gratuitousgra‧tu‧i‧tous /ɡrəˈtjuːɪtəs $ -ˈtuː-/ adjective 
children’s books which include gratuitous violence—gratuitously adverb: There is no point in gratuitously antagonizing people.
WORD ORIGINgratuitous
Origin:
1600-1700 Latin gratuitus, from gratus; ➔ GRATEFULEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- He has criticised the film industry for its use of gratuitous sex and violence.
- It was a completely gratuitous insult -- I hadn't said anything to offend her.
- The gratuitous killing of dolphins must be stopped.
- The network refused to televise the film because it contained too much gratuitous violence.
- There's no point in exchanging gratuitous insults with them.
- After three days of sniping and gratuitous pettiness, they allow Matty the very beginning of June or the very end.
- But of course I realized that this would be a pretty gratuitous move, under the circumstances.
- Local authorities and trade unions will need to respond to gratuitous fault finding and undermining of political leadership.
- Radcliffe accuses members of Bravo Two Zero of gratuitous exaggeration.
- The effect produced is the more telling because no gratuitous comment disturbs the images.
Longman Language Activatornot necessary
if something is unnecessary or not necessary , you do not need to have it or do it: · Don't fill your report with unnecessary information.· A lot of the expenses that he's claiming seem totally unnecessary.it is unnecessary/not necessary to do something: · It's not necessary to spend a lot of money on clothes to look good.
British not necessary at all - use this when you are surprised that someone thinks something is necessary: · They asked to see my passport, my driver's license, and my bank card, which was hardly necessary.· At first glance, it seems hardly necessary to make another film about Van Gogh.
use this to describe bad things that are unnecessary because they could easily have been prevented or avoided: · "I am very saddened by this needless loss of life," the President said at a news conference Tuesday.· He accused the local council of allowing a needless tragedy, through a policy of not fitting smoke detectors to council houses.
done for no reason, and seeming shocking or offensive: gratuitous violence/insults/cruelty etc: · The network refused to televise the film because it contained too much gratuitous violence.· It was a completely gratuitous insult -- I hadn't said anything to offend her.
not reasonable or necessary · I don't deny that what I did was wrong, but I had no choice at the time.· Do you think violence is always wrong, even in self-defence?wrong with · There's nothing wrong with making money, is there? be wrong (of somebody) to do something · It is wrong to treat people this way -- they should be given a chance to defend themselves.· It was wrong of Sophie to take the money without asking.
something such as criticism or bad treatment of someone that is unjustified is unfair and cannot be shown to have a good reason: · Many disabled people suffer from unjustified discrimination when they apply for jobs.· Brian has the reputation, unjustified in my opinion, of being a bit of a bore.totally/completely unjustified: · I think your criticisms of Mr Ward are completely unjustified.
not fair, reasonable, or true: · It is morally unjustifiable to punish a whole class for the actions of one or two of its members.· unjustifiable accusations
unreasonable demands, requests, orders etc are unfair and not based on any good reason: · I think your attitude is most unreasonable.· I don't think the amount of homework they get is unreasonable.· Even the most caring parents will sometimes make unreasonable demands on their children.it is unreasonable to do something: · Don't you think it's a little unreasonable to charge someone $75 just for parking their car?
an unwarranted action or criticism is not deserved and is not based on any good reason: · Many sportsmen and women consider random drug-testing to be an unwarranted invasion of their privacy.· His attorney called the punishment 'excessively severe' and 'unwarranted'. unwarranted assumptions/beliefs/conclusions: · He warned members of the public not to jump to any unwarranted conclusions about the tragedy.
done for no good reason and causing unnecessary harm or offence: · He has criticised the film industry for its use of gratuitous sex and violence.· There's no point in exchanging gratuitous insults with them.
an unprovoked attack or criticism is directed at someone who did nothing to deserve it: · A man died in an apparently unprovoked attack in central Oxford last night.· Troops have been accused of unprovoked aggression against innocent civilians.
if someone does something without good reason , they do not have a good reason for doing it, and this may lead to trouble or punishment: · Anyone who is late without good reason will be punished.· An employer is unlikely to dismiss an employee without good reason.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY children’s books which include gratuitous violenceCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
said or done without a good reason, in a way that offends someone SYN unnecessary: children’s books which include gratuitous violence (=violence that there is no reason for)· These films are full of gratuitous violence.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Some performance art does contain gratuitous violence.· Football, with its litany of gratuitous violence, is the culprit.· Within a short period of time, gratuitous violence has become commonplace.· That marks the public's revulsion at acts of gratuitous violence against innocent victims.· Largely the element of gratuitous violence is also missing.· He was well-known for his unsolicited and gratuitous violence.· Student demonstrations developed an ugly edge of gratuitous violence.
children’s books which include gratuitous violence—gratuitously adverb: There is no point in gratuitously antagonizing people.