randomly

[ran-duhm-lee]

adverb

1. without definite aim, reason, sense, or pattern.

   This poem just seems like a bunch of words randomly put together.

   Freckles generally appear randomly on the face and upper shoulders.

2. Statistics.,  in a way that gives each item in a set the equal probability of being chosen.

   A survey of 309 women aged 15 to 49 was conducted in nine randomly selected villages.

Other Word Forms

• nonrandomly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of randomly¹

random ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

We all love football but we just randomly played in the street and I have always been playing outside.

From BBC

She randomly spotted a newspaper advertisement by the Indian railways, looking for assistant train drivers, and grabbed the opportunity.

From BBC

“It’s been three different people that I’ve seen. They come randomly, maybe once or twice a month,” said Oscar Garcia, who sells cigarettes on the sidewalk.

From Los Angeles Times

The technique is far from polished as the egg randomly chooses which chromosomes to discard.

From BBC

“My dad wasn’t into music at all, but he randomly happened to pick up an amazing selection of cassettes,” says Wiggs.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aimlessly 
• carelessly www.thesaurus.com
• casually