gratuitous
adjective /ɡrəˈtjuːɪtəs/
/ɡrəˈtuːɪtəs/
(disapproving)- done without any good reason or purpose and often having harmful effects synonym unnecessary
- gratuitous violence on television
- It was a completely gratuitous insult which the singer’s agent was forced to apologize for.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryGratuitous is used with these nouns:- sex
- violence
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from Latin gratuitus ‘given freely, spontaneous’ + -ous.