gratuitous

(grə-tū'ĭ-təs, -tyū'-)
adj.

1. Given or granted without return or recompense; unearned.
2. Given or received without cost or obligation; free.
3. Unnecessary or unwarranted; unjustified: gratuitous criticism.

[From Latin grātuītus.]

gratuitously gra·tu'i·tous·ly adv.
gratuitousness gra·tu'i·tous·ness n.

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Uncalled for; item or service given free of charge.
Examples are a sample given to a potential customer to promote a product or service performed by an employee working voluntarily on his personal time.

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adjective

1. Costing nothing: complimentary, free, gratis. Idioms: on the house. See money.
2. Not required, necessary, or warranted by the circumstances of the case: supererogative, supererogatory, uncalled-for, wanton. See necessary/unnecessary.

adj

Definition: free
Antonyms: costly, expensive, paid

adj

Definition: not necessary
Antonyms: deserved, justifiable, necessary, needed, reasonable, warranted

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

Bestowed or granted without consideration or exchange for something of value.

The term gratuitous is applied to deeds, bailments, and other contractual agreements.

A gratuity is something given by someone who has no obligation to give and can be used in reference to a bribe or tip.

IN BRIEF: Not called for by the circumstances. Also: Voluntarily done.

Among all forms of mistake, prophecy is the most gratuitous. — George Eliot (1819-1880).

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For a list of words related to gratuitous, see:

• Ordinary, Dull, Plain, or Banal

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See words rhyming with "gratuitous."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Gratuitous.

Common misspelling(s) of gratuitous

• gratuitious

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - gratis, vederlagsfri, frivillig, umotiveret

Nederlands (Dutch)
gratis, ongegrond/ -nodig

Français (French)
adj. - gratuit

Deutsch (German)
adj. - grundlos, unbegründet, gratis

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - παρεχόμενος δωρεάν, απρόκλητος

Italiano (Italian)
gratuito, ingiustificato

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - gratuito, sem fundamento

Русский (Russian)
безвозмездный, беспричинный, добровольный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - gratuito, de balde, gracioso, gratis

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - kostnadsfri, ogrundad, meningslös

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
免费的, 无理由的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 免費的, 無理由的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 무상의, 호의의, 이유 없는, 여분의

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 無料の, 無償の, その必要のない, 理由のない

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) مجاني, بلا مسوغ او مبرر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮ניתן בחינם, חופשי, מיותר, ללא סיבה, בלי טעם‬

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