random

[ran-duhm]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR random ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern: the random selection of numbers.

Statistics. of or characterizing a process of selection in which each item of a set has an equal probability of being chosen.

Building Trades.

(of building materials) lacking uniformity of dimensions: random shingles.
(of ashlar) laid without continuous courses.
constructed or applied without regularity: random bond.

Slang.

unknown, unidentified, or suspiciously out of place: A couple of random guys showed up at the party.
odd or unpredictable, often in an amusing way: my totally random life.

noun

something that is random, or a random state or condition: different statistical methods used to estimate randoms.

Slang.

a person or thing that is unknown, unidentified, or suspiciously out of place.
a person or thing that is odd or unpredictable.

Chiefly British. bank³(def 7b).

adverb

Building Trades. without uniformity: random-sized slates.

Idioms

at random, without definite aim, purpose, method, or adherence to a prior arrangement; in a haphazard way: Contestants were chosen at random from the studio audience.

Origin of random

1275–1325; Middle English raundon, random < Old French randon, derivative of randir to gallop < Germanic

Related formsran·dom·ly, adverbran·dom·ness, nounnon·ran·dom, adjectivenon·ran·dom·ly, adverbnon·ran·dom·ness, noun

Synonyms for random

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR random ON THESAURUS.COM

1. haphazard, chance, fortuitous.

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

Related Words for random

aimless, unplanned, irregular, accidental, incidental, indiscriminate, arbitrary, odd, adventitious, casual, contingent, desultory, fluky, fortuitous, hit-or-miss, promiscuous, purposeless, slapdash, spot, stray

Examples from the Web for random

Contemporary Examples of random

But by Wednesday evening there was little in the way of organized protests or random unrest in the area.
St. Louis Shooting Is the Anti-Ferguson
Justin Glawe
December 25, 2014
He did not shout “God is great,” but his random act served the purposes of ISIS almost as well.
France’s Wave of Crazy-Terror Christmas Attacks
Christopher Dickey
December 24, 2014
Random House is also covering the legal fees of an innocent man called Barry who was caught up in the storm.
The Right's Rape Trolls vs. Lena Dunham
Emily Shire
December 10, 2014
Random House agreed that all future editions of the book will state that “Barry” was a pseudonym.
The Right's Rape Trolls vs. Lena Dunham
Emily Shire
December 10, 2014
Poll a bunch of random youths today, and nine out of ten will say they know the name Robert Downey Jr.
The Renegade: Robert Downey Sr. on His Classic Films, Son’s Battle with Drugs, and Bill Cosby
Marlow Stern
November 26, 2014

Historical Examples of random

She interrupted him quickly, and was so agitated that she stammered her words at random.
The Dream
Emile Zola
Some of our men were firing their guns at random into the underbrush.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
The names of Ned are taken a good deal at random; and, doubtless, are often misspelled.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
I answered at random and longed for the meal to end —until I remembered my lecture.
It Happened in Egypt
C. N. Williamson
But Mr. Perkins does not take the word of a stranger at random.
Concerning Cats
Helen M. Winslow

British Dictionary definitions for random

random

adjective

lacking any definite plan or prearranged order; haphazarda random selection

statistics

having a value which cannot be determined but only described probabilisticallya random variable
chosen without regard to any characteristics of the individual members of the population so that each has an equal chance of being selectedrandom sampling

informal (of a person) unknownsome random guy waiting for a bus

noun

at random in a purposeless fashion; not following any prearranged order

Derived Formsrandomly, adverbrandomness, noun

Word Origin for random

C14: from Old French randon, from randir to gallop, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German rinnan to run

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 random

adj.

"having no definite aim or purpose," 1650s, from at random (1560s), "at great speed" (thus, "carelessly, haphazardly"), alteration of Middle English noun randon "impetuosity, speed" (c.1300), from Old French randon "rush, disorder, force, impetuosity," from randir "to run fast," from Frankish *rant "a running" or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *randa (cf. Old High German rennen "to run," Old English rinnan "to flow, to run;" see run (v.)).

In 1980s U.S. college student slang it began to acquire a sense of "inferior, undesirable." (A 1980 William Safire column describes it as a college slang noun meaning "person who does not belong on our dormitory floor.") Random access in reference to computer memory is recorded from 1953. Related: Randomly; randomness.

random in Science

random

[răn′dəm]

Relating to a type of circumstance or event that is described by a probability distribution.

Relating to an event in which all outcomes are equally likely, as in the testing of a blood sample for the presence of a substance.

Idioms and Phrases with random

random

see at random.