Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use gratuitous in a sentence

14 example sentences · adjective

Gratuitous means given freely; unearned. Example: “Even the most bloodlusted fans were unsettled by the gratuitous bloodbath that was the final episode.”

Examples of gratuitous by meaning

adjectiveGiven freely; unearned.

  • From this small beginning sprung that gratuitous system of Christian instruction which has covered the face of England and Wales with schools."2023 January 11, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: castles and cathedrals”, in RAIL, number 974, page 56

adjectiveUnjustified or unnecessary; not called for by the circumstances.

  • I hope we're going to have some gratuitous sex and violence!1983, Lorenzo Semple Jr., Never Say Never Again, spoken by Q (Alec McCowen)

More sentences with gratuitous

  • Even the most bloodlusted fans were unsettled by the gratuitous bloodbath that was the final episode.From the entry bloodlusted
  • My colleague's gratuitous criticism still rankles with me.From the entry rankle
  • We also get some gratuitous beefcake shots, which is surprisingly equanimitable.2020 December 19, Brian Schmid (@SchmanthonyP), Twitter, archived from the original on 12 Jun 2023. From the entry equanimitable
  • For example, should the law contractualize so-called gratuitous or unbargained-for promises—promises that are not supported by consideration?2011, Hanoch Sheinman, Promises and Agreements: Philosophical Essays, page 35. From the entry contractualize
  • Great word!' would crow Hadden, coming upon 'snaggle-toothed,' 'pig-faced.' Appearing also were first gratuitous invasions of privacy.1998 March 9, “75 Years Of Miscellany”, in Time, retrieved 30 Dec 2007. From the entry Timese
  • The mystery plot is, on its own terms, tightly knit and free of gratuitous touches.1989 February 17, Janet Maslin, “Review/Film; 60's Ideals Gone Awry, In Taut 'True Believer'”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The…. From the entry far-fetchedness
  • On the one hand, Clark’s power grabs seemed gratuitous.2017 December 22, Rachel Aroesti, “The best albums of 2017, No 1: St Vincent – Masseduction”, in the Guardian. From the entry in-yer-face
  • Otherwise it seems gratuitous, and also as if you're inviting people to take pleasure in a character's suffering.2003 July 28, Alara Rogers, “Hurt/comfort without comfort: realistic or pointless?”, in alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated (Usenet). From the entry angstfic
  • The legacy Martineau offers to Eliot is auntly in the terms of my definition, because it is simultaneously gratuitous and enabling.2001, Mary Evans, Feminism. From the entry auntly
  • The ad, ostensibly about DeMaio’s stance on immigration and President Trump, includes two gratuitous references to the fact that DeMaio is gay.2020 January 29, “Editorial: Darrell Issa’s shameful gay-baiting attack ads are the worst kind of time warp”, in Los Angeles Times. From the entry gaybait
  • Even Hüsker Dü’s umlauts were gratuitous.2006, Björn Türoque with Dan Crane, “Björn Is Born”, in To Air Is Human: One Man’s Quest to Become the World’s Greatest Air Guitarist, New…. From the entry metal umlaut
  • The only false note in an otherwise classic and elegant collection was the gratuitous flash of black fishnet stockings and suspenders under otherwise unremarkable paisley and floral shirts.2009 February 20, Hilary Alexander, “London Fashion Week: Caroline Charles”, in Telegraph, UK, retrieved 16 Apr 2015. From the entry false note

Meaning of gratuitous

  1. adjective Given freely; unearned.
  2. adjective Unjustified or unnecessary; not called for by the circumstances.
  3. adjective Extraneous, interpolated.

Full definition of gratuitous

Questions about gratuitous in a sentence

How do you use gratuitous in a sentence?
Gratuitous is used as an adjective. For example: “Even the most bloodlusted fans were unsettled by the gratuitous bloodbath that was the final episode.”
What is a short sentence with gratuitous?
“Even Hüsker Dü’s umlauts were gratuitous.”
What does gratuitous mean?
Gratuitous means given freely; unearned.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: gratuitous (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use gratuitous in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/gratuitous. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.