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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

cursory

Adjective

IPA /ˈkɜːsəri/

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Meaning in plain English

Done quickly with too little attention to detail to examine or understand something properly.

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Pronunciation

cursory/ˈkɜːsəri/

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  1. He gave the instructions a cursory glance before assembling the shelf.
  2. A cursory check of the spreadsheet failed to reveal several errors.

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He gave the instructions a ________ glance before assembling the shelf.
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cursory — Done quickly with too little attention to detail to examine or understand something properly.

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Done quickly with too little attention to detail to examine or understand something properly.

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Word origin

From Latin cursorius, relating to a runner, from currere, meaning to run.

Did you know?

Cursory often describes a glance, inspection, examination or look.

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cursory

/ˈkɜːsəri/ (Adjective)

“Cursory is often critical: the action is brief and does not receive enough attention.”

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