gra·tu·i·tous
Audio Help [gruh-too-i-tuh
s, -tyoo-] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
Audio Help [gruh-too-i-tuh
s, -tyoo-] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| 1. | given, done, bestowed, or obtained without charge or payment; free; voluntary. |
| 2. | being without apparent reason, cause, or justification: a gratuitous insult. |
| 3. | Law. given without receiving any return value. |
[Origin: 1650–60; < L grātuītus free, freely given, spontaneous, deriv. of grātus thankful, received with thanks (for formation cf. fortuitous); see -ous
]
] —Related forms
gra·tu·i·tous·ly, adverb
gra·tu·i·tous·ness, noun
—Synonyms 2. unnecessary, superfluous, redundant; causeless, unreasonable, groundless, unprovoked, unjustified.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
gratuitous
To learn more about gratuitous visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| gra·tu·i·tous
Audio Help (grə-tōō'ĭ-təs, -tyōō'-) Pronunciation Key
adj.
[From Latin grātuītus; see gwerə-2 in Indo-European roots.] gra·tu'i·tous·ly adv., gra·tu'i·tous·ness n. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
gratuitous
1656, "freely bestowed," from L. gratuitus "free, spontaneous, voluntary," from gratia "favor." Sense of "uncalled for, done without good reason" is first recorded 1691.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| gratuitous | |
adjective | |
| 1. | without cause; "a gratuitous insult" |
| 2. | costing nothing; "complimentary tickets"; "free admission" [syn: complimentary] |
| 3. | unnecessary and unwarranted; "a strikers' tent camp...was burned with needless loss of life" |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
graˈtuitous1 adjective
(derogatory) done, said etc without good reason or excuse or when not wanted
Example: gratuitous insults
graˈtuitous2 adjectiveExample: gratuitous insults
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done, given etc without payment
Example: gratuitous advice
See also: gratuityExample: gratuitous advice
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Gratuitous
Gra*tu"i*tous\a. [L. gratuitus, from gratus pleasing. See Grate, a., Gratis.]1. Given without an equivalent or recompense; conferred without valuable consideration; granted without pay, or without claim or merit; not required by justice. We mistake the gratuitous blessings of Heaven for the fruits of our own industry. --L'Estrange. 2. Not called for by the circumstances; without reason, cause, or proof; adopted or asserted without any good ground; as, a gratuitous assumption. Acts of gratuitous self-humiliation. --De Quincye. -- Gra*tu"i*tous*ly, adv. -- Gra*tu"i*tous*ness, n.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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