unfounded
46
5.6
- adjective
- /ʌnˈfaʊndɪd/
:
infundado
- Believe me, your fears are unfounded.
- unfounded allegations
- unfounded claims
- unfounded fears
The judge at the time found the allegations to be unfounded and and untrue.
- The judge at the time found the allegations to be unfounded and and untrue.
- And I had a unfounded fear of a dog coming out of nowhere and biting me.
- He says this means all the old and largely unfounded prejudices against genre fiction must be set aside.
- And she says, he says in this life there really are mortals oppressed by unfounded fear of the gods and trembling at the impending doom.
- No, the, the person is saying something that may have some sort of basis in their experience, but they're drawing some pretty unfounded conclusions from them.
- I think what bothers me is the idea that the choice of women is often taken away because of unfounded fears.
- stocks and that some of the discount is down to pessimism around Brexit and that some of the pessimism may even be unfounded.
- And where are those fears unfounded?
- So in terms of pessimism, like with respect to the world and progress, I think that's just not unfounded, I think not founded at all.
- I know this is going to sound crazy and unfounded, but well, I mean, he's got a quite a track record.
- Chinese Embassy denied all allegations, saying it was unfounded and irresponsible smears and slanders high profile cyber espionage.
Examples
-
I don't make unfounded claims.
-
Your concerns about the project's success are unfounded; we have all the necessary resources.
-
This charge is unfounded, people want to work here.
-
This was a deal made on the unfounded trust that 'everything will be fine'.
-
I suggest you think these things through before you make unfounded accusations against me.
-
That assumption is completely unfounded.
-
Nothing would please me more than to know that our suspicions are unfounded.
-
The concern is genuine, but on the facts, the suspicion is unfounded and obviously unfair.
Academic text (2000) -
Richard's history of making unfounded allegations puts him and the staff at risk.
Academic text (2011) -
The implementation of mandatory vaccination must also address the unfounded fears and misconceptions about vaccine safety.
Academic text (2011)
Synonyms
38
7.5
Not supported by facts or proof
34
5.2
Unimportant talk with no real reason
31
7.0
Not having a good reason or official permission
29
5.0
Has no facts or good reasons to support it
19
4.8
Not having a good reason for something
9
5.0
Not backed by facts or proof
8
6.7
Has no facts or good reason to support it
6
8.1
Not proved by other facts or evidence
5
6.8
You cannot show it is right or acceptable
5
5.5
Not based on good evidence or clear reasons
1
9.2
Cannot be shown to be right or fair
Not based on facts or evidence
Not able to be proved with evidence
Not supported by facts or evidence
Antonyms
How Supported
Surface Forms
Morphology
unfounded = founded (transparent) = un + found + ed
The adjectival base 'founded' (having a basis) is negated by the productive prefix 'un-', yielding a predictable 'not based' meaning.
Etymology
The word unfounded has un- meaning 'not' and found, as in foundation, meaning 'base' or 'ground'. So unfounded means 'not based', like a claim or fear with no real evidence.