Gratuitous
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ɡɹəˈtjuː.ɪt.əs/ · Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Gratuitous is an adjective meaning Given freely; unearned.
Meaning
Given freely; unearned.
More Meanings
- Unjustified or unnecessary; not called for by the circumstances.
- (in linguistic criticism) extraneous, interpolated.
Example Sentences
gratuitous violence
Good to see you Mr. Bond. Things've been awfully dull 'round here. […] Now you're on this. I hope we're going to have some gratuitous sex and violence!
Also mentioned is the Rev. T. Stock, who has a tablet in St John's church [Gloucester] and "who with Raikes established the four original Sunday schools in this parish ... in 1780. From this small beginning sprung that gratuitous system of Christian instruction which has covered the face of England and Wales with schools."
Synonyms for gratuitous
Depending on context, synonyms include free, gratis, unjustified, groundless, baseless, unfounded.
Antonyms for gratuitous
Common opposites include onerous.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include gratis, free, needless, uncalled-for, unnecessary, costless.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.