random

American  

[ran-duhm] / ˈræn dəm /

adjective

1. proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern.

   the random selection of numbers.

   Synonyms:

   fortuitous, chance, haphazard

2. Statistics. of or characterizing a process of selection in which each item of a set has an equal probability of being chosen.

3. Building Trades.

   1. (of building materials) lacking uniformity of dimensions.

      random shingles.

   2. (of ashlar) laid without continuous courses.

   3. constructed or applied without regularity.

      random bond.

4. Slang.

   1. unknown, unidentified, or suspiciously out of place.

      A couple of random guys showed up at the party.

   2. odd or unpredictable, often in an amusing way.

      my totally random life.

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noun

1. something that is random, or a random state or condition.

   different statistical methods used to estimate randoms.

2. Slang.

   1. a person or thing that is unknown, unidentified, or suspiciously out of place.

   2. a person or thing that is odd or unpredictable.

3. Chiefly British. bank.

adverb

1. Building Trades. without uniformity.

   random-sized slates.

idioms

1. at random, without definite aim, purpose, method, or adherence to a prior arrangement; in a haphazard way.

   Contestants were chosen at random from the studio audience.

random British  

/ ˈrændəm /

adjective

1. lacking any definite plan or prearranged order; haphazard

   a random selection

2. statistics

   1. having a value which cannot be determined but only described probabilistically

      a random variable

   2. chosen without regard to any characteristics of the individual members of the population so that each has an equal chance of being selected

      random sampling

3. informal (of a person) unknown

   some random guy waiting for a bus

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noun

1. in a purposeless fashion; not following any prearranged order

random Scientific  

/ răn′dəm /

1. Relating to a type of circumstance or event that is described by a probability distribution.

2. Relating to an event in which all outcomes are equally likely, as in the testing of a blood sample for the presence of a substance.

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random More Idioms  

1. see at random.

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Other Word Forms

• nonrandom
  adjective
• nonrandomness
  noun
• randomly
  adverb
• randomness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of random

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English raundon, random, from Old French randon, derivative of randir “to gallop,” from Germanic

Explanation

Something that’s random is lacking in order, plan, or purpose. It happens totally by chance, like the random picking of lottery numbers or unplanned random acts of kindness. Sometime in the 1980s, teenage slang hijacked the adjective random and tried to turn it into a word meaning weird, odd or out of place. As in "Dude! That guy wearing purple spandex at the party was so random!" But don't fall for it. Something that’s truly random is totally governed by chance and has no specific pattern, like choosing a card at random from a magician’s deck.

Example Sentences

“The whole time he was trying to convince me he was a millionaire who just so happened to be on the street because of random circumstances.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

The chances that this effect is completely random are minimal to none.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

The ballot results will be released early in July, with places allocated through a random draw.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

From a strictly formal standpoint, it is more probable for the patterns that make up our memories and observations to arise from random entropy fluctuations than from a real sequence of past events.

From Science Daily • May 3, 2026

Sporadically, Bobby would select a letter at random and reply with a personal note.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• accidental
• aimless
• arbitrary
• incidental
• indiscriminate
• irregular
• odd
• unplanned