gratuitous
[gruh-too-i-tuh s, -tyoo-]
- 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.
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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
See more synonyms for gratuitous on Thesaurus.com2. unnecessary, superfluous, redundant; causeless, unreasonable, groundless, unprovoked, unjustified.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for gratuitous
Contemporary Examples
And, in a gratuitous show of homicidal prowess, Moses kills two assassins he meets while wandering in the desert of Sinai.
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
The Israeli soldiers, my age, sat impassively on a bench while babies cried and a man complained about gratuitous humiliation.
His story is largely devoid of wanton violence and gratuitous sex.
There was justified violence—going after al Qaeda—and then there was gratuitous violence.
Historical Examples
The attack must have all the shocking senselessness of gratuitous blasphemy.
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad
He scorned a dedication, that misnomer for gratuitous advertising.
Arthur, I need not ask if you are innocent; it would be a gratuitous insult to you.
The ChanningsMrs. Henry Wood
Apparently, Mr. Galloway did not like this gratuitous suggestion.
The ChanningsMrs. Henry Wood
That act, according to the canons of the church, must be gratuitous.
Roman Catholicism in SpainAnonymous
gratuitous
- given or received without payment or obligation
- without cause; unjustified
- law given or made without receiving any value in returna gratuitous agreement
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Word Origin
C17: from Latin grātuītus, from grātia favour
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for gratuitous
adj.
1650s, "freely bestowed," from Latin gratuitus "done without pay, spontaneous, voluntary," from gratus "pleasing, agreeable," from gratia "favor" (see grace). Sense of "uncalled for, done without good reason" is first recorded 1690s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper