What does perfunctory mean?
Word: Perfunctory
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Perfunctory means done quickly and with little interest, only because it has to be done.
How do you spell perfunctory?
Syllables: per - func - to - ry
Tricky part: The last vowel is hardly heard, so pupils guess at ary or ery. The ending is ory.
Watch out for: perfunctary, perfunctery, perfunctry
Memory tip: A bored guide gives a perfunctory tour of the factory, and both words finish in tory.
Perfunctory in a sentence
Example 1: The shopkeeper gave a perfunctory smile and went back to his newspaper.
Example 2: After a perfunctory wave, my brother ran off to join his friends.
Example 3: The speech was brief and perfunctory, and nobody remembered a word of it.
Fun Fact
Its Latin root described getting a duty over and done with, which is still just how a perfunctory task feels.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. meticulous 2. prefunctory 3. diligent 4. conscientious
a) given as a routine, with little thought
b) keen to do your work well and honestly
c) paying great attention to every small detail
d) hard-working and steady in effort
Show answer
a) given as a routine, with little thought. Two letters have changed places near the start of the second word; it opens with per.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word perfunctory as used in the sentence:
The new monitor gave the notebooks a perfunctory glance and handed them back.
a) thorough
b) cursory
c) hasty
d) superficial
Show answer
a) thorough. A glance like this misses plenty; the opposite would be a check of every page.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The waiter gave a tprroncyefu nod and hurried back to the noisy kitchen.
a) preparatory
b) perfunctory
c) perforated
d) conductor
Show answer
b) perfunctory. An f and a y sit among these letters, while two of the choices need an a and the other needs a d.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
perf_n_tory
a) o, c
b) u, c
c) u, k
d) a, c
Show answer
b) u, c. The middle matches function, the word it is related to.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which greeting is the most perfunctory?
a) a mumbled hello without looking up
b) a warm hug and a long chat
c) a phone call to ask about the family
d) a handwritten card with a kind message
Show answer
a) a mumbled hello without looking up
2. A teacher writes 'perfunctory' on a project. What should the student do next time?
a) put in far more thought and effort
b) leave out the pictures and charts
c) write it in a much shorter form
d) hand it in a few days sooner
Show answer
a) put in far more thought and effort
