Gratuitous

ahd-5
  • adjective. Given or granted without return or recompense; unearned.
  • adjective. Given or received without cost or obligation; free.
  • adjective. Unnecessary or unwarranted; unjustified.
  • The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
  • Freely bestowed or obtained; costing nothing to the recipient.
  • Unnecessary; not required; not warranted by circumstances or reason; uncalled for: as, a gratuitous insult.
  • Unwarranted, unnecessary, groundless.
  • the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
  • adjective. Given without an equivalent or recompense; conferred without valuable consideration; granted without pay, or without claim or merit; not required by justice.
  • adjective. Not called for by the circumstances; without reason, cause, or proof; adopted or asserted without any good ground.
  • Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
  • adjective. Given freely; unearned.
  • adjective. Not called for by the circumstances; uncalled-for; without reason, cause, or proof; adopted or asserted without any good ground; unjustified.
  • WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
  • adjective. without cause
  • adjective. costing nothing
  • adjective. unnecessary and unwarranted
  • Word Usage
    "My misery was what I call my gratuitous brain surgery."
    Antonyms
    Words with the opposite meaning
    onerous  
    cross-reference
    deed  
    Equivalent
    Same Context
    Words that are found in similar contexts
    Synonym
    Words with the same meaning