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GRE vocabulary

cursory

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore C words

hasty and superficial, without attention to detail

Word origin: From Latin cursorius, relating to running, from currere, to run.

In a sentence

Cursory in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing cursory in a sentence.

A cursory glance at the report missed several serious errors.

A cursory glance at the data suggested a trend, but a careful analysis revealed no real pattern.

Synonyms
Antonyms
thoroughcarefulmeticulous
Usage & nuance

Using “cursory” well

Cursory describes attention that is rushed and shallow, pairing with perfunctory and superficial. It implies that something deserving care received only a passing look.

Common questions

Questions about “cursory

Cursory (adjective) means hasty and superficial, without attention to detail
Here is cursory used in an example sentence: "A cursory glance at the report missed several serious errors." Another example: "A cursory glance at the data suggested a trend, but a careful analysis revealed no real pattern."
Common synonyms for cursory include hasty, superficial, perfunctory, quick.
Antonyms of cursory include thorough, careful, meticulous.
Clusters with hasty, superficial, perfunctory, and quick in Sentence Equivalence. Antonyms thorough, careful, and meticulous describe the attentive opposite.
Yes. Cursory is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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