arbitrary

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.

The DOJ has long claimed that the policy was not arbitrary but carefully laid out in a May 2025 email about “Courthouse Arrest Guidance and Case Adjudication.”

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

In her ruling, she said the government's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was "likely both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious."

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

“Bad years for the S&P 500 are due to very specific factors, not just bad luck or arbitrary changes in investor sentiment,” said Nicholas Colas, co-founder of DataTrek, in commentary shared with MarketWatch on Tuesday.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

This has resulted in the FDA moving trial standards and nixing drugs for arbitrary reasons.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Many readers may already be protesting: don’t stereotype people by classifying them into arbitrary “races”! Yes, I acknowledge that each of these so-called major groups is very diverse.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond