1
as in free
not costing or charging anything
A local veterinary technician provides gratuitous services to the animal shelter twice a month.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unnecessary
not needed by the circumstances or to accomplish an end
that violent scene was completely gratuitous and didn't need to be in the movie at all
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gratuitous
This horrible, gratuitous writing.
—
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 7 Oct. 2025
Reiner, unlike many other directors traveling in this genre, has the confidence and finesse not to gum it up with gratuitous special effects.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
These are musical resources, utterly gratuitous to the paraphrasable meaning of the sentence—and, more than that, opposed to its meaning.
—Garth Greenwell, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Thanks to a prescient investment in producing a promotional video for the CTR model, the world would become acquainted with Ruf through scenes of gratuitous smokey drifts on the Nurburgring, captured from a helicopter no less.
—Christian Gilbertsen, Robb Report, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gratuitous
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 7 Oct. 2025
Reiner, unlike many other directors traveling in this genre, has the confidence and finesse not to gum it up with gratuitous special effects.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
These are musical resources, utterly gratuitous to the paraphrasable meaning of the sentence—and, more than that, opposed to its meaning.
—Garth Greenwell, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Thanks to a prescient investment in producing a promotional video for the CTR model, the world would become acquainted with Ruf through scenes of gratuitous smokey drifts on the Nurburgring, captured from a helicopter no less.
—Christian Gilbertsen, Robb Report, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gratuitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gratuitous
Adjective
-
The United States will continue to partner with the Government of Lebanon to make sure that Lebanon is free, prosperous and safe for all Lebanese people.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
-
The Jays will likely look to make a pitching splash via a trade or free agency.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Every day of delay creates unnecessary disruption.—
Laura Layden,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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The same goes for electronics, such as faulty alarm clocks in guest rooms, and other items, such as broken or unnecessary remote controllers for the television.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
And think of self-care as essential, not optional.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Some of these technologies are essential for ensuring the proper functioning of the service or website and cannot be disabled, while others are optional but serve to enhance the user experience in various ways.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
This family-friendly event includes a complimentary circus with admission, offering three performances each night.—
Marcus Smith,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
All of which, to be clear, is complimentary.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gratuitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gratuitous. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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