unfounded
Americanadjective
-
without foundation; not based on fact, realistic considerations, or the like.
unfounded suspicions.
- Synonyms:
- unjustified, false, idle, groundless, unsubstantiated
-
not established; not founded.
the prophet of a religion as yet unfounded.
adjective
-
(of ideas, allegations, etc) baseless; groundless
-
not yet founded or established
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unfounded
Explanation
Has someone ever told a complete lie about you? Then what they said was unfounded. There is nothing behind an unfounded statement. Things that are unfounded include lies, myths, and sometimes rumors. If something is unfounded, then there is no truth to it: the facts won't back it up. People often use this word when denying something: they'll say "Your words are unfounded!" Made-up creatures like unicorns and werewolves are unfounded. If you're writing a paper for school, you've better make sure nothing in your paper is unfounded — research the facts instead.
Vocabulary lists containing unfounded
Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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"Laws are not the only way to boost immunization”: an editorial from Nature
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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.
McDonald’s, Walmart and other companies have faced what the companies say are unfounded claims they are using artificial intelligence to maximize how much they can charge customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
The paper says the inquiry found ministers treated the sector "like an afterthought" during the pandemic, and then-Health Secretary Matt Hancock's claim that the government had placed a protective ring around care homes was unfounded.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Ms. Perry, a novelist, wonders if her fear was unfounded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, dismissed AI doomsday scenarios as totally unfounded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
To insist that the issue of validity must be separated from the issue of credibility is to insist that well-founded beliefs be treated as if they are unfounded beliefs.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
