HOW TO PRONOUNCE
perfunctory
/pɚˈfʌŋktɚi/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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Give “func” the strongest beat.
Keep the ng, k and t sounds connected after the stressed vowel, and let the remaining vowels stay lighter than that second syllable.
4 syllables · Stress on syllable 2
TRY SAYING
“He offered a perfunctory greeting at the door.”
APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗What does perfunctory mean?
adjective
- Done only or merely to conform to a minimal standard or to fulfill a protocol or presumptive duty.
- Performed in a careless or indifferent manner as a thing of rote.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/pɚˈfʌŋktɚi/
Pronunciation used in the listening tip.
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
It suddenly occurred to the youth that the fight in which he had been was, after all, but perfunctory popping.
These and other of his words were nothing but the perfunctory babble of the surface while the depths remained paralyzed.
More book examples (3)
Of books he knew nothing whatever, and he made only the most perfunctory pretence now and again of reading the newspapers.
They retire to cover earlier in the morning, and they keep more than a perfunctory outlook for the casual human being.
The short sketch of the Ambroses was, however, somewhat perfunctory, and contained little but the fact that Mr. Ambrose was her uncle.