baseless
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- baselessly adverb
- baselessness noun
Etymology
Origin of baseless
Explanation
If something's baseless, it can't be proven or justified. A baseless accusation of cheating, for example, has no facts or evidence to back it up. Baseless facts in a research paper don't have sources — they may have simply come from the writer's own imagination. A baseless allegation is when one person accuses another of doing something wrong, without having any solid proof or reason for the accusation. The sense of base that baseless comes from is "foundation," from the Greek basis, "step or pedestal."
Vocabulary lists containing baseless
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 3
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Mythology
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Novel Study: Oedipus Rex, Parts IV–VI
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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.
The Ikhilov firm says the complaint is baseless.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
“I can tell you that there have been multiple baseless allegations made against the Congressman and we are attacking them on all fronts,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
In a statement, they said Russia has been "pumping out malicious and completely baseless accusations about their work".
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
"Any insinuation, without evidence, that a member of the government engaged in these acts is baseless and irresponsible," a White House spokesperson told several media outlets.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
So that the anxiety caused by the public reappearance of his family name, having to do with the coronation of Remedios the Beauty, was baseless.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
