cursory en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈkɜːs.ɹi/ (UK)
- /ˈkɵːs.ɹi/ (New-Zealand)
- /ˈkɜː.sə.ɹi/ (UK)
- /ˈkɵː.sɘ.ɹi/ (New-Zealand)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈkɝː.sə.ɹi/ (US)
- /ˈkɝːs.ɹi/ (US)
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French cursoire (“rapid”), from Latin cursorius (“hasty, of a race or running”).
Meanings
-
Hasty or superficial.
Most junk mail requires only a cursory glance.
cursory glance
But the cursory glance my father had taken of my volume by no means assured me that he was acquainted with its contents, and I continued to read with the greatest avidity.
1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter I, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume I, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, page 53:I may say that that single cursory examination of this awful travesty on Nature would have proved quite sufficient to my desires had I been a free agent.
1913 January–May, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Gods of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as The Gods of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., September 1918, →OCLC:She accepted these terms, and slid off on the near side, though not till he had stolen a cursory kiss.
1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC:A cursory view of the report revealed his egregious errors.
-
Careless or desultory.
The cursory inspection missed several irregularities.
- (obsolete) Running about; not stationary.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more cursory | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most cursory | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
course · cursor · perfunctory
Synonyms
mobile · hectical · greased lightning · quick as a flash · post haste · cursory · remiss · regardless · zippy · irregardless · under sail · lash · dynamic · on the wing · speedy · nimble · fast · derelict · cursory · fleeting · swift · fleet · neglectful · on the move · lightning fast · expeditious · dynamic · rapid · immediate · express · hyperactive · slipshod · quick · tripsome · slack · careless · unfaithful · negligent · moving · unstill · quicksome · irrespective · heedless · animate · speedful · fleeting · astir · swift · sloppy · precipitant · negligent · lax · slovenly · cursory · spit-spot · hasty · incautious · unmethodical · feverish · in motion · hectic · afoot · reckless · slapdash · mobile
Translations (27)
bg повъ́рхностен (careless, desultory) · nl vluchtig (hasty, superficial) · fi pikainen (hasty, superficial) · cs zběžný (hasty, superficial) · ru пове́рхностный (hasty, superficial) · fi pintapuolinen (hasty, superficial) · sv flyktig (hasty, superficial) · ru бе́глый (hasty, superficial) · it sbrigativo (hasty, superficial) · de oberflächlich (hasty, superficial) · fr superficiel (hasty, superficial) · fr rapide (hasty, superficial) · bg повъ́рхностен (hasty, superficial) · it rapido (hasty, superficial) · yi אויבנאויפֿיק (hasty, superficial) · da overfladisk (hasty, superficial) · bg бе́гъл (hasty, superficial) · sv hastig (hasty, superficial) · sv ytlig (hasty, superficial) · it distratto (hasty, superficial) · fa سرسری (hasty, superficial) · fi kursorinen (hasty, superficial) · de flüchtig (hasty, superficial) · pl pobieżny (hasty, superficial) · nl oppervlakkig (hasty, superficial) · nl haastig (hasty, superficial) · da kursorisk (hasty, superficial)