gratuitously

Etymology

From gratuitous + -ly.

adv

  1. Freely; in the manner of a gift, without being earned.
    We should feed and clothe him gratuitously sometimes, and recruit him with our cordials, before we judge of him. 1854, Henry David Thoreau, chapter 1, in Walden
  2. In a manner not demanded by the circumstances, without reason, justification, cause, or proof.
    Secondly, Mr. Browne concludes, apparently rather gratuitously, on page 441 as follows[…] 1881, Samuel Tolver Preston, “On Action at a Distance”, in Philosophical Magazine, 15:38-39

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