The Only Use of
gratuitous
in
The Scarlet Letter
- Scorn, bitterness, unprovoked malignity, gratuitous desire of ill, ridicule of whatever was good and holy, all awoke to tempt, even while they frightened him.†
Chpt 20
Definition:
-
(gratuitous) unnecessary and unwarranted
or less commonly (except where it is common in the legal field): costing nothing