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Synonyms

cursory

American  
[kur-suh-ree] / ˈkɜr sə ri /

adjective

  1. going rapidly over something, without noticing details; hasty; superficial.

    a cursory glance at a newspaper article.
    Synonyms:
    haphazard, passing, brief, quick
cursory British  
/ ˈkɜːsərɪ /

adjective

  1. hasty and usually superficial; quick

    a cursory check
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • cursorily adverb
  • cursoriness noun

Etymology

Origin of cursory

1595–1605; < Late Latin cursōrius running, equivalent to Latin cur ( rere ) to run + -sōrius, for -tōrius -tory 1; course

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Anyone with even a cursory understanding of the aircraft, or simply the ability to use Google and follow basic facts, could have arrived at that conclusion.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

Bending Spoons’ M.O. is apparent from even a cursory look at its portfolio and record.

From Slate • Jan. 23, 2026

A cursory glance at your savings, which total $2.6 million, suggests you have both the opportunity and the privilege of funding your daughter’s continuing education.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 5, 2026

In interviews, some surrogates said they felt the agencies rushed their screenings or did cursory reviews of their backgrounds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

Masha Heddle was fatter and greyer than Catelyn remembered, still chewing her sourleaf, but she gave them only the most cursory of looks, with nary a hint of her ghastly red smile.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.