Cursory Meaning
/ˈkɜː.sə.ɹi/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjHasty or superficial.
adjCareless or desultory.
Sentence Examples
A cursory examination of his teeth indicated that he had gingivitis.
He gave the material a cursory reading.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The librarian gave the report only a ____ glance before filing it.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A ____ examination of his teeth indicated that he had gingivitis.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French cursoire (“rapid”), from Latin cursorius (“hasty, of a race or running”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"But the cursory glance my father had taken of my volume by no means assured me that he was acquainted with its contents, and I continued to read with the greatest avidity."
— 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter I, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume I, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, page 53:
"She accepted these terms, and slid off on the near side, though not till he had stolen a cursory kiss."
— 1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC:
"I may say that that single cursory examination of this awful travesty on Nature would have proved quite sufficient to my desires had I been a free agent."
— 1913 January–May, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Gods of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as The Gods of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., September 1918, →OCLC:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The librarian gave the report only a ____ glance before filing it.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A ____ examination of his teeth indicated that he had gingivitis.