gratuitous
Americanadjective
-
being without apparent reason, cause, or justification.
It looks to me like a baseless and gratuitous insult—like you have a huge chip on your shoulder.
- Synonyms:
- gratis, groundless, unreasonable, redundant, superfluous, unnecessary
-
given, done, bestowed, or obtained without charge or payment; free; complimentary.
-
Law. given without receiving any return value.
adjective
-
given or received without payment or obligation
-
without cause; unjustified
-
law given or made without receiving any value in return
a gratuitous agreement
Other Word Forms
- gratuitously adverb
- gratuitousness noun
- nongratuitous adjective
- nongratuitousness noun
- ungratuitous adjective
- ungratuitousness noun
Etymology
Origin of gratuitous
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin grātuītus “free, freely given, spontaneous,” derivative of grātus “thankful, received with thanks” (for formation fortuitous ); -ous
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.
On Monday Cannon granted that request, with a side of gratuitous attacks on the former special counsel.
From Slate • Feb. 26, 2026
Banerjee also criticised what he called an excess of "gratuitous violence", arguing that "it is social media hype that is deciding the film's fate."
From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026
Ms. King seeds her love story with engaging dialogue and literary references that are never pretentious or gratuitous.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
Wilson's commitment to honesty - sometimes shocking, but never gratuitous - remains intact in Picture Imperfect.
From BBC • Aug. 27, 2025
Folly, folly, his heart kept saying: conscious, gratuitous, suicidal folly!
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
