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 company fired back from its official X account on April 12: “Justin’s favorite move is playing the victim while making baseless allegations to cover up his own misconduct.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
The Ikhilov firm says the complaint is baseless.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
A defence filed by the Home Office said the claim was "baseless" and without merit, with no conflict of interest.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
More than five weeks into the war, the Iranian army has dismissed what it called Trump's "arrogant rhetoric and baseless threats", saying they would not hinder its operations.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 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.
