Meaning & use
without cause
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Meanings
phrasefixed phraselegalbusiness
Without a good or legally acceptable reason, especially when someone is dismissed or a contract is ended.
Grammar: Often follows a verb or noun, as in fired without cause or termination without cause.
Patterns
- terminated without cause
- dismissed without cause
- without cause or notice
The contract allows either party to end the agreement without cause.
She was dismissed without cause and received a severance payment.
A landlord cannot raise the rent without cause.
phrasefixed phraseformalliterary
With no real reason or justification; for nothing.
Grammar: Can follow a verb: worry without cause.
Patterns
- worry without cause
- afraid without cause
He felt anxious without cause, and the feeling soon passed.
She accused her neighbor without cause.
They worried without cause; the delivery arrived on time.
Common combinations
- terminate without cause
- The firm may terminate the agreement without cause with thirty days' notice.
- fired without cause
- Employees fired without cause are often entitled to compensation.
- without cause or warning
- The tenant was evicted without cause or warning.
- dismissal without cause
- Dismissal without cause usually requires advance notice.
- alarmed without cause
- The public was alarmed without cause.
Synonyms and how they differ
- for no reason
- For no reason is everyday and neutral, while without cause is formal and, in law, has a precise meaning.
- unjustifiably
- Unjustifiably is one adverb that says an act is wrong, whereas without cause may only say no formal reason was given.
- groundlessly
- Groundlessly describes beliefs or accusations with no basis, while without cause also covers firings and contracts.
- needlessly
- Needlessly stresses that something was not required, whereas without cause stresses the lack of valid reason.
Opposites
Word family
- cause noun
- a reason or a thing that produces an effect
- causeless adjective
- having no cause or reason
- causelessly adverb
- without any reason
- for cause phrase
- for a valid and stated reason
Commonly confused: without cause or because?
without cause vs because
Because introduces a reason in a sentence, while without cause says that no reason exists.
Practice
The employment contract says either side may end it ___ by giving thirty days' written notice.
Choose one answer.
Without cause means that no particular reason or fault is needed, which fits a clause allowing termination on notice. For cause would require a fault such as misconduct, and with cause or by cause are not standard in this sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “without cause”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.