gratuitous
/ɡrəˈtjuːɪtəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ɡrəˈtuːɪtəs/ (ame, ipa) · /grə-ˈtü-ə-təs -ˈtyü-/ (ame, mw)
gratuitous — 形容詞
- gratuitouspositive
- more gratuitouscomparative
- most gratuitoussuperlative
1. added or shown when there is no real need, often something unpleasant such as vi
無端的
沒有必要、令人反感的（暴力或言語）
added or shown when there is no real need, often something unpleasant such as violence, cruelty, or rude remarks, which makes people feel it serves no purpose.
Many parents complained about the gratuitous violence in the late-night cartoon.
很多家長抱怨那部深夜卡通裡有無端的暴力情節。
gratuitous + noun (typical with violence)
The film critic praised the director for cutting the gratuitous scenes of cruelty toward animals.
影評人稱讚導演剪掉了多餘的虐待動物畫面。
gratuitous + noun (cruelty)
Trang found the manager's gratuitous comments about her accent both rude and hurtful.
Trang 覺得經理對她口音說的那些多餘評論既無禮又傷人。
There was no need for such a gratuitous insult during the school board meeting.
學校董事會上根本沒必要說出那種無端的侮辱。
Critics felt the novel's long battle chapter was a gratuitous display of suffering.
評論家認為小說那段長篇戰爭章節是多餘的痛苦描寫。
- unwarranted
very close in meaning; slightly more formal and more often used about decisions or attacks
- uncalled-for
more conversational; typical of rude comments or behaviour
- needless
wider scope; not always negative in tone
文法句型
gratuitous + noun
用法筆記
Almost always before a noun and almost always negative — typical nouns are violence, sex, cruelty, insult, comments, swearing. Distinguish from sense 2, which is a neutral formal/legal sense about something given for free.
常見錯誤
2. given or done as a favour, with nothing expected in return — for example, a gift
無償的
法律或正式語境中不收費、無對價的給予
given or done as a favour, with nothing expected in return — for example, a gift made under a contract or a service offered with no fee.
Under the will, the cottage was left to Kemi as a gratuitous transfer.
根據遺囑，那間小屋以無償移轉的方式留給 Kemi。
legal collocation: gratuitous transfer
The lawyer said the loan was a gratuitous promise, so the court could not enforce it.
律師說那筆借款屬於無償承諾，所以法院無法強制執行。
gratuitous promise (contract-law term)
Padma agreed to give the neighbours gratuitous legal advice about their landlord.
Padma 同意無償為鄰居提供關於房東的法律意見。
The temple accepted the painting as a gratuitous gift from the artist's family.
寺廟接受了那位藝術家家屬無償捐贈的畫作。
- free
everyday word; 'gratuitous' is the formal counterpart in contracts
- complimentary
service register — used about something a business gives without charge
- voluntary
stresses the giver's choice rather than the lack of payment
文法句型
gratuitous + noun
用法筆記
Mostly used in legal, financial, or contract-related writing; rarely heard in everyday conversation. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense has no negative tone and refers to 'free of charge', not 'uncalled for'.