What does cursory mean?
Word: Cursory
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Cursory means done quickly, with little attention to detail.
Synonyms: hasty, brief
How do you spell cursory?
Syllables: cur - so - ry
Tricky part: The middle vowel is hardly heard, leaving spellers to guess between a, e and o. It is an o.
Watch out for: cursary, cursery, cursorry
Memory tip: Imagine a reader who skips every o on the page. A cursory reader misses things, but you must not miss this o.
Cursory in a sentence
Example 1: A cursory glance at the map told us we were on the wrong road.
Example 2: Rohan gave his homework a cursory read and packed his bag.
Example 3: The guide made only a cursory mention of the old well before moving on.
Fun Fact
It came from the Latin word for a runner, so a cursory look is one that runs over the page. The arrow that runs about on a computer screen has the same Latin parent.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. persistant 2. melancoly 3. cursory 4. tremendus
a) given only a light, rushed look
b) very great in size or amount
c) carrying on firmly in spite of problems
d) feeling a deep and gentle sadness
Show answer
a) given only a light, rushed look. Cursory is correct; persistent, melancholy and tremendous all carry a slip.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word cursory as used in the sentence:
The mechanic gave the engine only a cursory check before handing back the keys.
a) sudden
b) thorough
c) nervous
d) cheerful
Show answer
b) thorough. A thorough check goes over every part, the very reverse of this one.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
With the bell about to ring, I could spare the poem only a yurrcso reading.
a) cutlery
b) curious
c) century
d) cursory
Show answer
d) cursory. The letters include two r's and an s, which only cursory has.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
c_r_ory
a) e,s
b) u,s
c) e,c
d) u,c
Show answer
b) u,s. A u follows the first c, and an s comes before the ory.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which student has given a book a cursory look?
a) Tara, who flipped through it in a minute
b) Anu, who made notes on every chapter
c) Sam, who looked up each new word in it
d) Dev, who read it twice over the holidays
Show answer
a) Tara, who flipped through it in a minute
2. What is a cursory check most likely to miss?
a) a bright picture on the front
b) a tiny mistake on page nine
c) a big heading at the very top
d) a title printed on the cover
Show answer
b) a tiny mistake on page nine
