gratuitous
含义: Done without good reason; uncalled for, unjustified, or serving no meaningful purpose. Particularly used of violence, nudity, or offence in creative works that seems included for shock value rather than artistic merit.
Gratuitous originally meant 'given freely, without payment' (and this sense survives in legal English: a 'gratuitous promise' is one made without consideration). In modern usage, however, it overwhelmingly implies excess and needlessness — gratuitous violence in a film, a gratuitous insult, a gratuitous complication. The word carries a note of moral disapproval: the thing criticised as gratuitous could and should have been omitted. It collocates with 'gratuitous violence,' 'gratuitous insult,' 'entirely gratuitous,' and 'gratuitous nudity.'
例句
- The film was criticised for its gratuitous violence, with several reviewers questioning whether the extended torture scene served any narrative purpose. 这部电影因其无端的暴力而受到批评,多位影评人质疑长时间的拷问场景是否服务于任何叙事目的。La película fue criticada por su violencia gratuita, y varios críticos cuestionaron si la prolongada escena de tortura servía a algún propósito narrativo.その映画は不必要な暴力のために批判を受け、複数の批評家が長時間の拷問シーンが何らかの物語上の目的に資するのか疑問を呈した。그 영화는 불필요한 폭력으로 비판받았으며, 여러 평론가가 장시간의 고문 장면이 서사적 목적에 기여하는지 의문을 제기했다.
- The remark was entirely gratuitous — nobody had asked for his opinion, and his comment added nothing to the discussion. 那番话完全是多余的——没有人请他发表意见,他的评论对讨论也没有任何贡献。El comentario fue enteramente gratuito: nadie le había pedido su opinión y su observación no aportaba nada a la discusión.その発言は完全に不必要だった。誰も彼の意見を求めておらず、その発言は議論に何ら貢献しなかった。그 발언은 전적으로 불필요한 것이었다 — 아무도 그의 의견을 구하지 않았고, 그의 코멘트는 토론에 아무것도 보태지 못했다.
- The regulator ruled that the programme's gratuitous use of strong language before the watershed breached broadcasting standards. 监管机构裁定,该节目在分水岭时段前无端使用粗俗语言违反了广播标准。El regulador dictaminó que el uso gratuito de lenguaje soez en el programa antes del horario de protección al menor vulneraba las normas de emisión.放送規制当局は、ウォーターシェッド前の番組における粗暴な言葉の不必要な使用が放送基準に違反していると裁定した。방송 규제 당국은 워터셰드 이전 프로그램에서의 과도한 비속어 사용이 방송 기준을 위반했다고 판결했다.
发音
用法指南
语境: cultural, media, academic, legal
语气: critical
起源与历史
From Latin gratuitus meaning 'freely given, spontaneous,' from gratus (pleasing, thankful). The 'unjustified' sense developed in English from the 17th century, as 'given without reason' shifted towards 'done without justification.'
文化背景
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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