Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cursory

/ˈkɝː.sə.ɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.92 in modern English

Syllables: cur-so-ry
IPA: /ˈkɝː.sə.ɹi/

12

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Hasty or superficial.

adj

Careless or desultory.

adj

Running about; not stationary.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"cursory glance"
"A cursory view of the report revealed his egregious errors."
"Most junk mail requires only a cursory glance."
"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."
"She accepted these terms, and slid off on the near side, though not till he had stolen a cursory kiss."
"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."

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French cursoire (“rapid”), from Latin cursorius (“hasty, of a race or running”).

Origin

Source language: Middle French

Word Breakdown

Root: *ḱers-, cursoire, cursorius

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɝː.sə.ɹi/
British English: /ˈkɜː.sə.ɹi/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

more cursory (comparative) most cursory (superlative)

Derived Forms

cursorily cursoriness

Frequently Paired Words

cursor course perfunctory

Synonyms

fleeting swift cursory express fast expeditious feverish fleet greased lightning hasty hectic hectical

Rhymes With

anniversary nursery

Questions

How do you pronounce cursory?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɝː.sə.ɹi/.
What does cursory mean?: Hasty or superficial.
Where does cursory come from?: It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce cursory

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cursory”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɝː.sə.ɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “cursory”.
Repeat and practice — Say “cursory” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.