as in unreasonable
having no basis in reason or fact
the accusation proved to be unfounded
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Recent Examples of unfounded
There were no witnesses, no evidence left behind, just racial hysteria and unfounded claims that it was committed by a Black man.
—
J.d. Miles, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
The claims are unfounded but public.
—Jane Sadowsky, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2026
These fears aren't entirely unfounded, says Dominic Messiha, an employment lawyer and cofounder of Empower Law, a firm specializing in employment litigation.
—Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The Senator raised more false and unfounded accusations of communism this time in the ranks of the Army.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfounded
J.d. Miles, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
The claims are unfounded but public.
—Jane Sadowsky, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2026
These fears aren't entirely unfounded, says Dominic Messiha, an employment lawyer and cofounder of Empower Law, a firm specializing in employment litigation.
—Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The Senator raised more false and unfounded accusations of communism this time in the ranks of the Army.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfounded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfounded
Adjective
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The issue is critical because the Fourth Amendment is supposed to protect people from invasive government actions in their homes, shielding them from unreasonable searches and seizures.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Jan. 2026
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Love, in this cultural script, is supposed to feel good most of the time, and that expectation isn’t entirely unreasonable.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This perspective that America’s founders supported insurrectionism is baseless.—
Douglas Letter,
Time,
6 Jan. 2026
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Kyiv has dismissed the allegation as a baseless lie aimed at building a pretext for the Kremlin to push ahead with its war.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Similarly, the course of action that will bring recovery—reviving domestic manufacturing, revitalizing small towns, ensuring fairness for farmers and working people—is not an impossibility that will poison our minds with groundless optimism.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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Those fears weren’t groundless: Research shows that people aren’t especially good at identifying deepfakes.—
Francesco Agnellini,
The Conversation,
24 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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His specific claims are so far unsubstantiated — state investigators found daycares featured in the film operating as expected.—
Stephen Fowler,
NPR,
16 Jan. 2026
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The Kremlin looked to be doubling down on efforts to prolong the Ukraine war, making unsubstantiated claims that Kyiv had sought to attack one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residences, while Moscow’s forces launched a large-scale drone attack in southern Ukraine.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unfounded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfounded. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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