gegronde

Gegronde is a Dutch adjective meaning well-founded or justified. It derives from the verb gronden, meaning to ground or base, with the ge- prefix that forms participles and adjectives. The term signals that a claim, argument, or concern rests on solid facts, evidence, or reasoning rather than on conjecture.

Common usage includes phrases such as gegronde redenen (well-founded reasons), gegronde twijfels (well-founded doubts), gegronde argumenten (sound arguments), and gegronde vrees (well-founded fear). In legal, administrative, and academic writing, gegronde is used to emphasize justification or legitimacy of a position, decision, or conclusion.

Morphology and style: gegronde is the attributive form used before a noun, and it typically follows the standard Dutch inflection rules for adjectives. It is frequently found with feminine singular nouns (for example, de gegronde vrees) and with plural nouns (gegronde redenen, gegronde twijfels). The exact form can vary with the noun’s gender and definiteness, but the core meaning remains “well-founded.”

Etymology and related terms: gegronde is built from grond (ground, basis) with the affix ge-, common in Dutch to form past participles and adjectives. It is closely related to gegrond, another adjective meaning grounded or based on facts, and to related terms such as onderbouwing (foundation) and motieven (motives).

In English, gegronde is typically rendered as well-founded or well-grounded. The term is widely used in Dutch prose to stress justification and credibility of statements, decisions, or beliefs.