gra ‧ tu ‧ i ‧ tous /ɡrəˈtjuːətəs, ɡrəˈtjuːɪtəs $ -ˈtuː-/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: gratuitus , from gratus ; ⇨ ↑ grateful ]
said or done without a good reason, in a way that offends someone SYN unnecessary :
children’s books which include gratuitous violence
—gratuitously adverb :
There is no point in gratuitously antagonizing people.