Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for arbitrary. Search instead for arbeitsarm.
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.

See Examples For:

Human Rights Watch has said the removal of voters was "arbitrary and deeply flawed".

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Kingdom, “An action is arbitrary and capricious when the agency relies on inappropriate factors, fails to consider important aspects of the problem, or ignores relevant evidence.”

From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2026

Redress said Johal's release from prison could not undo "the intolerable suffering caused by nine years of arbitrary detention".

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Keeping a collection of arbitrary objects may be irrational.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Such behavior, the journal said, “would be called treason in countries less enlightened and more arbitrary than ours.”

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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


Vocabulary lists containing arbitrary

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training