley Currah, New Yorker, 27 May 2025 In David Silver’s new book, Vintage Rolex: New Edition: The Largest Collection in the World, there’s something for everyone—even those with a cursory interest in the Crown. Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 26 May 2025 Instead, the board was limited to a cursory review of 13th Floor’s plan, in partnership with Italy’s Cipriani family, to replace the historic structures with an ultra-luxury, 17-story Casa Cipriani condo, hotel and private club. Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cursory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cursory
Adjective
  • After a hurried recovery period in his upstate hospital, Dexter heads to New York City, where his son Harrison (Jack Alcott) has moved.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 July 2025
  • Here’s how Kansas and Missouri representatives and senators voted in the hurried push to pass President Trump’s massive, controversial spending bill.
    Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2025
Adjective
  • Such shifts would allow Washington to update its global force posture without hasty changes that surprise allies and create security gaps leading to deterrence failures.
    REBECCA LISSNER, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
  • Analysts and investors say that may have been a little hasty.
    Tanaya Macheel, CNBC, 16 June 2025
Adjective
  • Several mass shootings and drive-by shootings accounted for the violence that occurred between midnight on Thursday, July 3, and Sunday night, according to ABC 7, which tracked the violence.
    Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 7 July 2025
  • What charges were filed Jackson was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and drive-by shooting, court documents said.
    Hannah Dreyfus, AZCentral.com, 4 July 2025
Adjective
  • Those symptoms include fever, cough, rash, watery eyes, runny nose and small white spots inside the mouth and throat.
    Austin American Statesman, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
  • There's no need to really make a decision -- a rash decision -- because the guy doesn't want to go to some OTAs.
    DJ Siddiqi, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • The swarm — hundreds of small earthquakes hitting the same area in quick succession — started around 1:30 a.m.
    Sarah Lynch Baldwin July 9, CBS News, 9 July 2025
  • Chicago police and City Hall officials were quick to note that the shooting was targeted and the victims didn’t live in the neighborhood.
    Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2025
Adjective
  • Her husband had always had a soft spot for yams and was glad for the sudden bounty.
    Zadie Smith, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
  • Given the sudden burst of interest, agentic AI risks becoming something that’s all too common in business: a topic that everyone is talking about, but that few people actually understand.
    Tomas Gorny, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • Outfits that once felt aspirational quickly become irrelevant, leaving behind a cycle of impulsive purchases, lukewarm satisfaction, and the constant itch for reinvention.
    Jailynn Taylor, Essence, 8 July 2025
  • Back in 1937, Winfield James, Harry Caldwell and Jimmy Pickard — three impulsive teens from Abilene, just out of high school and trying to avoid summer jobs — paddled a small canoe some 660 miles down the Colorado from Ballinger, Texas, to the Gulf of Mexico.
    Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cursory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cursory. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

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