otiose

[ oh-shee-ohs, oh-tee- ]

adjective

1. being at leisure; idle; indolent.

   Synonyms: lazy, slothful

2. ineffective or futile.

   Synonyms: profitless, hollow, vain, ineffectual

3. superfluous or useless.

   Synonyms: pointless, worthless, redundant

otiose

/ -ˌəʊz; ˌəʊtɪˈɒsɪtɪ; ˈəʊtɪˌəʊs /

adjective

1. serving no useful purpose

   otiose language

2. rare.
   indolent; lazy

Derived Forms

• otiosity, noun

Other Words From

• o·ti·ose·ly adverb
• o·ti·os·i·ty [oh-shee-, os, -i-tee, oh-tee-], o·ti·ose·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of otiose¹

First recorded in 1785–95; from Latin ōtiōsus “at leisure, inactive, undisturbed,” equivalent to ōti(um) “leisure, spare time” + -ōsus adjective suffix; -ose ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of otiose¹

C18: from Latin ōtiōsus leisured, from ōtium leisure

Example Sentences

Insisting that every branch also have a vault and a cash-handling teller would be otiose, Torstendahl told me, especially given the sharp decline in cash transactions in the past decade.

From The New Yorker

But when Chairman Mao Zedong unleashed his socialist society, dog ownership, like golf or capitalism, was regarded as an otiose affectation.

From Time

His own girl sat sprawled out gracelessly on an overstuffed sofa with an expression of otiose boredom.

From Literature

Ludicrously, it was binned in favour of a hammy and otiose version of the Beatles’ Across the Universe.

From The Guardian

This is not an otiose question but rather a serious one that goes to the very root of the ethics of photojournalism, its training and practice.

From New York Times