perfunctory; half-hearted; formal: to elaborate
Meanings
3 senses · 9 examplesverb
to elaborate on; to expound and develop
literaryFormal, literary usage, often applied to explaining the essence of classical texts or theories.
He is good at elaborating on the meaning of the classics, explaining them very thoroughly.
This article merely elaborates on previous viewpoints and lacks originality.
verb
to be perfunctory; to do something half-heartedly; to give a superficial response
Most common usage, implying insincerity, negligence, or a lack of genuine effort in one's duties or interactions.
He always does his work in a perfunctory manner and is never serious.
Don't give me a half-hearted answer; I need a clear one.
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He casually gave a few perfunctory remarks and then turned and left.
Such a perfunctory and evasive attitude shows disrespect to the customer.
verb
to barely manage; to scrape by; to make do for a short time
Often used regarding finances or resources, indicating a situation that can be sustained only temporarily with difficulty.
The remaining food is only enough to scrape by for three more days.
This small salary only allows one to barely manage daily expenses.
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Business is bad; now we can only scrape by day by day.