perfunctory
4 synonyms and 5 antonyms for perfunctory, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Done just to satisfy a basic requirement, without real care or effort.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adj
Done just to satisfy a basic requirement, without real care or effort.
“The second section of the episode charged from Winterfell to Highgarden and Oldtown in a way that felt perfunctory. I found myself asking, “We’re just getting to Winterfell?””
2. adj
Carried out quickly and without interest, as a routine habit.
“Alternatively it may mean that a perfunctory search is enough to ensure that a purchase is acceptable, so less search is carried out.”
Opposites
Etymology
From Late Latin perfunctōrius (“careless, negligent”), from the past-participial stem of perfungor, perfunct- (“perform, carry through”), formed from per- and fungor.
Full origin of perfunctory →