sinecure

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sinecure

/ˈsaɪ.nɪˌkjʊə/ UK
/ˈsɪn.ɪˌkjʊə/ UK
/ˈsaɪ.nəˌkjʊɹ/ Canada, US
/ˈsɪn.əˌkjʊɹ/ Canada, US
/ˈsɑɪ.nɪˌkjʊə/ Australia
/ˈsɪn.ɪˌkjʊə/ Australia

Where it comes from

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”).

noun sinecures

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 […]
Similar: bankers' hours, cushy number
historical An ecclesiastical benefice without the care of souls.

adjective

not comparable Requiring no work for an ample reward. By the act of union (1800), the offices of Irish secretary, a sinecure post, and lord lieutenant's secretary were combined.
not comparable Having the appearance of functionality without being of any actual use or purpose. 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.

verb sinecures · sinecuring · sinecured

transitive To put or place in a sinecure.

Translations

Every language

noun a position that requires no work but still gives a payment

Español	sinecura, canonjía, enchufe (cronyistic), prebenda, breva
日本語	閑職 kanshoku
中文	乾俸 /干俸 gānfèng, 閒職 /闲职 xiánzhí
Português	sinecura
Français	sinécure, planque
Deutsch	Sinekure, Versorgungsposten
Italiano	sinecura
Ελληνικά	αργομισθία argomisthía
Română	sinecură
Русский	синеку́ра sinekúra, тёпленькое месте́чко tjóplenʹkoje mestéčko, корму́шка kormúška

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MLA

"sinecure." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sinecure. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

sinecure. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sinecure

Chicago

"sinecure." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sinecure.

BibTeX

@misc{sinecure_2026,
  title = {sinecure},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sinecure},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}