groundless
/ˈɡraʊndləs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɡraʊndləs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgrau̇n(d)-ləs/ (ame, mw)
groundless — adjective
- groundlesspositive
- more groundlesscomparative
- most groundlesssuperlative
1. describes a belief, fear, accusation, or rumour that has no real reason, fact, o
describes a belief, fear, accusation, or rumour that has no real reason, fact, or evidence to support it, often making it unfair or unnecessary.
The journalist's report described the politician's groundless accusations as a distraction from real issues.
adjective before noun: groundless accusation / claim
Detective Okafor found that the witness's claim about a secret tunnel was completely groundless.
Rumours of school closures in the district proved groundless when the new term began.
The family's groundless worry about their son overseas ended after his first call home.
The court dismissed the lawsuit after finding the plaintiff's arguments entirely groundless.
- unfounded
the closest synonym; interchangeable in almost all contexts
- baseless
slightly more emphatic; often used for accusations and rumours
- unsubstantiated
more formal; common in legal, academic, and journalistic writing
- well-founded
based on solid evidence or good reasons
- justified
shown to be reasonable or necessary
用法筆記
Often used with nouns such as accusation, claim, rumour, fear, worry, and suspicion. The adjective usually appears before the noun it modifies or after linking verbs such as prove, seem, or be.