sinecure
Americannoun
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an office or position requiring little or no work, especially one yielding profitable returns.
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an ecclesiastical benefice without cure of souls.
noun
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a paid office or post involving minimal duties
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a Church benefice to which no spiritual or pastoral charge is attached
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sinecure
First recorded in 1655–65; from Medieval Latin (beneficium) sine cūrā “(benefice) without care (of parishioners).” See cure
Explanation
If you have a cushy job — one that pays, but involves minimal work — then you have a sinecure. "Because he was the brother of the CEO, he was offered a sinecure in the company: he showed up each day and collected a paycheck, but others actually did his work." The noun sinecure comes from the Latin root words sine cura meaning "without care." It originally was used to describe a church position that did not include caring for the souls of parishioners, but that meaning is considered archaic now. The word is now usually associated with political appointments.
Vocabulary lists containing sinecure
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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1984
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A Separate Peace
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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.
He was fired by his firm for accounting errors and has since been given a sinecure by a sympathetic corporate friend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
But instead of receiving some cushy sinecure for his sacrifice, he finds himself exiled to Tulsa, Okla. to “plant a flag.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2022
Henry intended to follow previous generations of Adams men into public service; if not the presidency, then the family sinecure in the Foreign Service.
From New York Times ● Nov. 24, 2020
The book was revised at Lake Geneva’s Montreux Palace, where Vladimir and Véra lived after Lolita’s success provided a comfortable sinecure.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 13, 2020
He even had a job, a sinecure, more highly paid than his old job had been.
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.
