perfunctory

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As I visited congressional offices this week, meeting with sources and watching members of Congress interact with their constituents, it felt perfunctory — and, in some cases, sad.

From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026

Right there, you have the perfect shadow-docket sandwich: perfunctory, bad decisionmaking, conclusory predictions about what constitutes an “emergency” and who’s going to win, decided in a couple of days, wiping out extensive factual findings.

From Slate • Jan. 3, 2026

The perfunctory signage and wall text seem to be deliberate: How many visitors want to get bogged down in details, the GEM seems to reason.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

It was perfunctory, but after the week the defending champions have had, that's exactly what they needed.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025

It will be perfunctory, since it’s clear he was trampled.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen