Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
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.

See Examples For:

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

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 4, 2026

Rights group Amnesty International has said the case "relies on vague, overly broad and arbitrary definitions of 'subversion'".

From BBC Aug. 21, 2026

Pitman’s finding that the process is arbitrary is really a finding that the number doesn’t mean what the state says it means.

From Slate Jul. 31, 2026

It has a liberal side—secure property rights, courts that constrain the state—that shields entrepreneurs from arbitrary state power, ranging from selective prosecution to outright expropriation.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 31, 2026

It must accurately describe a large class of observations on the basis of a model that contains only a few arbitrary elements, and it must make definite predictions about the results of future observations.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

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