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perfunctory
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show 143 more with this conextual meaning
  • He gave us each a perfunctory greeting and...   (source)
  • They had about them a perfunctory air, like men accustomed to caring for livestock.   (source)
    perfunctory = working without much effort
  • It will be perfunctory, since it's clear he was trampled.   (source)
    perfunctory = done without much interest or effort
  • The agent had asked Serena the perfunctory question, "Did you bring anything back from Haiti?"   (source)
    perfunctory = done without much interest
  • The sheriff would make a perfunctory trip out, but instead of searching through the pines for the still he would sit on the porch until suppertime, and have some beans and cornbread.   (source)
    perfunctory = done without much interest or effort
  • "...kindness to God's poor. When you insult or injure the unfortunate or the unhappy, you insult Christ Himself and He will not forget, for they are His chosen ones." This remark is made in a casual and perfunctory voice and she slides on to order and chastity,   (source)
  • Some perfunctory clapping by the elders; and some loud shouts of "Frodo! Frodo! Jolly old Frodo,' from the juniors."   (source)
  • He was invited perfunctorily every Sunday, but he seemed to know that he oughtn't to come and always managed an excuse.   (source)
    perfunctorily = without much interest or effort
  • Then we say perfunctory things about how good it's all been and how we'll see each other soon, and this is suddenly very sad to have to talk like this…like casual acquaintances.   (source)
    perfunctory = done without much interest or effort -- as when dispensing with a formality
  • It was pleasantly peaceful until Petra put one of her blinding communications so abruptly that I bit my tongue. Rosalind screwed up her eyes, and put a hand to her head.
    "For heaven's sake, child!" she protested.
    "Sorry. I forgot," said Petra perfunctorily.   (source)
    perfunctorily = without much interest or effort
  • NICK (Perfunctorily) Yes indeed . . . very handsome.   (source)
    perfunctorily = without much interest
  • ...but their concern was only perfunctory since they were after all lookers-on and not partakers, and I noticed one or two glances exchanged, pitying yet scornful, which said as plainly as words, These are simple careless country folk.   (source)
  • The young Dutch officer gave a perfunctory glance at their luggage and passports and announced in awkward, throaty English, "I hope you have a pleasant stay in the Netherlands."   (source)
    perfunctory = done without much interest or effort
  • MEEKER swears her in perfunctorily.   (source)
    perfunctorily = without much interest
  • There was the proper swearing in of Mr. Summers by the postmaster, as the official of the lottery; at one time, some people remembered, there had been a recital of some sort, performed by the official of the lottery, a perfunctory, tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year;   (source)
    perfunctory = done without much interest or effort
  • A rapid and somewhat perfunctory search followed.   (source)
    perfunctory = done quickly without concern or attention to detail
  • He made pleasant remarks and a few jokes, which were applauded lustily, but he knew something to the discredit of nearly every one of his guests, and was consequently perfunctory.   (source)
    perfunctory = without much interest or effort
  • The steer came up to him and made as though to nose at him and the bull hooked perfunctorily.   (source)
  • He perfunctorily thrusts them into his pockets, unconsciously decorating himself with the protruding ends of the chains.   (source)
    perfunctorily = done quickly without concern or attention to detail
  • She could not be negative or perfunctory about anything.   (source)
    perfunctory = without much interest or effort
  • Camila had intended to be perfunctory and if possible impudent, but now she was struck for the first time with the dignity of the old woman.   (source)
    perfunctory = behave without much interest or effort
  • A few shot perfunctorily at distant marks.   (source)
    perfunctorily = without much interest or effort
  • I found my comb, made a perfunctory stab at the top of my head.†   (source)
  • Wang answered perfunctorily, his mind elsewhere.†   (source)
  • "Thank you," said the Count, accepting this perfunctory offer of a chair with a perfunctory bow of the head.†   (source)
  • When his turn arrives, Werner throws the water like all the others and the splash hits the prisoner in the chest and a perfunctory cheer rises.†   (source)
  • Carl generally fell silent when this happened, or agreed with her in a perfunctory fashion, afterward dismissing the subject.†   (source)
  • His handshake was sturdy but perfunctory.†   (source)
  • After brief good nights, I went into the house, and it was true, there was a privilege to perfunctory farewells—we would resume our conversation tomorrow or the next day.†   (source)
  • There was a curious combination of the perfunctory and the erotic in her attentions to Owen Meany.†   (source)
  • He gave Sandor Clegane a perfunctory nod and walked away as briskly as his stunted legs would carry him, whistling.†   (source)
  • Thank God, thank God — " Mrs. Weasley ran forward, but the hug Bill bestowed upon her was perfunctory.†   (source)
  • The doctor shrugged and finished the perfunctory autopsy.†   (source)
  • "Look up," he said perfunctorily.†   (source)
  • She gestured agreement, perfunctory.†   (source)
  • I would have forgone killing had that been possible, and so I took care of this early, and perfunctorily, as did Claudia; and as it neared time for us to leave, I was alone in the flat, waiting for her.†   (source)
  • The lecture had been perfunctory enough that it took no great intellect to estimate their chances of survival if they did crash on a night like this.†   (source)
  • Hildebranda hurried out of the carriage, somewhat disturbed at the idea that she had offended her cousin, and she said goodbye to the Doctor with a perfunctory handshake.†   (source)
  • She gave a parting smile, but it looked perfunctory.†   (source)
  • Bree asked her once, and Norah was shocked to realize how many of their conversations were about things as perfunctory and necessary as household chores and Paul's schedule.†   (source)
  • The man in the suit that welcomed me in with a perfunctory pat on the shoulder wasn't the president, but he appeared in nearly every memory that fired by next, ushering me onto stages in school auditoriums, outside domed state-capital buildings, in front of cameras at the centers of small towns.†   (source)
  • The reporter would sit the band down together, ask some perfunctory questions to us all, and then turn the microphone or camera on me.†   (source)
  • On the windowsill, the radio played jazz, and aside from the perfunctory conversation typical of family members, neither had said much at all.†   (source)
  • When it was time to go, her response to Robert's farewell kiss was little more than perfunctory.†   (source)
  • Local people were consulted only in a perfunctory manner.†   (source)
  • As I pushed, I muttered a perfunctory prayer to the god of thieves.†   (source)
  • He slides the barely touched plate of hash into the dishwashing window, nodding a perfunctory greeting to a rubber-gloved inmate pulling early duty.†   (source)
  • "I'm sorry if I startled you, Lydia," he said in a perfunctory tone, "but this is a serious business.†   (source)
  • His voice when he spoke was cool, perfunctory "How old are you?"†   (source)
  • They appeared to be tanks and jeeps, some trucks as well, but they were flimsy somehow, unbulky and perfunctory, showing squared-off contours and a cheap gleam—simulated tactical targets.†   (source)
  • He finished, and since there was no need to give any more than the most perfunctory thank-you's, he nodded to the men on the stage, and the tall white man who was never introduced joined him at the door.†   (source)
  • Yossarian nodded perfunctorily, and the chaplain's breath quickened in anticipation as he made ready to join his will power with Yossarian's in a prodigious effort to rip away at last the voluminous black folds shrouding the eternal mysteries of existence.†   (source)
  • These pat-downs were delivered by both male and female guards and ran the gamut from perfunctory to full-out inappropriate.†   (source)
  • With the exception of tradesmen and a few officials of the government, the British overall were decidedly cool toward the new American minister and his family—perfunctory, but no more.†   (source)
  • his words are perfunctory, as if he's speaking to one of his fighters.†   (source)
  • They did so, but only in the most perfunctory manner.†   (source)
  • The greetings were perfunctory, and rather than taking his obviously assigned seat next to the CIA official on the DCI's left, Conklin pulled out the chair at the far end of the table, sat down, and with a sharp noise slapped his cane against the edge.†   (source)
  • In their autobiographies, they recounted great races in intimate detail, but falls and injuries were glossed over with the most perfunctory language.†   (source)
  • She observed that there was no terror in their faces; she saw hints of it, but it looked like a perfunctory terror.†   (source)
  • I wanted to talk with the leader of the platoon we were relieving — and not for any perfunctory I-relieve-you-sir: I wanted the ungarnished word.†   (source)
  • "Wait outside," was the chairman's perfunctory response, after which he resumed his conversation with the professors.†   (source)
  • I don't think it would have all got me quite so down if just once in a while—just once in a while—there was at least some polite little perfunctory implication that knowledge should lead to wisdom, and that if it doesn't, it's just a disgusting waste of time!†   (source)
  • I began to skip pages, glancing at them perfunctorily.†   (source)
  • My attempts to find them again were perfunctory.†   (source)
  • But even though Mary Alice, like Leslie, will permit me to lay not a finger on any of the more interesting crannies or recesses of her incredibly desirable body, why is it that I am discomfited by the bizarre fact that the one thing she will do, though in a pleasureless and rather perfunctory way, is to whack me off hour after hour until I am a lifeless and juiceless stalk, exhausted and even humiliated by this dumb pursuit?†   (source)
  • George gave his wife a perfunctory peck and collapsed with a sigh of relief into the nearest chair.†   (source)
  • Almost perfunctorily his fingers ran over Mary's face, frock and sandals; then he stepped back: satisfied.†   (source)
  • Her prayers, when she remembered to say them, were usually perfunctory but sometimes when she had done something wrong or heard music or lost something, or sometimes for no reason at all, she would be moved to fervor and would think of Christ on the long journey to Calvary, crushed three times under the rough cross.†   (source)
  • One morning she went out to the fowl-runs, which she often forgot to do these days; and when she had finished a perfunctory inspection of the nesting-boxes, and her basket was filled with eggs, she was arrested by the sight of the native under the trees a few yards off.†   (source)
  • He offered to accompany her to the hospital, but in a perfunctory way.   (source)
    perfunctory = done without much interest or effort- (as though he felt he had to offer, but didn't really want to go)
  • The obligatory questions, the perfunctory answers.   (source)
    perfunctory = done without much interest
  • But it came out sounding broad, perfunctory, like the token consolation of a kind stranger.   (source)
  • The barn was empty when the horses turned into it and, after giving them the most perfunctory ministrations they had ever received from him, he strode up to the house and pushed open the kitchen door.   (source)
    perfunctory = done quickly without concern or attention to detail
  • She pointed perfunctorily toward Fiedler.†   (source)
  • As she listened to the mentions of her name tossed into the conversation at half-hour intervals, tossed perfunctorily, with the speaker's eyes never glancing in her direction, she wondered what motive had made them want her to be present.†   (source)
  • She goes to the door, says good-bye quickly and perfunctorily, and as it closes her footsteps go quickly, almost at a run, down the hall.†   (source)
  • Not just a perfunctory curling of the lips, but a warm, toothy grin.†   (source)
  • This time the fanfare was quite perfunctory, the voice now distinctly cold.†   (source)
  • Part of my disapproval was that, I'm sure: perfunctory, routine.†   (source)
  • With a perfunctory knock she stepped inside.†   (source)
  • "Next time we will," I agreed in a perfunctory way.†   (source)
  • Alan drank his tea, sweet and minty, as Salem did some perfunctory tuning of his guitar.†   (source)
  • Granted, this was probably the result of her own perfunctory attitude, but hey, whatever worked.†   (source)
  • "It was perfunctory," he'd remember, "although I liked the Mass itself and still do.†   (source)
  • With a perfunctory gesture they waved the car on.†   (source)
  • At night he would be hastened to bed by perfunctory darkness.†   (source)
  • But Shinny's examination of Geoffrey's broken ribs and sprained shoulder had seemed purely perfunctory, and he had spoken barely a word to Ian, in spite of the man's deep grief and frequent incoherent cries.†   (source)
  • The sexual act, although he performed it in a perfunctory way, must have been largely unconscious, for him, like scratching himself.†   (source)
  • I had used the medscanner to perform a perfunctory autopsy and it had revealed massive internal injuries; even the poor devil's heart had been pulped by the force of the fall.†   (source)
  • At the cafe, Nelda served me a cup of coffee and an order of cinnamon toast without more than the most perfunctory politeness, as if she were angry with me but holding her tongue.†   (source)
  • Other than perfunctory questions as to how school was going or what was happening in the fields, dinners were punctuated only by the sounds of silverware tapping against the plates.†   (source)
  • Before my father left we had the perfunctory subdivision yard, with straight edges and our weeds whacked away from unwanted places.†   (source)
  • His bilious, perfunctory tone carried clear across the construction site, often heard echoing right back at us, as if from the mouth of God.†   (source)
  • Without even perfunctory regrets at the man's passing, he accused Luthuli of being a patsy of the white man, mainly on the grounds that the chief had accepted the Nobel Peace Prize.†   (source)
  • I wandered through the ceremony in a haze and managed a perfunctory appearance at the banquet afterward.†   (source)
  • In the last years of her marriage to Jack—maybe most of her marriage, she remembered thinking then—whenever they'd made love, it had been perfunctory, short on passion and quick in time, unmoving with its lack of tenderness.†   (source)
  • This wasn't like any of the other kisses we'd shared recently, quick and perfunctory, like acquaintances greeting each other.†   (source)
  • This was a regular visit-he'd visited often since he'd graduated from Michigan and returned in January to D.C.-and Cedric offered his usual perfunctory greetings to the man on the couch: his father.†   (source)
  • "A perfunctory exchange with a doctor who'd rather have been anywhere else but there," Farmer would remember.†   (source)
  • The first thing Star had ordered was an examination for me so complete as to make an Army physical seem perfunctory.†   (source)
  • After a few minutes of perfunctory snuffling, and one or two attempts to burrow into the muck, these pups gave up the attempt to hunt and started playing with each other.†   (source)
  • He talked perfunctorily with his son about college.†   (source)
  • It was from one who meant but to greet her perfunctorily that this interesting intelligence came.†   (source)
  • He troubled over many little details and talked perfunctorily to everybody.†   (source)
  • The repressed child said, "Yes, I do, miss," and continued to stir the fire perfunctorily.†   (source)
  • Then he perfunctorily and briefly stated that certain women had been arrested upon suspicion of being sealed wives of Mormon polygamists, and were to be herewith tried by a judge of the United States Court.†   (source)
  • She thereupon turned round and lifted her face to his, and remained like a marble term while he imprinted a kiss upon her cheek—half perfunctorily, half as if zest had not yet quite died out.†   (source)
  • He had only two great wishes: the first, and stronger, was to be alone with his thoughts to "play king," and his balcony permitted him to do that, at least perfunctorily.†   (source)
  • This was perfunctorily done, and producing a couple of eggs which she had brought with her she put them into the boiling kettle, and summoned Jude to watch them for the youngsters, while she went to call them, it being now about half-past eight o'clock.†   (source)
  • He was so pleased with the idea that he smiled, keeping perfunctorily his eyes ahead; and when he happened to glance back he saw the white streak of the wake drawn as straight by the ship's keel upon the sea as the black line drawn by the pencil upon the chart.†   (source)
  • Up here also the shutters were tightly closed, the ventilation being perfunctorily done, for this day at least, by opening the hall-window in front and an upper window behind.†   (source)
  • She gave some attention to her flowers, but it was perfunctorily bestowed, for they no longer charmed her.†   (source)
  • A traditional pastime is to be distinguished from a mere revival in no more striking feature than in this, that while in the revival all is excitement and fervour, the survival is carried on with a stolidity and absence of stir which sets one wondering why a thing that is done so perfunctorily should be kept up at all.†   (source)
  • Then she smiled, the correct, perfunctory smile with which one greets an introduction.†   (source)
  • She glanced at the box in perfunctory admiration.†   (source)
  • So I corrected myself, and in much the mood of a priest who looks down with benign pity on the sweat and striving, I entered the Governor's office, and walked past the receptionist and, with a perfunctory knock, into the inside.†   (source)
  • The two poodles buried their noses in their plates, and the owl acknowledged thanks by a curt, perfunctory nod.†   (source)
  • She had never given him more than perfunctory courtesy before, and so the beaming smile of pleasure with which she greeted him and the two hands outstretched to his almost took his breath away.†   (source)
  • Few women except Suellen had ever given him more than perfunctory courtesy and it was very flattering to have a former belle like Scarlett hanging on his words.†   (source)
  • Barban was less civilized, more skeptical and scoffing, his manners were formal, even perfunctory.†   (source)
  • "Why, Sister Carrie!" she began, and there was a perfunctory embrace of welcome.†   (source)
  • We had a sort of perfunctory supper together, and I think it cheered us all up somewhat.†   (source)
  • Her answers were perfunctory, and she volunteered no remarks of her own.†   (source)
  • He made perfunctory notes and sent a telephone call to his post.†   (source)
  • His actions, in all that related to his family, were of the most perfunctory kind.†   (source)
  • Now and again he would emit a bothered perfunctory "Sssh," which neither produced nor was expected to produce the slightest effect.†   (source)
  • They were not, at any rate, the premeditated and perfunctory endearments of the guest under his hostess's eye, for he and the little girl had the room to themselves; and something in his attitude made him seem a simple and kindly being compared to the small critical creature who endured his homage.†   (source)
  • Jude sat watching her pretty shoulders, her easy, curiously nonchalant risings and sittings, and her perfunctory genuflexions, and thought what a help such an Anglican would have been to him in happier circumstances.†   (source)
  • She was in terror of showing herself, lest Chauvelin's spies happened to be about, so she had a private sitting-room, and she and Sir Andrew sat there hour after hour, trying to take, at long intervals, some perfunctory meals, which little Sally would bring them, with nothing to do but to think, to conjecture, and only occasionally to hope.†   (source)
  • But he had no hesitation in doing all manner of things without more than a perfunctory consultation with the Vicar, and the Vicar, though always ready to be saved trouble, much resented the churchwarden's man aging ways.†   (source)
  • It was noted at the time and remarked upon afterwards, that in this final scene the good man evinced little or nothing of the perfunctory.†   (source)
  • But none of these young men had much hope of really advancing in his profession, or any earnest desire to do so; and over many of them the green mould of the perfunctory was already perceptibly spreading.†   (source)
  • It suddenly occurred to the youth that the fight in which he had been was, after all, but perfunctory popping.†   (source)
  • She wore the same black silk dress she had worn the night before, and, though she had now no rouge on her cheeks, there was still about her eyes the black which remained after a perfunctory wash in the morning: it made her look very ill.†   (source)
  • These and other of his words were nothing but the perfunctory babble of the surface while the depths remained paralyzed.†   (source)
  • This left Mrs. Hurstwood in the mood to extend the perfunctory greetings of some who knew her into short conversations, and the short conversations of friends into long ones.†   (source)
  • If the digression is unusual enough, the drag of habit will be heavy enough to cause the unreasoning victim to return and perform the perfunctory thing.†   (source)
  • The common run of conventional, perfunctory notices of the doings of society, which she could scarcely refrain from scanning each day, had given her a distinct idea of the gorgeousness and luxury of this wonderful temple of gastronomy.†   (source)
  • Four of the bailiff of the palace's sergeants, perfunctory guardians of all the pleasures of the people, on days of festival as well as on days of execution, stood at the four corners of the marble table.†   (source)
  • MRS WARREN [with a perfunctory glance at the scene] Yes, dear; but take care you don't catch your death of cold from the night air.†   (source)
  • They sat down and she asked him about his sisters, with other enquiries of a somewhat perfunctory kind.†   (source)
  • Hitherto silent, whether the better to show by preternatural gravity that curious dignity of the garb with which he was invested or in obedience to an inward voice, he delivered briefly and, as some thought, perfunctorily the ecclesiastical ordinance forbidding man to put asunder what God has joined.†   (source)
  • He patted my hand in a kindly but perfunctory fashion.†   (source)
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