Sinecure
adj, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A position that requires little to no work, or easy work, but still gives an ample payment; a cushy job.
"Miss Briggs was not formally dismissed, but her place as companion was a sinecure and a derision […]"
- 2 an office that involves minimal duties wordnet
- 3 An ecclesiastical benefice without the care of souls. historical
- 4 a benefice to which no spiritual or pastoral duties are attached wordnet
- 1 To put or place in a sinecure. transitive
- 1 Requiring no work for an ample reward. not-comparable
"By the act of union (1800), the offices of Irish secretary, a sinecure post, and lord lieutenant's secretary were combined."
- 2 Having the appearance of functionality without being of any actual use or purpose. not-comparable
"The old man hastily pulled down his spectacles from their sinecure office on his forehead, and looked at her with an expression of most angry amazement."
Example
More examples"Mr Croft was comfortable with his cushy sinecure."
Etymology
From Ecclesiastical Latin sine cūrā (literally “without care”), ellipsis of beneficium sine cūrā (“benefice without cure [of souls, i.e. the office of a curate]”), formed from Medieval Latin sine (“without”) + cūrā (“care, charge, cure”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.