arbitrary

[ahr-bi-trer-ee]

adjective

1. subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one's discretion.

   an arbitrary decision.

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

3. having unlimited power; uncontrolled or unrestricted by law; despotic; tyrannical.

   an arbitrary government.

4. 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.

5. Mathematics.,  undetermined; not assigned a specific value.

   an arbitrary constant.

noun

plural

arbitraries 

1. Printing.,  arbitraries, (in Britain) peculiar.

arbitrary

/ ˈɑːbɪtrərɪ /

adjective

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

2. having only relative application or relevance; not absolute

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

4. maths not representing any specific value

   an arbitrary constant

5. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of arbitrary¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin arbitrārius “uncertain” (i.e., depending on an arbiter's decision); arbiter, -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of arbitrary¹

C15: from Latin arbitrārius arranged through arbitration, uncertain

Example Sentences

Over the years, X has been the only social media platform to challenge the Indian government's content blocking mechanisms, which several legal experts describe as opaque and arbitrary.

From BBC

A statement from the couple's family members said that a letter signed by 35 MPs and members of the all-parliamentary group for arbitrary detention and hostage affairs had been sent to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

From BBC

Setting the scene, the motion quotes a US Department of State report which said Gaddafi's regime had controlled Libya through extrajudicial killings and intimidation, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention.

From BBC

As Justice Sonia Sotomayor pointed out in her dissent, the 4th Amendment is supposed to protect us all from “arbitrary interference” by law enforcement.

From Los Angeles Times

He says judicial reviews have confirmed that the framework is complaint with human rights and contains crucial safeguards against the risk of arbitrary detention.

From BBC

Related Words

• capricious 
• discretionary 
• erratic 
• frivolous 
• inconsistent 
• irrational 
• irresponsible 
• random 
• subjective 
• unreasonable 
• willful