otiose

[ oh-shee-ohs, oh-tee- ]
See synonyms for: otioseotiosenessotiosity on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. being at leisure; idle; indolent.

  2. ineffective or futile.

  1. superfluous or useless.

Origin of otiose

1
First recorded in 1785–95; from Latin ōtiōsus “at leisure, inactive, undisturbed,” equivalent to ōti(um) “leisure, spare time” + -ōsus adjective suffix; see -ose1

Other words for otiose

Other words from otiose

  • o·ti·ose·ly, adverb
  • o·ti·os·i·ty [oh-shee-os-i-tee, oh-tee-], /ˌoʊ ʃiˈɒs ɪ ti, ˌoʊ ti-/, o·ti·ose·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for otiose

otiose

/ (ˈəʊtɪˌəʊs, -ˌəʊz) /


adjective
  1. serving no useful purpose: otiose language

  2. rare indolent; lazy

Origin of otiose

1
C18: from Latin ōtiōsus leisured, from ōtium leisure

Derived forms of otiose

  • otiosity (ˌəʊtɪˈɒsɪtɪ) or otioseness, noun

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