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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.

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

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

Then, based on a cursory review of the transcript, the Supreme Court overruled him.

From Slate • Dec. 5, 2025

The watchman replied that a search was routine, and he looked through the bag in a cursory way, not even disturbing the clothing.

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.