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Acumen is the ability to make quick decisions and keen, precise judgments.
Apathy is a lack of interest or unenthusiastic involvement in an activity; there is no effort to change or improve it at all.
When you have ardor for something, you have an intense feeling of love, excitement, and admiration for it.
Someone in a buoyant mood is in good spirits.
A cursory examination or reading of something is very quick, incomplete, and does not pay close attention to detail.
When you discern something, you notice, detect, or understand it, often after thinking about it carefully or studying it for some time.
Someone does something in a disinterested way when they have no personal involvement or attachment to the action.
Someone who is ebullient is filled with enthusiasm, very happy, and extremely excited about something.
An effervescent individual is lively, very happy, and enthusiastic.
Ennui is the feeling of being bored, tired, and dissatisfied with life.
Someone who is erudite is steeped in knowledge because they have read and studied extensively.
Excruciating can also refer to an activity that is very intense, such as excruciating attention to detail.
When a person is being flippant, they are not taking something as seriously as they should be; therefore, they tend to dismiss things they should respectfully pay attention to.
To handle an object gingerly is to be careful and cautious with it.
If someone is impassive, they are not showing any emotion.
If an idea or thought is incisive, it is expressed in a penetrating and knowledgeable manner that is clear and brief; additionally, it can demonstrate impressive understanding of related ideas or thoughts.
If you are indifferent about something, you are uninterested or neutral about it, not caring either in a positive or negative way.
Insouciance is a lack of concern or worry for something that should be shown more careful attention or consideration.
If you do something in a lackadaisical way, you do it carelessly and without putting much effort into it—thereby showing that you are not really interested in what you’re doing.
If you are methodical while doing a task, you use a logical and organized system to complete it.
A negligent person does not complete what they say they will do; they are careless and not attentive to their work.
Someone who is nonchalant is very relaxed and appears not to be worried about anything.
If you are oblivious to something that is happening, you do not notice it.
If you peruse some written text, you read it over carefully.
When someone exhibits profundity, they display great intellectual depth and understanding; profundity can also be the depth or complexity of something.
A sagacious person is wise, intelligent, and has the ability to make good practical decisions.
A slovenly person is untidy or messy.
If you are suffering from tedium, you are bored.
A tepid reaction to something is mild, unemotional, and lacking in enthusiasm; tepid water is likewise lukewarm—not too hot and not too cold.
Someone who is zealous spends a lot of time, energy, and effort to support something— notably that of a political or religious nature—because they believe in it very strongly.
Adj.
perfunctory
per-FUHNGK-tuh-ree
Context
The perfunctory performance of the band members left us feeling less than enthusiastic as they seemed to be uninterested in what they were doing. The lead singer didn’t even look out into the crowd as he perfunctorily went through what appeared to be a tired old routine. The band went through the motions in a perfunctory, unthinking manner, like they were unconcerned about both their music and the audience. The band broke up after this perfunctory and wooden performance, citing boredom as the main cause.
Quiz:Try again!
What is a perfunctory act?
One which lacks spirit and is done carelessly.
One which is performed with funk music.
One which is performed on stage in front of many people.
Percy's Fun FactoryPercy's fun factory used to be a lot of fun, but now that we've gone through Percy's fun factory 500 times, our enjoyment is nothing but perfunctory, despite the fact that Percy is our father and he gives us extra cotton candy each time we go through.
Examples
At one end of the [fantasy cinema] spectrum are sword-and-sorcery sagas set in exotic places. At the other end are science-fiction stories, which are more grounded in reality, but use their futuristic technologies as perfunctory backdrops for magical adventures.
—
The Christian Science Monitor
Every four years, the House and Senate come together to formally tabulate the electoral votes and raise any final concerns about the results. Normally, it is a perfunctory confirmation of the Electoral College vote.
—
The New York Times
