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

France has accused Iran of holding Kohler and Paris arbitrarily and keeping them in conditions akin to torture.

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“These regulations allow the insurance commissioner to arbitrarily deny compensation if he doesn’t agree with the positions taken by consumer advocates,” he said.

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Conaie, the country's largest indigenous organisation which led a national strike, said "five of us have been arbitrarily detained".

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"I urge the security forces to desist from the use of unnecessary and disproportionate force and to immediately release all arbitrarily detained protesters," Türk said in a statement on Monday.

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This, it said, allowed "countless" government officers, including "tens of thousands of local police officers", to "unilaterally and arbitrarily" issue orders for content removal.

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Related Words

• forthwith 
• promptly 
• swiftly