gratuitously
gratuitously — 副詞
1. When someone behaves gratuitously, they do something harmful, offensive, or insu
無端地
毫無必要或理由地做出傷害行為
When someone behaves gratuitously, they do something harmful, offensive, or insulting even though there was no need to do it at all.
The film shows violence gratuitously, with several long fight scenes that add nothing to the plot.
這部電影無端地呈現暴力畫面，好幾場冗長的打鬥場景對劇情毫無貢獻。
adverb modifying main verb: shows violence gratuitously
Renata felt the reviewer had insulted her debut novel gratuitously, attacking the author rather than the book.
Renata 覺得那位書評無端地羞辱了她的處女作，攻擊的是作者本人而非作品。
collocation: insult/attack X gratuitously
Daniel scolded his younger brother gratuitously, even though the boy had already apologised twice.
Daniel 無故地責罵弟弟，儘管男孩已經道過兩次歉。
The new game has been criticised for gratuitously showing blood every time a character is hit.
這款新遊戲被批評每次角色受到攻擊時都無端地噴出血液。
Hui complained that the manager had embarrassed her gratuitously in front of the whole sales team.
Hui 抱怨經理無故地在整個業務團隊面前讓她難堪。
- needlessly
more neutral; lacks the strong critical edge
- unnecessarily
everyday word for the same idea; less formal
- wantonly
formal, even stronger — suggests reckless cruelty
- justifiably
with good reason for the action
用法筆記
Almost always modifies a verb of harm, offense, or excess (insult, attack, hurt, show, swear, lie). Strong negative tone — the speaker is criticising the action as needless.
常見錯誤
gratuitously — 形容詞
1. A gratuitous remark, scene, or action is one that is harmful, offensive, or extr
無謂的
毫無理由、純屬多餘的傷害或冒犯
A gratuitous remark, scene, or action is one that is harmful, offensive, or extra in a way that the situation does not call for.
Critics praised the thriller but objected to several gratuitous scenes of cruelty toward animals.
影評讚賞這部驚悚片，卻不滿其中幾場無端虐待動物的畫面。
attributive: gratuitous + noun (scenes)
Anjali walked out of the meeting after a gratuitous comment about her accent from a senior partner.
在資深合夥人對她口音發表無謂的評論後，Anjali 直接走出了會議室。
collocation: gratuitous comment / remark
Reviewers said the new horror film was strong but spoiled by gratuitous violence in the final twenty minutes.
影評認為這部新恐怖片整體不錯，卻被最後二十分鐘的無謂暴力毀掉了。
Zayd thought the speaker's attack on younger workers was gratuitous and completely off-topic.
Zayd 覺得那位講者對年輕員工的攻擊既無端又完全離題。
The judge told the lawyer to drop the gratuitous insults and focus on the actual evidence.
法官要求律師收起那些無謂的人身攻擊，把重點放回實際證據上。
- unwarranted
very close in meaning; common in critical writing
- uncalled-for
everyday alternative; slightly less formal
- needless
neutral version; lacks the critical edge
文法句型
gratuitous + noun
be gratuitous
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively in a critical voice: the speaker thinks the noun it modifies (violence, comment, insult, scene) had no justification. Distinguish from sense 2, which means 'free of charge' and has no negative tone.
常見錯誤
2. A gratuitous gift, service, or transfer is one that is given without asking for
無償的
不收費、不要求回報而提供的
A gratuitous gift, service, or transfer is one that is given without asking for any payment or return in exchange.
Under the contract, Ife provided a gratuitous loan of the equipment for the school's science fair.
依合約規定，Ife 為學校的科學展覽無償出借了那批器材。
legal register: gratuitous loan
The will treated the cottage as a gratuitous transfer to Christopher, with no money changing hands.
遺囑將那棟小屋視為無償移轉給 Christopher，雙方未有任何金錢往來。
fixed phrase: gratuitous transfer
Sirin's law firm offers a small amount of gratuitous legal advice to local charities each year.
Sirin 的律師事務所每年都會為在地慈善團體提供少量的無償法律諮詢。
The bank refused to treat the family loan as a gratuitous gift and demanded a written repayment schedule.
銀行拒絕將那筆家庭借款視為無償贈與，要求要有書面還款計畫。
- complimentary
everyday word for 'free as a courtesy'
- unpaid
stresses that no payment was received
- voluntary
stresses that the giver chose to act without obligation
文法句型
gratuitous + noun
用法筆記
Mostly limited to legal and formal writing. In everyday English, use 'free' or 'free of charge' instead. Distinguish from sense 1 (the harmful 'unnecessary' meaning), which is far more common in news, reviews, and general writing.