different between perfunctory vs random

English

Etymology

From Late Latin perfunct?rius, from the past participial stem of perfungor, perfunct- (“perform, carry through”), from per- + fungor.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p??f??k.t(?)??/
• (US) IPA^(key): /p??f??k.t?.i/

Adjective

perfunctory (comparative more perfunctory, superlative most perfunctory)

1. Done only or merely to conform to a minimal standard or to fulfill a protocol or presumptive duty .

   Synonyms: automatic, cursory, obligatory, pro forma, token, unthinking

   • 1975, Saul Bellow, Humboldt's Gift [Avon ed., 1976, p. 338]:

     He then poured some wine for me to taste, and harassed me with perfunctory courtesies that had to be acknowledged.
2. Performed in a careless or indifferent manner as a thing of rote.

   Synonyms: haphazard, mechanical, slipshod

   Antonyms: careful, complete, thorough

Related terms

• perfunctorily
• perfunctoriness

Translations

See also

• pro forma

English

Etymology

From earlier randon, from Middle English randoun, raundon, from Old French randon, from randir (“to run, gallop”) (whence French randonnée (“long walk, hike”)), from Frankish *rant, *rand (“run”, noun), from Proto-Germanic *randij?, from *rinnan? (“run”, verb), from Proto-Indo-European *(H)r?-nw- (“to flow, move, run”). See run.

Pronunciation

• enPR: r?n'd?m, IPA^(key): /??ænd?m/

Noun

random (countable and uncountable, plural randoms)

1. A roving motion; course without definite direction; lack of rule or method; chance.
2. (obsolete) Speed, full speed; impetuosity, force. [14^th-17^thc.]

   Synonyms: force, momentum, speed, velocity
3. (obsolete) The full range of a bullet or other projectile; hence, the angle at which a weapon is tilted to allow the greatest range. [16^th-19^thc.]
   • 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, in Kupperman 1988, page 144:

     Fortie yards will they shoot levell, or very neare the marke, and 120 is their best at Random.
4. (figuratively, colloquial) An undefined, unknown or unimportant person; a person of no consequence. [from 20^thc.]

   Synonyms: rando, nobody, nonentity

5. (mining) The direction of a rake-vein.
6. (printing, historical) A frame for composing type.
   • 1935, Newspaper World (issues 1930-1955, page 41)

     Utilization of all floor space underneath case racks and randoms is another feature of the modern composing room; […]

   • 2002, Republic of Korea (issue 2, page 502)

     Printers' frames and randoms

Derived terms

• randy

Translations

Adjective

random (comparative more random, superlative most random)

1. Having unpredictable outcomes and, in the ideal case, all outcomes equally probable; resulting from such selection; lacking statistical correlation.

   Synonym: aleatory

   • July 18 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Dark Knight Rises[1]

     Where the Joker preys on our fears of random, irrational acts of terror, Bane has an all-consuming, dictatorial agenda that’s more stable and permanent, a New World Order that’s been planned out with the precision of a military coup.

2. (mathematics) Of or relating to probability distribution.

   Synonym: stochastic

3. (computing) Pseudorandom; mimicking the result of random selection.

   Synonym: pseudorandom

4. (somewhat colloquial) Representative and undistinguished; typical and average; selected for no particular reason.

   Synonyms: average, typical

5. (somewhat colloquial) Apropos of nothing; lacking context; unexpected; having apparent lack of plan, cause, or reason.

   Synonyms: arbitrary, unexpected, unplanned

6. (colloquial) Characterized by or often saying random things; habitually using non sequiturs.

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? German: random
• ? Hungarian: random

Translations

Further reading

• randomness on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Damron, Dorman, Mardon, Rodman, mandor, modRNA, ram-don, rodman

German

Etymology

English random

Pronunciation

Adjective

random (not comparable)

1. (colloquial) random

   Synonyms: beliebig, durcheinander, zufällig

Further reading

• “random” in Duden online

Hungarian

Etymology

From English random.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?r?ndom]
• Hyphenation: ran?dom
• Rhymes: -om

Adjective

random (comparative randomabb, superlative legrandomabb)

1. random

   Synonyms: véletlen, véletlenszer?

2. (informal) undistinguished, average, arbitrary, whichever, any

   Synonyms: tetsz?leges, akármelyik, akármilyen, bármelyik, bármilyen

Declension

References