arbitrary
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
based on whim or personal preference, without reason or pattern; random.
This is an unusual encyclopedia, arranged by topics in a more or less arbitrary order.
-
Mathematics. undetermined; not assigned a specific value.
an arbitrary constant.
noun
plural
arbitrariesadjective
-
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 value
an arbitrary constant
-
law (esp of a penalty or punishment) not laid down by statute; within the court's discretion
Other Word Forms
- arbitrarily adverb
- arbitrariness noun
- nonarbitrary adjective
- unarbitrary adjective
Etymology
Origin of arbitrary
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin arbitrārius “uncertain” (i.e., depending on an arbiter's decision); arbiter, -ary
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.
Breaches of arbitrary rules, such as a visitor ban, could attract hefty "fines" from his previous employer, who leased him the room.
From Barron's
The CIA released a pair of similar videos last year that targeted Communist Party officials, seeking to appeal to concerns about lack of advancement or arbitrary purges.
Several officials inside the department said contracts and grants are being awarded in an opaque and arbitrary manner, and some are being held up without explanation.
This is the third rare disease drug Dr. Prasad has nixed in as many months for arbitrary reasons.
One MP reflects on the arbitrary nature of luck and timing in politics.
From BBC
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.
