as in nonchalant
having or showing a lack of interest or concern
the violinist delivered a perfunctory performance that displayed none of the passion and warmth he was once known for
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Recent Examples of perfunctory
Every other elimination is perfunctory at best.
—
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2025
Later that school year, a perfunctory and poorly organized Arab Heritage Month celebration was staged to appease my public criticism of the school’s silence on Gaza.
—Sahar Mustafah
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Despite taking up 13 whole minutes of a 49-minute run time, the sequence feels perfunctory, blessed with neither inventive choreography nor elegant camerawork and editing.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2025
Only two actors were called in, but the second was more of a perfunctory meet.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perfunctory
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2025
Later that school year, a perfunctory and poorly organized Arab Heritage Month celebration was staged to appease my public criticism of the school’s silence on Gaza.
—Sahar Mustafah
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Despite taking up 13 whole minutes of a 49-minute run time, the sequence feels perfunctory, blessed with neither inventive choreography nor elegant camerawork and editing.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2025
Only two actors were called in, but the second was more of a perfunctory meet.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perfunctory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perfunctory
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, a debonair and nonchalant judge, Roland Brack (Nicholas Pinnock), who has arranged George’s loan for the expensive property, is also dallying with Hedda and plots to use his influence—his power, rather—to tighten their extramarital bond.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
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Accompanied by a nonchalant guitar performance, dancer and choreographer Dong Jilan, donning a brown velvet dress and having the same long, wavy hair as Sanmao, woke up from a miniature dune and roamed around the set in a highly spiritual and ceremonial fashion.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
What began as a casual idea—something fun to fill the week after the course’s annual aerification—quickly evolved into a full-scale charitable event.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Turn casual contacts into reliable allies while Mercury harmonizes with Jupiter and Saturn.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Perfunctory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perfunctory. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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