semigratuitous en · ADJ
Etymology
From semi- + gratuitous.
Meanings
-
Somewhat but not entirely gratuitous
Making Sabina and Franz more marginal--in effect, characters who matter only in relation to Tomas and Tereza--the film never knows quite what to do with them; Franz, in particular, seems stranded in a semigratuitous Gig Young part, and the movie drops him like a hot potato the first chance that it gets.
1988 February 12, Jonathan Rosenbaum, “Unwarranted Heaviness”, in Chicago Reader:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most semigratuitous | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more semigratuitous | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |