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
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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.
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
In recent decades, though, it has become known mainly as a sinecure for wealthy donors and other well-connected types.
From New York Times • Aug. 4, 2020
As has been noted widely on Twitter, you’d think that would be enough to ensure your kids admission to top colleges the old-fashioned way: with a sinecure.
From Slate • Mar. 12, 2019
Toward the end of our interview, I asked Johnson why he left National Economic Research Associates, where he had a sinecure and where a good future awaited him.
From Washington Post • Sep. 24, 2016
But she would: The job was a bit of a sinecure after all; he would not have been offered it in the first place if the editor were not an old friend of hers.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
