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Definitions

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.

All this variance and randomness, all these rules on top of regulations, none of it is exactly arbitrary, but neither is it fair.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

A Federal Reserve paper published last year found substantial and arbitrary variation in agent commissions across metropolitan areas.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

The civil code would also allow judges to base some rulings on vaguely defined "good morals" -- a provision Human Rights Watch warned would be "opening the door to arbitrary interpretation".

From Barron's • May 17, 2026

Perec was a member of Oulipo, an avant-garde circle of writers and mathematicians who believed that arbitrary rules imposed in advance of writing were the path to creative discovery.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

Whether public or private, accounting is a peculiar blend of facts and arbitrary procedures which usually require decoding.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos




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