arbitrarily

[ahr-bi-trair-uh-lee]

adverb

1. based on the judgment or will of an individual.

   The Fourth Amendment protects my right to not be arbitrarily searched.

2. without an apparent reason or pattern; randomly; capriciously.

   There is no need to stop living life to its fullest simply because we have reached some arbitrarily set age for what broader society calls “retirement.”

Other Word Forms

• nonarbitrarily adverb
• unarbitrarily adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of arbitrarily¹

arbitrary ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Students of history will note that one of the reasons why the American colonies became the United States was because colonists got tired of King George III arbitrarily prosecuting those who disagreed with him.

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The invisible social line—which, if crossed, might make her think I was sassy—was narrow and was applied arbitrarily.

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“I am concerned this Safe Sleep program—which I happened to arbitrarily spot-check---is not an outlier,” he wrote.

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The bishops called for immigration reform and expressed sadness that some immigrants had arbitrarily lost their legal status.

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"If Gaddafi was able to be arbitrarily detained in Lebanon for 10 years, it's because the justice system was not independent," Bayon said, according to AFP.

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Related Words

• forthwith 
• promptly 
• swiftly