cursory
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of cursory
1595–1605; < Late Latin cursōrius running, equivalent to Latin cur ( rere ) to run + -sōrius, for -tōrius -tory 1; cf. 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.
Cursory research shows that medical providers of all kinds routinely overbook patient appointments to make up for lost revenue from no-shows and late arrivals.
From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026
Cursory, early searches of her social media history are turning up some truly not great stuff!
From Slate • May 14, 2022
The Impossibility of Witchcraft Further Demonstrated, Both from Scripture and Reason ... with some Cursory Remarks on two trifling Pamphlets in Defence of the existence of Witches.
From A History of Witchcraft in England from 1558 to 1718 by Notestein, Wallace
Cursory observation often reads the signs of civilization wrongly.
From The Cost of Shelter by Richards, Ellen H.
Such pieces would have appeared whether or not Malone had written the Cursory Observations.
From Cursory Observations on the Poems Attributed to Thomas Rowley (1782) by Kuist, James M.
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.
