perfunctory
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.
After rushing through a perfunctory account of the expedition, Ms. Adelman gets to the root of the problem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
“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
He gave Sandor Clegane a perfunctory nod and walked away as briskly as his stunted legs would carry him, whistling.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Vocabulary lists containing perfunctory
100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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"The Lottery," Vocabulary from the short story
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"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
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