otiose

adjective

oti·​ose ˈō-shē-ˌōs 

ˈō-tē-

1

: producing no useful result : futile

2

: being at leisure : idle

3

: lacking use or effect : functionless

otiosely adverb

otioseness noun

otiosity

ˌō-shē-ˈä-sə-tē 

ˌō-tē-

noun

Did you know?

In this life, some pursuits seem destined to set the world on fire while others simply aren’t worth the candle. That’s where otiose comes in. The adjective traces back to the Latin noun otium meaning “leisure.” When otiose was first used in the late-18th century it described things that, like leisure (at least according to some), are pointless or otherwise produce no useful result, as in “it would be otiose to ask you about the book since you haven’t read it yet.” By the mid-19th century it was also being used to describe people who indulge a bit too much in leisure and idleness—your loafers, layabouts, and lazybones—and thus need a fire lit under them. Both otiose and the noun otiosity (which predates the adjective by several centuries) are usually found in formal writing, but should you have a burning desire to do so, feel free to drop either into casual contexts at your leisure.

Synonyms

• abortive
• barren
• bootless
• empty
• fruitless
• futile
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• inefficacious
• profitless
• unavailing
• unproductive
• unprofitable
• unsuccessful
• useless
• vain

Choose the Right Synonym for otiose

vain, nugatory, otiose, idle, empty, hollow mean being without worth or significance.

vain implies either absolute or relative absence of value.

vain promises

nugatory suggests triviality or insignificance.

a monarch with nugatory powers

otiose suggests that something serves no purpose and is either an encumbrance or a superfluity.

a film without a single otiose scene

idle suggests being incapable of worthwhile use or effect.

idle speculations

empty and hollow suggest a deceiving lack of real substance or soundness or genuineness.

an empty attempt at reconciliation

a hollow victory

Examples of otiose in a Sentence

since you haven't read the book, I suppose that it would be otiose to inquire what you thought of it

Word History

Etymology

Latin otiosus, from otium leisure

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!