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.
These are utterly baseless, as Lindsay Clancy has confessed.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Many in this case have said such accusations are baseless, insisting they are simply seeking justice for the victim of a fatal traffic accident.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Institutions with billions in endowment don’t sign baseless settlements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
"These allegations are all either baseless or they distort the truth," he has said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Her son was a blessing, and Laila was relieved to discover that her fears had proved baseless, that she loved Zalmai with the marrow of her bones, just as she did Aziza.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
