gratuitous

[ gruh-too-i-tuhs, -tyoo- ]

/ grəˈtu ɪ təs, -ˈtyu- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gratuitous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

given, done, bestowed, or obtained without charge or payment; free; voluntary.

being without apparent reason, cause, or justification: a gratuitous insult.

Law. given without receiving any return value.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

gratitude, grattage, grattan, grattan, henry, grattoir, gratuitous, gratuitous contract, gratuitously, gratuity, gratulant, gratulate

Origin of gratuitous

1650–60; < Latin grātuītus free, freely given, spontaneous, derivative of grātus thankful, received with thanks (for formation cf. fortuitous); see -ous

SYNONYMS FOR gratuitous

2 unnecessary, superfluous, redundant; causeless, unreasonable, groundless, unprovoked, unjustified.

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Related forms

gra·tu·i·tous·ly, adverbgra·tu·i·tous·ness, nounnon·gra·tu·i·tous, adjectivenon·gra·tu·i·tous·ly, adverb

non·gra·tu·i·tous·ness, nounun·gra·tu·i·tous, adjectiveun·gra·tu·i·tous·ly, adverbun·gra·tu·i·tous·ness, noun

Can be confusedgracious gratis gratuitous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gratuitous

And, in a gratuitous show of homicidal prowess, Moses kills two assassins he meets while wandering in the desert of Sinai.
Meet Moses the Swashbuckling Israelite|James Romm|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But God forbid a TV series premieres pushing out gratuitous emotion and gratuitous feeling.
‘Red Band Society’ Is Really Freaking Sad (And May Be TV’s Best New Drama)|Kevin Fallon|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Israeli soldiers, my age, sat impassively on a bench while babies cried and a man complained about gratuitous humiliation.
Gaza, You're No Good For My Marriage|Josh Robin|August 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His story is largely devoid of wanton violence and gratuitous sex.
What Would You Do if the World Was Over?|William O’Connor|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

There was justified violence—going after al Qaeda—and then there was gratuitous violence.
Ahmed Abu Khattala Arrest Spoils GOP’s Benghazi Party|Michael Tomasky|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She also prepared for gratuitous distribution a large number of four-page leaflets on the most common farm pests.
Woman in Science|John Augustine Zahm
Never did a periodical receive such an amount of gratuitous advertising.
The Americanization of Edward Bok|Edward William Bok
The convicts have not broken out; but an epidemic of gratuitous mendacity has done so, it appears.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 99, July 5, 1890|Various
France rejected entirely the principle of gratuitous transit.
The Development of Rates of Postage|A. D. Smith
When coinage is free and gratuitous, these two values are the same.
The Principles of Economics|Frank A. Fetter

British Dictionary definitions for gratuitous

gratuitous

/ (ɡrəˈtjuːɪtəs) /

adjective

given or received without payment or obligation

without cause; unjustified

law given or made without receiving any value in returna gratuitous agreement

Derived Formsgratuitously, adverbgratuitousness, noun

Word Origin for gratuitous

C17: from Latin grātuītus, from grātia favour

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012