groundless
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of groundless
before 900; Middle English: bottomless, unfathomable; Old English grundlēas. See ground 1, -less
Explanation
Something that's groundless isn't valid or justified, like your groundless fear that you failed your math quiz, even though you studied and knew all the material. Grounds are "factors forming the justification for a belief," and when you don't have any such grounds, your belief is groundless. In other words, anything groundless has no reason or cause to back it up. A groundless claim is one that has no proof, and a groundless suspicion is empty: "We questioned that nice lady next door and made her cry, thanks to your groundless accusation that she stole our cat."
Vocabulary lists containing groundless
"Oedipus the King" by Sophocles
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Awkward
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Because They Marched
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Groundless interpretations of this event, mainly by those seeking to win the war for attention on social media, contributed to obscuring the truth.
From Scientific American • May 8, 2023
Groundless accusations of colluding with foreigners or causing the coronavirus outbreak stigmatize protesters, said Chih-Jou Jay Chen, professor of sociology at Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan.
From Washington Post • Jan. 4, 2023
His report, which he presents to the UN’s Human Rights Council this month, triggered a peppery riposte from the hurriedly created Academics’ Alliance for Correcting Groundless Criticisms of Japan, a group of uptight university professors.
From Economist • Jun. 8, 2017
"Groundless accusations which are not supported by anything are being rehearsed in an amateurish, unprofessional way. We don't know what information they are actually relying on."
From BBC • Jan. 9, 2017
In this Case therefore Caprice very often acts in the Place of Reason, and forms to it self some Groundless Imaginary Motive, where real and substantial ones are wanting.
From The Spectator, Volume 1 Eighteenth-Century Periodical Essays by Addison, Joseph
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
