Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for arbitrary. Search instead for arbeitsfahrt.
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:

Meanwhile the US State Department continues to classify travel to China as a Level 2 advisory urging travellers to "exercise increased caution" because of the risk of arbitrary law enforcement, exit bans and detention.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Assets like cryptocurrencies are hard to value, and often meet seemingly arbitrary barriers to progress, said Stephen Coltman, head of macro at 21Shares, a provider of crypto-based exchange-traded products.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 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

Of his niece he did not think at all, nor of the arbitrary valuation of the money.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

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


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

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

Start training