cursory
Americanadjective
adjective
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
Explanation
No reason to get excited — cursory has nothing to do with bad language. Instead, it means not paying attention to details, like friends who are so busy studying for a test that they only give your new haircut a cursory glance. Cursory dates to the early 17th century, from the French word cursoire meaning "rapid," which comes from the Latin word cursorius, meaning "hasty, of a race or running." Something that is cursory is done quickly. A teacher might take a cursory look at a pile of completed tests, not to grade them, but to see if anyone attempted the bonus questions.
Vocabulary lists containing cursory
Grade 12, List 1
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Make a Run for It: Cur, Curs
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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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.
My general understanding of book clubs had, to that point, been cursory.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Several of the chapters, about particle accelerators and fusion reactors, take readers on cursory tours of facilities that have at best a tangential connection to space.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Officials have to try to turn the administration’s cursory tariff threats on social media into formal trade deals.
From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026
Two months and some cursory learning later, I found myself visiting him in Montréal, deeply envious of all of the bilingual and French-proficient Canadians and American expats he introduced me to.
From Salon • Jan. 18, 2026
The physician gave me a cursory examination, and then one of the warders told me to get dressed.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
