The difference between Careful and Perfunctory

When used as adjectives, careful means taking care, whereas perfunctory means done only to fulfil a duty, or in a careless or indifferent manner.


check bellow for the other definitions of Careful and Perfunctory

  1. Careful as an adjective:

    Taking care; attentive to potential danger, error or harm; cautious.

    Examples:

    "He was a slow and careful driver."

  2. Careful as an adjective:

    Conscientious and painstaking; meticulous.

    Examples:

    "They made a careful search of the crime scene."

  3. Careful as an adjective (obsolete):

    Full of care or grief; sorrowful, sad.

  4. Careful as an adjective (obsolete):

    Full of cares or anxiety; worried, troubled.

  1. Perfunctory as an adjective:

    Done only to fulfil a duty, or in a careless or indifferent manner; performed mechanically and as a thing of rote.

    Examples:

    "He did a perfunctory job cleaning his dad's car, finishing quickly but leaving a few spots still dirty."