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.
What makes the act of flinging himself upside down so audacious is that it’s entirely gratuitous.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 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
His decision for the court, handed down on Wednesday, is an incoherent mess of contradiction and casuistry, a travesty of legal writing that injects immense, gratuitous confusion into the law of equal protection.
From Slate • Jun. 18, 2025
It accused the BBC of being motivated by malice and sensationalising its broadcast with a "gratuitous" reference to Mr Adams to boost ratings.
From BBC • May 1, 2025
I had not eaten the nuts; I was sorry that I had called her Aunt Addie; but I did not want to be singled out for gratuitous punishment.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
