grundlos
without reason
Without an apparent reason, cause, or justification.
EXAMPLE
Er hat sich grundlos über eine Kleinigkeit aufgeregt.
He got upset over a little thing for no reason.
grundlos
groundless
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Meanings
grundlos
bottomless
Literally: without a bottom, very deep or bottomless. This meaning is rare and more literary.
EXAMPLE
Der Held stürzte in eine scheinbar grundlose Tiefe.
The hero plunged into a seemingly bottomless depth.
Usage tips
Word composition
The word is built very logically: it consists of 'Grund' (reason, cause) and the ending '-los' (-less), which means 'without'. So 'grundlos' literally means 'ohne Grund' (without reason).
EXAMPLE
Deine Angst ist völlig grundlos, es wird nichts passieren.
Your fear is completely groundless; nothing is going to happen.
Use as an adverb
'Grundlos' (without reason) is very often used as an adverb to modify a verb or an entire sentence. It describes that an action happens without any apparent cause.
EXAMPLE
Sie fing grundlos an zu lachen.
She started laughing for no reason.
Typical collocations
Common combinations describe emotional reactions or negative actions. Typical phrases are: 'sich grundlos Sorgen machen' (to worry for no reason), 'grundlos wütend werden' (to get angry for no reason), or 'jemanden grundlos beschuldigen' (to accuse someone without reason).
EXAMPLE
Mach dir keine grundlosen Sorgen, es ist alles in Ordnung.
Don't worry for no reason; everything is fine.
Rare meaning
The literal meaning 'ohne Boden' (without a bottom) is very rare and is used almost only in literary or poetic texts. In normal usage, you should always assume the meaning 'ohne Grund' (without reason).
EXAMPLE
Er fiel in einen grundlosen Abgrund seiner Träume.
He fell into a bottomless abyss of his dreams.
Compare with
grundlos vs willkürlich
arbitrary
Grundlos only says that there is no apparent reason or justification. Willkürlich additionally indicates a personal, random, or rule-free decision. Use grundlos when the reason is missing, and willkürlich when the way the decision was made is also being criticized.
grundlos
Der Chef strich ihren freien Tag grundlos.
The boss canceled her day off for no reason.
willkürlich
Der Chef verteilte die freien Tage willkürlich nach seiner eigenen Laune.
The boss assigned the days off arbitrarily, according to his own whim.
In real life
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