peruse

Read with care

Peruse means to read or examine carefully and thoroughly: She perused the contract before signing.

Confusingly, it has also come to mean the opposite—to skim or browse casually: I perused the magazine while waiting.

Context usually clarifies which sense is intended, but the contradiction makes the word unreliable for precise communication.

browse

bookstore

Shop selling printed works

libraryBook collection or building
shelvesHorizontal storage platforms
magazinesPeriodic illustrated publications

catalog · titles · skim · flip · glance · casual · leisurely · sampling · preview · thumbnails

examine

inspect

Study closely for flaws

scrutinizeInspect with close attention
reviewCritical written assessment
analyzeStudy by breaking down

check · survey · assess · evaluate · study · investigate · audit · appraise · dissect · probe

read

literature

Body of written works

novelNew and unusual
articleWritten piece or grammatical word
journalRecord of daily events

manuscript · document · paperback · hardcover · chapter · paragraph · prose · narrative · text · passage

research

academic

Relating to education or theory

scholarlyMarked by serious learning
archivesStored historical documents
recordsStored data or albums

documents · files · sources · references · footnotes · bibliography · database · papers · findings · data

Categories

readingfluency, read, comprehension, readers, books
Reading-relatedskim, scan, browse, study, review
searchsearch, web search, seek, text search, hunt
browsingskim, scan, leaf through, flip through, glance
window shoppingbrowse, browsing, window-shop, window-shopping, look around
misused wordsliterally, irregardless, ironic, disinterested, nauseous

Opposites

attention and thoroughness of reading

peruseskim

Pass over lightly

skim over · scan · flip through · gloss over · glance over

engagement versus disengagement with material

peruseignore

Refuse to notice

neglect · overlook · disregard · skip · pass over

Family

perusal, perusing, perused, peruses, peruser, perusals

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G