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arbitrary

adjective

ar·​bi·​trary ˈär-bə-ˌtrer-ē How to pronounce arbitrary (audio)
-ˌtre-rē
1
a
: existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance or as a capricious and unreasonable act of will
an arbitrary choice
When a task is not seen in a meaningful context it is experienced as being arbitrary. Nehemiah Jordan
b
: based on or determined by individual preference or convenience rather than by necessity or the intrinsic nature of something
an arbitrary standard
take any arbitrary positive number
2
a
: not restrained or limited in the exercise of power : ruling by absolute authority
an arbitrary government
b
: marked by or resulting from the unrestrained and often tyrannical exercise of power
protection from arbitrary arrest and detention
3
law : depending on individual discretion (as of a judge) and not fixed by law
The manner of punishment is arbitrary.
arbitrarily
ˌär-bə-ˈtrer-ə-lē How to pronounce arbitrary (audio)
-ˈtre-rə-
adverb
arbitrariness
ˈär-bə-ˌtrer-ē-nəs How to pronounce arbitrary (audio)
-ˌtre-rē-
noun

Did you know?

Arbitrary comes from Latin arbiter, which means "judge" and is the source of the English arbiter. In English, arbitrary first meant "depending upon choice or discretion" and was specifically used to indicate the sort of decision (as for punishment) left up to the expert determination of a judge rather than defined by law. Today, it can also be used for anything determined by or as if by a personal choice or whim.

Synonyms

Example Sentences

U.S. News was revealed to have considered assigning in its next rankings an arbitrary SAT score to Sarah Lawrence College because the school no longer collects applicants' scores. Julie Rawe, Time, 2 Apr. 2007 Darwin's emphasis on how populations gradually change gave the notion of species a more arbitrary quality: Species had whatever boundaries taxonomists chose. The idea of a species as a population of individuals that breed mostly with each other comes from 20th-century theorists. S. Milius, Science News, 25 Mar. 2006 The Marriage Act certainly employed arbitrary and draconian means. It forced all couples to marry between 8 am and 12 noon, according to the rites of the established Church of England, in one of their respective local parish churches. David Johnson, History Today, November 2003 Two days after President Lincoln issued the first version of his Emancipation Proclamation, he suspended the right of habeas corpus for anyone accused of resisting the draft or discouraging enlistment. Hundreds of civilians were arrested, some for good reasons, some for entirely arbitrary and personal ones. Michael Lesy, Double Take, Spring 2001 An arbitrary number has been assigned to each district. I don't know why I chose that one; it was a completely arbitrary decision. Although arbitrary arrests are illegal, they continue to occur in many parts of the country. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Some planetary experts dispute the 2006 vote, saying the definitions are arbitrary. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2022 Critics say a blanket requirement for GPS monitoring is arbitrary and an invasion of privacy. Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2022 Shanghai’s stringent lockdown rules prompted the State Department to issue an advisory asking U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to China, warning of arbitrary enforcement of local laws. Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2022 Even by the standards of contemporary Russia’s arbitrary law enforcement, the statement was remarkable, offering no legal pretext to justify the order not to publish the interview. New York Times, 27 Mar. 2022 As part of its travel advisory for China, the U.S. State Department warns that exit bans on foreign nationals exemplify arbitrary enforcement of laws in that country. Andrew Restuccia, WSJ, 28 Sep. 2021 Broad surveillance measures used over the years against Tibetan Buddhists and mainly Muslim Uyghurs, both minority groups in China, are helping enforce lockdown rules among people long at risk of arbitrary detention. Bloomberg.com, 15 Aug. 2022 According to Amnesty International, many of the deportees face arbitrary detention, kidnapping, torture and even death in the the countries where they’re sent. Tazreena Sajjad, The Conversation, 28 July 2022 In February 2021, Canada led a constructive multilateral effort of 58 countries decrying the use of arbitrary detention in state-to-state relations. Jared Genser, WSJ, 25 July 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "depending on individual discretion," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French arbitraire, arbitrarie "relating to arbitration," borrowed from Latin arbitrārius "relating to or depending on the discretion of an arbiter," from arbitr-, arbiter arbiter + -ārius -ary entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of arbitrary was in the 15th century

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