arbitrary
AR-bih-trer-ee
/ˈɑːrbɪtreri/
Based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.
Often carries a negative connotation of being unfair or dictatorial.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'arbiter,' meaning a judge or witness. Originally, it meant something that was 'at the discretion of a judge.' Over time, it shifted to mean 'based on whim' because a judge's discretion can feel random to those being judged.
Word relationships
- capricious: Capricious implies a sudden, impulsive change of mind; arbitrary is more about the lack of a system.
- rational: Based on or in accordance with reason or logic.
Commonly confused with
- haphazard: Haphazard is messy/disorganized; arbitrary is a choice made without a logical basis.
Word family
- arbitrarily (adverb): in a random or whim-based way
- arbitrariness (noun): the quality of being arbitrary
Collocations
- arbitrary decision
- arbitrary rule
- arbitrary power
Example sentences
- "The king's decisions were completely arbitrary, changing based on his mood each morning." Legal/Political.
- "Let X be an arbitrary number between one and ten." Mathematics.
Memory hook
An 'Arbiter' makes an 'Arbitrary' decision. A judge's whim.
When not to use
Don't use for 'random' in a scientific sense (use stochastic) or 'lucky' (use fortuitous).
Fun facts
- In linguistics, the 'arbitrariness of the sign' is the idea that there is no natural connection between a word (like 'dog') and the thing it represents.
Related words
Explore more words
capricious, dictate, unilateral, sporadic, piecemeal, impulsive
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