baseless
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
Talarico has already faced AI-generated advertisements and baseless claims that he is vegan, an apparently disqualifying dietary choice in the barbecue-heavy southern state.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
University authorities described the claims circulating on social media as false and baseless, but it did little to reassure students with hostels emptying within hours.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The Kremlin swiftly dismissed Estonia's accusation as "baseless" and with "absolutely no relation to reality".
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
OpenAI filed a legal response asserting that Apple filed a baseless trade secret theft lawsuit to hamper OpenAI’s recruiting and stall its AI work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
They had hurled baseless accusations at me and I felt that there could be no ground of trust between us.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
