aleatory
Americanadjective
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Law. depending on a contingent event.
an aleatory contract.
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of or relating to accidental causes; of luck or chance; unpredictable.
an aleatory element.
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Music. employing the element of chance in the choice of tones, rests, durations, rhythms, dynamics, etc.
adjective
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dependent on chance
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(esp of a musical composition) involving elements chosen at random by the performer
Etymology
Origin of aleatory
1685–95; < Latin āleātōrius, equivalent to āleātōr- (stem of āleātor gambler ( āle ( a ) game of chance + -ātor -ator ) + -ius adj. suffix; see -tory 1
Explanation
Something aleatory is based on chance or randomness, like rolling dice in a game or picking a card from a shuffled deck, where the outcome is left entirely to luck. In contract law, an aleatory agreement — such as an insurance policy — depends on an uncertain event to trigger a payout. Beyond gaming and law contexts, aleatory elements appear in art and music, where randomness is embraced to create unique experiences every time. For example, in aleatory music, certain parts of the performance are left to the performer’s choice, making each rendition a bit different and unique. Embracing the element of chance reminds us that some of life’s most interesting moments come from the unexpected.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The white-on-white markings can be seen as aleatory wall drawings.
From Washington Post • Nov. 9, 2017
Many of the Plastic Ono Band’s early recordings in fact owe substantial debts to Coleman and other free jazz performers, to Karlheinz Stockhausen and Cage, and indeed to Mr. Ichiyanagi’s early aleatory compositions.
From New York Times • Jun. 25, 2015
As a generation from whom little was expected, we cultivated an aleatory, “slacker” ethos—well depicted in Richard Linklater’s film of the same name.
From Salon • May 25, 2013
He was also an important literary innovator who picked up where the Surrealists left off, pioneering the Cut-Up Method, the aleatory springboard for Burroughs’s best writing.
From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2010
That is why primitive men never could carry on the struggle for existence, disregarding the aleatory element and employing a utilitarian method only.
From Folkways A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals by Sumner, William Graham
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
