gratuitous
/ɡɹəˈtjuː.ɪt.əs/adjective
Given or done without payment or without being deserved; unnecessary and uncalled for.
Example sentence
- “Critics complained that the film's gratuitous scenes added nothing to the story.”
Now mostly means unnecessary and unprovoked: gratuitous violence in films is the fixed example. Related to 'gratuity', a tip, through the shared idea of something freely given.