cause (kôz)n.1. a. The producer of an effect, result, or consequence. b. The one, such as a person, event, or condition, that is responsible for an action or result. 2. A basis for an action or response; a reason: The doctor's report gave no cause for alarm. 3. A goal or principle served with dedication and zeal: "the cause of freedom versus tyranny" Hannah Arendt. 4. The interests of a person or group engaged in a struggle: "The cause of America is in great measure the cause of all mankind" Thomas Paine. 5. Law a. A ground for legal action. b. A lawsuit. 6. A subject under debate or discussion. tr.v. caused, caus·ing, caus·es 1. To be the cause of or reason for; result in. 2. To bring about or compel by authority or force: The moderator invoked a rule causing the debate to be ended.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin causa, reason, purpose.]
caus a·ble adj. cause less adj. caus er n. Synonyms: cause, reason, occasion, antecedent These nouns denote what brings about or is associated with an effect or result. A cause is an agent or condition that permits the occurrence of an effect or leads to a result: "He is not only dull in himself, but the cause of dullness in others" Samuel Foote. Reason refers to what explains the occurrence or nature of an effect: There was no obvious reason for the accident. Occasion is a situation that permits or stimulates existing causes to come into play: "The immediate occasion of his departure ... was the favorable opportunity ... of migrating in a pleasant way" Thomas De Quincey. Antecedent refers to what has gone before and implies a relationship  but not necessarily a causal one  with what ensues: Some of the antecedents of World War II lie in economic conditions in Europe following World War I. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Adj. | 1. | causeless - having no justifying cause or reason; "a senseless, causeless murder"; "a causeless war that never had an aim"; "an apparently arbitrary and reasonless change" |
| 2. | causeless - having no cause or apparent cause; "a causeless miracle"; "fortuitous encounters--strange accidents of fortune"; "we cannot regard artistic invention as...uncaused and unrelated to the times" |