🏠 Located in a place 🧱 Built on something 😎 Authentic or bold

based

8.6

People see someone as honest and true to their beliefs

adjective
/beɪst/

Slang

: auténtico

I think he's very based for standing up for what he believes.

Examples

She is so based for speaking her mind!
When he defended unpopular facts, people called his comment based rather than simply rude.
Her honest criticism was based, and many praised her for speaking the truth.
That political stance is based — it refuses to bend under popular pressure.
Many people consider her perspectives to be based because she always stays true to her beliefs.
His originality and refusal to conform make him very based in the eyes of his friends.
Standing up for what he believes, he is truly based and earns respect from others.

Antonyms

fake

833 1.8

Not real and made to look like something real

inauthentic

6 6.6

Not real and not what it looks like

Compounds

plant-based diet

9 3.2

A way of eating mostly vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and beans

faith-based charity

1 3.7

A charity that helps people because of religion

agent-based model

Specialized

7.3

A computer simulation that shows how each person or thing acts and changes a whole system

How Admirable

exemplary

45 5.8

admirable

87 3.3

based

Slang

8.6

cool

Informal

∞ 2.2

unimpressive

9 3.9

Surface Forms

based positive

Morphology

based = base (opaque) = base + ed

The slang sense 'admirable/authentic' is a semantic development not derivable from the literal sense of 'base' + -ed, so the link to the immediate base is not helpful for learners.

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the slang based is to think of a person standing on a strong base — being true to their beliefs and not changing for others. So people call someone or something 'based' when they respect its honesty and courage.