adj
cursory
KUR-suh-ree
adj
1
Done quickly and without much attention to detail; hasty.
"He gave the report only a cursory glance before signing it."
"A cursory search of the room turned up nothing unusual."
How to Use Cursory
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishQuick and surface-level, rather than careful and thorough.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "cursive" (a style of joined handwriting) — they look similar but are unrelated.
Easily confused with
cursive
Common pairings
cursory glance
cursory inspection
cursory review
Word Forms
more cursory comparative, most cursory superlative
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He gave the report only a _____ glance before signing it.
Etymology
From Latin cursorius, "hasty, of running," from currere, "to run" — the same root as "curriculum" and "current."