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Definitions
Trivia Time
Which effect challenges linguist Ferdinand de Saussure's idea that language is arbitrary?

arbitrary

[ahr-bi-trer-ee] / ˈɑr bɪˌtrɛr i /




Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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And it really is purely arbitrary whether your case is going to come up for trial before you've turned 18 or not.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

“That’s the bigger risk than the somewhat arbitrary nature of 5% yields.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

A three-judge bench ruled that the pardon granted by then president Maithripala Sirisena in May 2019 was "arbitrary and invalid".

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

District Judge David O. Carter issued a preliminary injunction, calling HUD’s action arbitrary and capricious.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

They formed a union and fought for proper contracts, health benefits, and protections against arbitrary firing, and along with that came a push for fairness in hiring.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Some contained codes, devised by Anson Stager, general manager of U.S. military telegraphs, that inserted decoy words or arbitraries into messages that were unscrambled with cipher charts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2016


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