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otiose

[ oh-shee-ohs, oh-tee- ]
/ ˈoʊ ʃiˌoʊs, ˈoʊ ti- /
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See synonyms for: otiose / otioseness / otiosity on Thesaurus.com
adjective
being at leisure; idle; indolent.
ineffective or futile.
superfluous or useless.
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Origin of otiose

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 FROM otiose

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

Words nearby otiose

Othman I, Othniel, Otho I, Othoniel, otic, otiose, Otis, otitis, otitis externa, otitis interna, otitis media
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to otiose

idle, indolent, listless, slothful, hopeless, ineffective, useless, vain, empty, futile, hollow, inactive, laggard, lazy, sterile, superfluous, surplus

How to use otiose in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for otiose

otiose
/ (ˈəʊtɪˌəʊs, -ˌəʊz) /
adjective
serving no useful purposeotiose language
rare indolent; lazy

Derived forms of otiose

otiosity (ˌəʊtɪˈɒsɪtɪ) or otioseness, noun

Word Origin for otiose

C18: from Latin ōtiōsus leisured, from ōtium leisure
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
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