arbitrariness

[ ahr-bi-trer-ee-nis ]

noun

the quality of being subject to an individual’s will, judgment, discretion, or personal preference:Of course none of this makes sense; it just shows the arbitrariness and subjectivity of what's considered obscene.Students need to recognize that there is a certain arbitrariness in any ranking, and be less concerned about whether a school has moved up or down slightly in any given year.
the quality of having no apparent reason or pattern; randomness: These inconsistencies show the arbitrariness, incongruity, and unreliability of what gets remembered.

the state or quality of being uncontrolled or unrestricted by law; tyranny: When red tape serves only the organization itself, the rule of law can easily turn into arbitrariness.The real burden on the peasants was the arbitrariness of the autocratic form of government.
Linguistics, Semiotics. (of words or language) the quality of having no correspondence between the sounds or form of a word and the form, function, or meaning of the thing being denoted: The arbitrariness of words is absolute because words are abstractions.
Mathematics. the quality of being undetermined, or not having been assigned a specific value:The arbitrariness of ε concludes the proof for that case.

Origin of arbitrariness

There was also a huge focus on microtransaction boosters, which made arbitrary requirements to the player that encouraged spending, or more grinding.
All the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ games, ranked | Elise Favis, Gene Park | November 11, 2020 | Washington Post
People who have applied for services describe an arduous and arbitrary qualifying process.
People with Developmental Disabilities Were Promised Help. Instead, They Face Delays and Denials. | by Amy Silverman for Arizona Daily Star, with data analysis by Alex Devoid, Arizona Daily Star | November 5, 2020 | ProPublica
While firms can turn to the courts if they view CFIUS’s actions as arbitrary or heavy-handed, this may be a long shot.
How the secretive CFIUS became a powerful weapon in the trade wars | Jeff | October 19, 2020 | Fortune
Israel operates a complex permit regime for Palestinians, described by human rights groups as exploitative and arbitrary.
Palestinians Are Breaking Lockdown to Go to the Beach | Fiona Zublin | September 18, 2020 | Ozy
She knows that the signifier has an arbitrary relationship with the signified.
The true love story in Elif Batuman’s The Idiot is a love affair with language | Constance Grady | September 11, 2020 | Vox

Moreover, once Greendale is saved, they quickly call of their engagement further revealing its arbitrariness.
‘Community’ Season Finale: Greendale Stares into the Abyss, Again | Chancellor Agard | April 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
She is chosen, not by any momentary arbitrariness, but as a result of foregoing hereditary conditions: she obeys.
George Eliot's Life, Vol. III (of 3) | George Eliot
There can be no irregularity, inconsistency, arbitrariness or caprice in His doings, for such would mean injustice.
The Vitality of Mormonism--Brief Essays | James E. Talmage
The assumption has been that arbitrariness was the chief feature of the whole process.
The Bible and Life | Edwin Holt Hughes
All law is supposed to be just, otherwise it is arbitrariness and not law.
Elements of Morals | Paul Janet
Sometimes she opposes and quarrels with her, if the mother has less tact than arbitrariness.
The Girl of the Period and Other Social Essays, Vol. II (of 2) | Eliza Lynn Linton

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