But gradually, as his children grew up, his desultory efforts took shape and became more intense.

She diverts him from his desultory efforts to study for the bar, an exam he has already flunked twice.

Aillas occupied himself with routine business of the kingdom, while Dhrun made a desultory effort to resume his studies.

Lucas brushed past a nurse who made a desultory effort to slow him down, and found Wong up to his elbows in green soap.

Louise, dressed now, was making desultory efforts to clear up the mess around the sink.

Whatever desultory, token efforts my predecessor made to correct the situation were based on calculations and predictions to that effect.

But aside from a few desultory efforts, none seem willing to try.

But it was a desultory effort at best, and Ben could think of little besides his missing daughter and friends.

Their desultory efforts at the beginning of the second act could have been mistaken for tuning.

The extra name had stuck, and after years of desultory efforts to disown it, he'd given up.