gratuitous
/ɡrəˈtjuːɪtəs
/adjective
1Done without good reason; uncalled for: gratuitous violence...
- His death seemed so gratuitous, so uncalled for, that at first I couldn't figure out why it was in the film.
- Now, the only thing left to talk about is all of the gratuitous violence, which will certainly be a hot topic, no matter how well the film does.
- Once you've got over all the rampant misogyny and gratuitous, comic-book violence, it's an entertaining night in.
Synonyms
unjustified, without reason, uncalled for, unwarranted, unprovoked, undue;
indefensible, unjustifiable;
needless, unnecessary, superfluous, redundant, avoidable, inessential, non-essential, unmerited, groundless, ungrounded, causeless, without cause;
senseless, careless, wanton, indiscriminate, unreasoning, brutish;
excessive, immoderate, disproportionate, inordinate;
unfounded, baseless, inappropriate;
French de trop
2Given or done free of charge: solicitors provide a form of gratuitous legal advice...
- They were gratuitous volunteers, not bona fide purchasers for value without notice.
- It was a voluntary and gratuitous offer by the chambers to provide education and training.
- These licences are essentially gratuitous, since if any charge was made for them, they would be regarded as contractual.
Synonyms
free, gratis, complimentary, voluntary, volunteer, unpaid, unrewarded, unsalaried, free of charge, without charge, for nothing, at no cost, without payment;
Law pro bono (publico)
informal for free, on the house
British informal buckshee
Derivatives
gratuitousness
/ noun ...- I love the gratuitousness, the unnecessariness, the blood.
- But he rejects any charge of gratuitousness, citing a more political, and more personal, reason for their inclusion.
- What's remarkable about his filmmaking is the ability to present scenes of shocking defilement without a hint of prurience or gratuitousness.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from Latin gratuitus 'given freely, spontaneous' + -ous.