sinecure

[sahy-ni-kyoo r, sin-i-]

See more synonyms for sinecure on Thesaurus.com

noun

an office or position requiring little or no work, especially one yielding profitable returns.
an ecclesiastical benefice without cure of souls.

Origin of sinecure

1655–65; < Medieval Latin (beneficium) sine cūrā (benefice) without care; see cure

Related formssi·ne·cure·ship, nounsi·ne·cur·ism, nounsi·ne·cur·ist, noun

Can be confusedcynosure sinecure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sinecure

pushover, toast, vulnerable, lamb, sinecure

Examples from the Web for sinecure

Contemporary Examples of sinecure

The job is often a sinecure offered to widely admired figures.
Give Him His Well-Deserved Break
Reihan Salam
July 17, 2010

Historical Examples of sinecure

The life of a Med Ship man is not exactly a sinecure, at best.
Pariah Planet
Murray Leinster
And for the next quarter of an hour the place of the poor repeater was no sinecure.
Stories of Comedy
Various
As to his sinecure, he said, 'Perhaps he might not keep it long.'
The Valet's Tragedy and Other Stories
Andrew Lang
Sure I know what a sinecure is: it's a place where there's nothing to do, and they pay you by the piece.
The Jest Book
Mark Lemon
He lived, however, at Leatherhead, Slinfold being a sinecure.
Highways & Byways in Sussex
E.V. Lucas

British Dictionary definitions for sinecure

sinecure

noun

a paid office or post involving minimal duties
a Church benefice to which no spiritual or pastoral charge is attached

Derived Formssinecurism, nounsinecurist, noun

Word Origin for sinecure

C17: from Medieval Latin phrase (beneficium) sine cūrā (benefice) without cure (of souls), from Latin sine without + cūra cure, care

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

Word Origin and History for sinecure

1660s, "church benefice with an emolument but without parish duties," from Medieval Latin beneficium sine cura "benefice without care" (of souls), from Latin sine "without" (see sans) + cura, ablative singular of cura "care" (see cure (n.1)).