unfounded
/ʌnˈfaʊndɪd/ (bre, ipa) · [ənfˈaʊndɪd] /ʌnˈfaʊndɪd/ (ame, ipa) · [ənfˈaʊndɪd] /ˌən-ˈfau̇n-dəd How to pronounce unfounded (audio)/ (ame, mw)
unfounded — adjective
- unfoundedpositive
- more unfoundedcomparative
- most unfoundedsuperlative
1. describing a claim, accusation, fear, or worry that is not supported by any real
describing a claim, accusation, fear, or worry that is not supported by any real evidence or logical reason, and is therefore likely to be untrue or unnecessary.
The newspaper's claim that the mayor had accepted bribes was completely unfounded.
unfounded claim — most common noun collocation
Mei-Lin's fear about losing her job proved entirely unfounded when she received a promotion.
prove + unfounded — common verb collocation
Police confirmed that the rumours of a security threat in the area were unfounded.
Kwame worried nobody would come to his art show, but those fears were unfounded.
Sofia's worries about the surgery were unfounded — the whole procedure went very smoothly.
- groundless
very similar meaning; slightly less common in formal writing
- baseless
common in legal and journalistic contexts; interchangeable in most cases
- unsubstantiated
more formal; emphasises the lack of supporting evidence rather than the lack of factual basis
- well-founded
direct opposite; based on solid evidence or reasoning
- substantiated
formal opposite; supported by proof or evidence
文法句型
BE + unfounded
prove + unfounded
unfounded + NOUN (claim/accusation/rumour/fear)
用法筆記
Most commonly used in formal contexts such as news reports, legal statements, and official announcements. Typical noun collocates include claim, accusation, allegation, rumour, fear, concern, and speculation. This word already implies that something is false, so adding 'and false' after it is redundant.