unfounded

American  

[uhn-foun-did] / ʌnˈfaʊn dɪd /

adjective

1. without foundation; not based on fact, realistic considerations, or the like.

   unfounded suspicions.

   Synonyms:

   unjustified , false , idle , groundless , unsubstantiated

2. not established; not founded.

   the prophet of a religion as yet unfounded.

---

unfounded British  

/ ʌnˈfaʊndɪd /

adjective

1. (of ideas, allegations, etc) baseless; groundless

2. not yet founded or established

---

Other Word Forms

• unfoundedly adverb
• unfoundedness noun

Etymology

Origin of unfounded

First recorded in 1640–50; un- ¹ + found ¹ + -ed ²

Example Sentences

“While we are not in the AI bubble camp, we don’t think these fears are unfounded,” Calvasina said, adding that they are concerned that play is starting to get ahead of itself.

From MarketWatch

“Insults about my character,” he said, “are unfounded and unproductive…I have operated within the rules, I’ve been transparent about my aims, and I’ve engaged through proper channels to resolve disagreements.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Human Rights Watch also recently called for "the annulment of the unjust sentences", denouncing "unfounded accusations".

From Barron's

Brandon Turner, a study co-author and professor of psychology at Ohio State, said the results indicate that people may quickly take the limited information supplied by algorithms and draw broad, often unfounded conclusions.

From Science Daily

"Damen is confident in the outcome of the legal proceedings and will finally have the chance to explain that the public prosecutor's suspicions are unfounded," the company said in a statement on Friday.

From Barron's

Related Words

• baseless
• deceptive
• fabricated
• false
• gratuitous
• groundless
• illogical
• misleading
• spurious
• unjustified
• unproven
• unsubstantiated
• untrue
• untruthful
• unwarranted