perfunctory

[per-fuhngk-tuh-ree]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR perfunctory ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial: perfunctory courtesy.

lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm; indifferent or apathetic: In his lectures he reveals himself to be merely a perfunctory speaker.

Origin of perfunctory

1575–85; < Late Latin perfūnctōrius negligent, superficial, derivative of perfungī to do one's job, be done, equivalent to per- per- + fung-, base of fungī to perform, function + -tōrius -tory¹

Related formsper·func·to·ri·ly, adverbper·func·to·ri·ness, noun

Synonyms for perfunctory

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR perfunctory ON THESAURUS.COM

1, 2. negligent, heedless, thoughtless, uninterested.

Antonyms for perfunctory

1, 2. careful, diligent.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for perfunctory

sketchy, cursory, superficial, offhand, apathetic, careless, cool, disinterested, heedless, impersonal, inattentive, indifferent, involuntary, lackadaisical, laid-back, mechanical, negligent, routine, slipshod, slovenly

Examples from the Web for perfunctory

Contemporary Examples of perfunctory

Ronaldo also does more than the perfunctory share of philanthropy that we expect from our athletic superstars.
Why It’s Still OK to Hate Sexy Bastard Cristiano Ronaldo After He Saved Team USA
Emily Shire
June 26, 2014
Frank Sinatra, who might have made a perfect Sky Masterson, made a perfunctory Nathan Detroit.
New York’s Greatest Show Or How They Did Not Screw Up ‘Guys and Dolls’
Ross Wetzsteon
April 6, 2014
The debt-ceiling authorization has historically been a perfunctory mechanism.
Never Mind Obamacare. Worry About the Debt Ceiling.
William L. McComb
October 1, 2013
It was unusual for Doc to be so perfunctory, but on this particular subject he was sticking to just the facts.
The Myths of Matthew Shepard’s Infamous Death
Stephen Jimenez
September 22, 2013
Spitzer rolled his eyes at the interruption, grumbling a perfunctory “very funny.”
Eliot Spitzer Mobbed by Press, Heckled at First Campaign Stop
David Freedlander
July 9, 2013

Historical Examples of perfunctory

She began to fry her pork and apples, with a perfunctory attempt at conversation.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
He fell to them with only a perfunctory acknowledgment of my agency in procuring them.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
The tone of the question revealed its perfunctory character.
The Market-Place
Harold Frederic
Teaching "at" these things in a dull, perfunctory way will do no good.
Rural Life and the Rural School
Joseph Kennedy
He thought it best to give a perfunctory grunt and hope Jeff would go on.
The Prisoner
Alice Brown

British Dictionary definitions for perfunctory

perfunctory

adjective

done superficially, only as a matter of routine; careless or cursory

dull or indifferent

Derived Formsperfunctorily, adverbperfunctoriness, noun

Word Origin for perfunctory

C16: from Late Latin perfunctōrius negligent, from perfunctus dispatched, from perfungī to fulfil; see function

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

Word Origin and History for perfunctory

adj.

1580s, from Late Latin perfunctorius "careless, negligent," literally "like one who wishes to get through a thing," from Latin perfungus, past participle of perfungi "discharge, busy oneself, get through," from per- "through" + fungi "perform" (see function (n.)). Related: Perfunctorily.