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Cursory: meaning, definitions and examples

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cursory

 

[ ˈkɜːrsəri ]

Adjective / Adverb
Context #1 | Adjective

quick examination

hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed

Synonyms

brief, perfunctory, superficial

Examples of usage

  • He gave the report only a cursory glance before moving on to the next task.
  • The police conducted a cursory search of the suspect's apartment.
Context #2 | Adverb

quickly

in a quick and superficial way

Synonyms

casually, hastily, rapidly

Examples of usage

  • She skimmed the book cursorily to find the main points.
  • He answered the questions cursorily without much thought.

Translations

Translations of the word "cursory" in other languages:

🇵🇹 superficial

🇮🇳 सतही

🇩🇪 oberflächlich

🇮🇩 sekilas

🇺🇦 поверхневий

🇵🇱 pobieżny

🇯🇵 表面的な

🇫🇷 superficiel

🇪🇸 superficial

🇹🇷 yüzeysel

🇰🇷 피상적인

🇸🇦 سَطْحِيّ

🇨🇿 povrchní

🇸🇰 povrchný

🇨🇳 肤浅的

🇸🇮 površen

🇮🇸 yfirborðskenndur

🇰🇿 жұқалама

🇬🇪 ზედაპირული

🇦🇿 səthi

🇲🇽 superficial

Etymology

The word 'cursory' originated from the Latin word 'cursorius', meaning 'swift'. It first appeared in English in the early 17th century. The term has evolved to describe something done quickly and without much attention to detail.

Word Frequency Rank

With rank #15,820, this word belongs to specialized vocabulary. While not common in everyday speech, it enriches your ability to express complex ideas.