arbitrarily
Americanadverb
-
based on the judgment or will of an individual.
The Fourth Amendment protects my right to not be arbitrarily searched.
-
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
Etymology
Origin of arbitrarily
Explanation
Something said or done arbitrarily is done randomly or without much thought — like when you arbitrarily eat whatever happens to be on the buffet table at your cousin's wedding. The adverb arbitrarily describes something that's done haphazardly, based on random chance or on your own whim of the moment. If you go to a movie and know nothing about anything that's playing, you might arbitrarily choose one — based on the titles, the look of the posters, or on nothing at all. When there's not much reason behind your actions, they're done arbitrarily.
Vocabulary lists containing arbitrarily
Lincoln Inaugural Address (March 1861)
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The Freedom of Information Act (2016)
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The Martian
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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.
"As a municipality, we do not have the legal authority to arbitrarily prohibit the establishment of new businesses, since in Chile there is freedom to engage in economic activities," councilor Nelda Gil told AFP.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
“For nearly a century, the United States Postal Service has arbitrarily blocked handguns from being mailed.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
More importantly, Joseph seemed convinced that the FDA had acted arbitrarily and capriciously in lifting the in-person dispensation requirement.
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
East Coast suggests White House recognition that such agreements can’t be ended arbitrarily, the analysts said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
It seemed unnecessarily cruel to make an old man wear a cap sideways like that and arbitrarily re-order the way in which age chose to hang from his chin.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
