arbitrary

[ahr-bi-trer-ee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR arbitrary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one's discretion: an arbitrary decision.

decided by a judge or arbiter rather than by a law or statute.

having unlimited power; uncontrolled or unrestricted by law; despotic; tyrannical: an arbitrary government.

capricious; unreasonable; unsupported: an arbitrary demand for payment.

Mathematics. undetermined; not assigned a specific value: an arbitrary constant.

noun, plural ar·bi·trar·ies.

arbitraries, Printing. (in Britain) peculiar(def 9).

Origin of arbitrary

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin arbitrārius uncertain (i.e., depending on an arbiter's decision). See arbiter, -ary

Related formsar·bi·trar·i·ly

[ahr-bi-trer-uh-lee, ahr-bi-trair-] /ˈɑr bɪˌtrɛr ə li, ˌɑr bɪˈtrɛər-/, adverbar·bi·trar·i·ness, nounnon·ar·bi·trar·i·ly, adverbnon·ar·bi·trar·i·ness, nounnon·ar·bi·trar·y, adjectiveun·ar·bi·trar·i·ly, adverbun·ar·bi·trar·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for arbitrarily

Many of the others were arbitrarily sentenced under similar charges of “acting” or “conspiring” against national security.
Forget About a Kindler Gentler Iran|Nina Strochlic|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In reality, the Iraqi borders had been arbitrarily drawn and disregarded 2,000 years of tribal, sectarian, and nomadic occupation.
Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq|Clive Irving|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the IRS can target and discriminate against one group of Americans, it can arbitrarily do it to anyone.
The IRS Will Come for You Next, Unless Congress Acts Now|Matt Kibbe|May 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Yet the current debate is arbitrarily restricted to the chief public component of the American retirement system, Social Security.
What About Increased Social Security Benefits?|Michael Tomasky|April 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Who wants to leave their cash in an institution that unilaterally and arbitrarily reduces its deposit insurance commitment?
Cyprus on Fire? Blame the German Bullies.|Daniel Gross|March 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He arbitrarily rejected all that had been done before his time.
Celebrated Travels and Travellers|Jules Verne
How do you treat two words, not nouns, arbitrarily used as a name?
Compound Words|Frederick W. Hamilton
If not, then how vaguely and arbitrarily these occult powers work!
A Spring Walk in Provence|Archibald Marshall
In any event, man's fate was to be arbitrarily fixed forever by an unknown power superior to all law, and to all fact.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 1 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
It has been turned into an arbitrarily written version of the battle which ended in Hadding's defeat.
Teutonic Mythology, Vol. 1 of 3|Viktor Rydberg, Ph.D.

British Dictionary definitions for arbitrarily

arbitrary

adjective

founded on or subject to personal whims, prejudices, etc; capricious

having only relative application or relevance; not absolute

(of a government, ruler, etc) despotic or dictatorial

maths not representing any specific valuean arbitrary constant

law (esp of a penalty or punishment) not laid down by statute; within the court's discretion

Derived Formsarbitrarily, adverbarbitrariness, noun

Word Origin for arbitrary

C15: from Latin arbitrārius arranged through arbitration, uncertain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for arbitrarily

arbitrary

adj.

early 15c., "deciding by one's own discretion," from Old French arbitraire (14c.) or directly from Latin arbitrarius "depending on the will, uncertain," from arbiter (see arbiter). The original meaning gradually descended to "capricious" and "despotic" (1640s). Related: Arbitrarily; arbitrariness.