Perfunctory vs Lax - What's the difference?
perfunctory | lax | Synonyms |
Done merely to discharge a duty; performed mechanically and as a thing of rote; done in a careless and superficial manner; characterized by indifference; as, perfunctory admonitions; aspiring only to minimum standards.
* 1918 , (Edgar Rice Burroughs), Chapter VIII
* 1992 , Peter Bowbrick, The Economics of Quality, Grades, and Brands ,
A salmon.
lenient and allowing for deviation; not strict.
* J. A. Symonds
loose; not tight or taut.
* Ray
lacking care; neglectful, negligent
* {{quote-news
, year=2011
, date=October 1
, author=Phil Dawkes
, title=Sunderland 2 - 2 West Brom
, work=BBC Sport
(archaic) Having a looseness of the bowels; diarrheal.
lacrosse
----
Perfunctory is a synonym of lax.
As an adjective perfunctory
is done merely to discharge a duty; performed mechanically and as a thing of rote; done in a careless and superficial manner; characterized by indifference; as, perfunctory admonitions; aspiring only to minimum standards.perfunctory
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- He did a perfunctory job cleaning his dad's car, finishing quickly but leaving a few spots still dirty.
- I caught the gist of what he was saying--which in effect was that he had found and captured this Galu, that she was his and that he defied anyone to question his right of possession. It appeared to me, as I afterward learned was the fact, that I was witnessing the most primitive of marriage ceremonies. The assembled members of the tribe looked on and listened in a sort of dull and perfunctory apathy, for the speaker was by far the mightiest of the clan.
p. 55,
- Alternatively it may mean that a perfunctory search is enough to ensure that a purchase is acceptable, so less search is carried out.
Synonyms
* (performed out of routine) automatic, cursory, dutiful, mechanical, obligatory, slipshod, token, unthinkingAntonyms
* thoughtfulSee also
* pro formalax
English
Alternative forms
* (Killian)Etymology 1
From (etyl) lax, from (etyl) .Noun
(laxes)Etymology 2
From (etyl)Adjective
(er)- The rules are fairly lax , but you have to know which ones you can bend.
- Society at that epoch was lenient, if not lax , in matters of the passions.
- The rope fell lax .
- the flesh of that sort of fish being lax and spongy
citation, page= , passage=Prior to this match, Albion had only scored three league goals all season, but Wes Brown's lax marking allowed Morrison to head in their fourth from a Chris Brunt free-kick and then, a minute later, the initial squandering of possession and Michael Turner's lack of pace let Long run through to slot in another.}}