sinecure
Americannoun
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an office or position requiring little or no work, especially one yielding profitable returns.
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an ecclesiastical benefice without cure of souls.
noun
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a paid office or post involving minimal duties
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a Church benefice to which no spiritual or pastoral charge is attached
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of sinecure
First recorded in 1655–65; from Medieval Latin (beneficium) sine cūrā “(benefice) without care (of parishioners).” See cure
Explanation
If you have a cushy job — one that pays, but involves minimal work — then you have a sinecure. "Because he was the brother of the CEO, he was offered a sinecure in the company: he showed up each day and collected a paycheck, but others actually did his work." The noun sinecure comes from the Latin root words sine cura meaning "without care." It originally was used to describe a church position that did not include caring for the souls of parishioners, but that meaning is considered archaic now. The word is now usually associated with political appointments.
Vocabulary lists containing sinecure
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1984
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A Separate Peace
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A sixth, Rappcats, offers the occasional pop-up shop to augment its back-office business as the headquarters of Now-Again Records, the music-related imprint Sinecure Books and Madlib's music and merchandise.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2015
Sinecure offices were abolished in the Court of Chancery, and the laws of dower and inheritance were amended.
From Beacon Lights of History, Volume 10 European Leaders by Lord, John
In the morning I went to Graham to ask him to advocate my cause in the Sinecure Committee and defend my interests there.
From The Greville Memoirs A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IV, Vol. III by Greville, Charles
Sinecure situations, created by him, were abolished, and inquiries were instituted which gave him great annoyance.
From The Felon's Track History Of The Attempted Outbreak In Ireland, Embracing The Leading Events In The Irish Struggle From The Year 1843 To The Close Of 1848 by Doheny, Michael
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
