Perusteetta

Perusteetta is a Finnish term meaning baseless or without foundation. It is formed from the noun peruste, meaning basis or foundation, together with the suffix -etta, which in Finnish can express lack or absence of the root concept. The result describes something that lacks justification, evidence, or grounds.

In usage, perusteetta appears primarily in written Finnish, including journalism, academic writing, and rhetorical contexts. The more common standard form in everyday language is perusteeton, but perusteetta may be found for stylistic emphasis, or in dialectal or editorial registers. It can describe statements, arguments, or accusations that have not been supported by evidence, for example, in phrases like perusteetta väite or perusteetta syytöksiä. The word can function both attributively before a noun and predicatively after a linking verb, depending on stylistic choice.

Related concepts include perusteellinen (well-founded, thorough) and perusteet (grounds or reasons). In contemporary Finnish, käyttö perusteetta is considered more specialized and somewhat marked, so readers should be mindful of tone and audience when using it.

See also: Baseless claim, justification, logical fallacy.