random

[ ran-duhm ]

/ ˈræn dəm /

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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.

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR random

1. haphazard, chance, fortuitous.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR random ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

ran·dom·ly, adverbran·dom·ness, nounnon·ran·dom, adjectivenon·ran·dom·ly, adverb

non·ran·dom·ness, noun

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
Several horses and two men on our side had received slight flesh wounds, as there had been a random return fire.
The Outlet|Andy Adams
In taking a random sample no selection as to size, uniformity, or any other quality should be made.
Northern Nut Growers Association Thirty-Fourth Annual Report 1943|Various
When one fires and can only fire at random, who fires most hits most.
Battle Studies|Charles-Jean-Jacques-Joseph Ardant du Picq
Mike had not been well-disposed towards the invaders before, but now he ran amok, hitting out right and left at random.
Mike|P. G. Wodehouse
He was of a temper too stolid and sensible to waste his time on random treasure hunting.
Blackbeard: Buccaneer|Ralph D. Paine

British Dictionary definitions for random

random

/ (ˈrændəm) /

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

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.

Science definitions for random