cursory

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cur·so·ry

(kûr′sə-rē)

adj.

Performed with haste and scant attention to detail: a cursory glance at the headlines.

[Late Latin cursōrius, of running, from Latin cursor, runner; see cursor.]

cur′so·ri·ly adv.

cur′so·ri·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cursory

(ˈkɜːsərɪ)

adj

hasty and usually superficial; quick: a cursory check.

[C17: from Late Latin cursōrius of running, from Latin cursus a course, from currere to run]

ˈcursorily adv

ˈcursoriness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cur•so•ry

(ˈkɜr sə ri)

adj.

going rapidly over something, without noticing details; hasty; superficial: a cursory glance.

[1595–1605; < Late Latin cursōrius running = Latin cur(rere) to run + -sōrius, for -tōrius -tory¹; compare course]

cur′so•ri•ly, adv.

cur′so•ri•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.

cursory - hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough; "a casual (or cursory) inspection failed to reveal the house's structural flaws"; "a passing glance"; "perfunctory courtesy"

perfunctory, passing, casual

careless - marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful; "careless about her clothes"; "forgotten by some careless person"; "a careless housekeeper"; "careless proofreading"; "it was a careless mistake"; "hurt by a careless remark"

cursory

adjective brief, passing, rapid, casual, summary, slight, hurried, careless, superficial, hasty, perfunctory, desultory, offhand, slapdash I gave the letter a fairly cursory reading.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

cursory

adjective

Lacking in intellectual depth or thoroughness:

one-dimensional, shallow, sketchy, skin-deep, superficial, uncritical.

Translations

سَريع

letmýzběžný

flygtigoverfladisk

flüchtig kursorisch

kursorinenpikainenpintapuolinen

hâtif superficiel

yfirborîslegur

frettoloso rapidamente

greitaiprabėgomis

paviršssteidzīgs

gelişigüzel üstünkörü

仓促的

cursory

[ˈkɜːsərɪ] ADJ [examination, inspection] → somero, superficial; [nod] → brusco
at a cursory glance → a primera vista
to give sth a cursory glance → mirar algo brevemente or de forma somera

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

cursory

[ˈkɜː^rsəri] adj [examination, inspection] (= superficial) → superficiel(le) (= hasty) → hâtif/ive, rapide
to give sth a cursory glance → jeter un coup d'œil rapide à qch

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

cursory

adj glance → flüchtig; inspection, investigation also → oberflächlich

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

cursory

[ˈkɜːs/ərɪ] adj (glance) → di sfuggita, superficiale
a cursory reading → una rapida scorsa, una lettura veloce

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

cursory

(ˈkəːsəri) adjective

hurried. a cursory glance.

ˈcursorily adverb

References in classic literature ?

He was of a fat habit, even from boyhood, and inclined to a cheerful and cursory reading of the face of life; and possibly this attitude of mind was the original cause of his misfortunes.

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The king was conducted with the greatest ceremony to the chamber of Morpheus, of which we owe some cursory description to our readers.

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From the cursory view here taken, it must clearly appear to have been an arduous part.

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She accepted these terms, and slid off on the near side, though not till he had stolen a cursory kiss.

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The incident gave me considerable food for speculation, since if I were right in the conclusion induced by the cursory glimpse I had had of the spy, then Matai Shang and Thurid must suspect my identity, and if that were true not even the service I had rendered Kulan Tith could save me from his religious fanaticism.

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To this delight succeeded a great deception, when, trusting to a cursory observation, they launched their first telegram to the world, erroneously affirming that the projectile had become a satellite of the moon, gravitating in an immutable orbit.

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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.

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A cursory inspection of his conscience showed nothing but purity and whiteness, but he must have done something, or she would not be staring at him like this.

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Bumble that it would be an innocent and virtuous way of spending the time, if he were further to allay his curiousity by a cursory glance at the interior of Mrs.

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A cursory examination of the latter revealed no mortal injuries and after a brief rest he asserted that he felt fit to attempt the return voyage.

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Even idleness is eager now--eager for amusement; prone to excursion-trains, art museums, periodical literature, and exciting novels; prone even to scientific theorizing and cursory peeps through microscopes.

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Monk, left alone with Athos, affected to speak to him on nothing but indifferent subjects while examining the vault in a cursory manner.

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