Sometimes Tessa talked glowingly of those celebrations, but to him they sounded perfunctory and forced.

"Good," Joanie said, managing to sound perfunctory while actually editorializing.

Even though it sounded perfunctory to her ears-all part of the "Hi.

Republicans' defense of the bill sounded perfunctory at times.

She had played so completely into the prosecutor's hands the way she testified - without fight; her protestations of innocence sounding perfunctory and emotionless.

By comparison, the quicker movements sounded more perfunctory.

Both the good-byes and the thanks sounded mechanical and perfunctory, and neither boy looked Marco in the face at all.

Mr. Sawallisch is, to this taste, not always an entirely persuasive conductor; his performances can sound perfunctory.

The big statements of the broad theme in the finale sounded glib and perfunctory.

To the magician the words sounded rather perfunctory.