perfunctory
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perfunctory
- /pəˈfʌŋk.t(ə)ɹɪ/ UK
- /pɚˈfʌŋk.tɚ.i/ US
Where it comes from
From Late Latin perfunctōrius (“careless, negligent”), from the past participial stem of perfungor, perfunct- (“perform, carry through”), from per- + fungor.
adjective more perfunctory · most perfunctory
-
Done only or merely to conform to a minimal standard or to fulfill a protocol or presumptive duty.
a perfunctory kiss
Similar: automatic, cursory, obligatory, pro forma, token, unthinking
-
Performed in a careless or indifferent manner as a thing of rote.
He did a perfunctory job cleaning his dad's car, finishing quickly but leaving a few spots still dirty.
Similar: haphazard, mechanical, slipshod · Opposite: careful, complete, thorough
Translations
Every language
adj performed out of routine, with little care
| Español | superficial, perfunctorio, rutinario, somero, maquinal |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 御座成の ozanari no |
| 中文 | 敷衍 fūyǎn, 含糊 hánhu, 不痛不癢 /不痛不痒 bùtòngbùyǎng |
| Português | perfunctório |
| Français | sommaire, superficiel, négligeant, pour la forme, de pure forme, détaché |
| Deutsch | flüchtig, maschinell, oberflächlich, der Form halber, formell, pro forma |
| Italiano | superficiale, sbrigativo |
| Ελληνικά | διεκπεραιωτικός diekperaiotikós |
| Română | cu superficialitate, cu neglijenââ, superficial |
| Русский | небре́жный nebréžnyj, пове́рхностный povérxnostnyj, машина́льный mašinálʹnyj, форма́льный formálʹnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | qua loa, hời hợt, đại khái |
Talk about this word "perfunctory." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/perfunctory. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. perfunctory. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/perfunctory "perfunctory." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/perfunctory.Cite this
@misc{perfunctory_2026,
title = {perfunctory},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/perfunctory},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
