gratuitous Hear it!

gratuitous Definition

gra·tui·tous (grə to̵̅o̅i təs, -tyo̵̅o̅-)

adjective

    1. given or received without charge or payment; free
    2. granted without obligation
  1. without cause or justification; uncalled-for

Etymology: L gratuitus < gratus: see grace

gratuitous Related Forms

gra·tui·tously adverb

gratuitous Synonyms

gratuitous

modif.

  1. Voluntary

    for nothing, gratis, complimentary; see free 4.

  2. Uncalled-for

    needless, unwarranted, unessential; see unnecessary.

gratuitous Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • totally: It is totally gratuitous to compare someone to a fictitious Jewish villain from 1837.
  • entirely: The support Jackson et al. are giving the Butcher of Baghdad is entirely gratuitous.
  • completely: He even gets a completely gratuitous shower cuddle scene with Grace.
  • never: Its erotic content is created by means of the montage of images and sounds and is never gratuitous.
  • not: The Greens believe the only criterion for taking products off the market should be one of safety, not gratuitous standardization.
  • wholly: And yet, perhaps precisely because it was wholly gratuitous, and went unpunished, it felt peculiarly wrong.

Modifies a noun

  • nudity: I'm willing to bet no gratuitous nudity either?
  • insult: The audience, carefully selected to be hostile, offered a series of gratuitous insults to the Prime Minister.
  • cruelty: No case hardened child care professional can fail to be shocked by the gratuitous cruelty inflicted on Victoria Climbie.
  • violence: There were many stories afterward of what appeared to be gratuitous police violence.
  • alert: There speaks someone who's never read the Izabella thread... Gratuitous plug alert!
  • plug: Gratuitous plug: The Castle is an excellent hotel!

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: A fight scene later on also seems quite gratuitous.
  • feel: Although these are all legitimate and interesting themes, at times their exploration feels gratuitous.

Browse dictionary entries near gratuitous

  1. Grattan
  2. gratitude
  3. gratis
  4. grating
  5. gratinéed
  6. gratin
  7. gratifying
  8. gratify
  9. gratification
  10. Gratian
  1. gratuitous contract
  2. gratuity
  3. gratulate
  4. Graubünden
  5. graupel
  6. Graustarkian
  7. gravamen
  8. grave
  9. grave accent
  10. gravedigger