perfunctory

American  

[per-fuhngk-tuh-ree] / pərˈfʌŋk tə ri /

adjective

1. performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial.

   perfunctory courtesy.

   Synonyms:

   uninterested, thoughtless, heedless, negligent

   Antonyms:

   diligent, careful

2. lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm; indifferent or apathetic.

   In his lectures he reveals himself to be merely a perfunctory speaker.

   Synonyms:

   uninterested, thoughtless, heedless, negligent

   Antonyms:

   diligent, careful

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perfunctory British  

/ pəˈfʌŋktərɪ /

adjective

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

2. dull or indifferent

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Other Word Forms

• perfunctorily adverb
• perfunctoriness noun

Etymology

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 -tory ¹

Explanation

Perfunctory means done as part of a routine or duty. If you give someone a gift and they look at it like it's roadkill and say nothing but a perfunctory "thank you," you might not be giving them another one anytime soon. A person who does something in a perfunctory way shows little enthusiasm or interest in what they are doing. Many of our everyday greetings are perfunctory. For example, when we say "Hello" and "How are you?", we usually do so out of habit. Perfunctory is from Latin perfunctus, from perfungi, "to get through with, perform," formed from the Latin prefix per-, "completely," plus fungi, "to perform."

Example Sentences

“This constellation of foreign investment from China and from Gulf States, with complex and sometimes competing relationships with the United States, demands rigorous, not perfunctory review,” Booker and the others wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

As I visited congressional offices this week, meeting with sources and watching members of Congress interact with their constituents, it felt perfunctory — and, in some cases, sad.

From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026

Right there, you have the perfect shadow-docket sandwich: perfunctory, bad decisionmaking, conclusory predictions about what constitutes an “emergency” and who’s going to win, decided in a couple of days, wiping out extensive factual findings.

From Slate • Jan. 3, 2026

For his 27 years at the club as player and assistant manager, did John Kennedy deserve a bit more than a perfunctory sentence of farewell from the club upon announcing his exit?

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025

But it came out sounding broad, perfunctory, like the token consolation of a kind stranger.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• cursory
• offhand
• sketchy
• superficial