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arbitrary Definition

ar·bi·trary (är′bə trer′ē)

adjective

  1. not fixed by rules, but left to one's judgment or choice; discretionary arbitrary decision, arbitrary judgment
  2. based on one's preference, notion, whim, etc.; capricious young children and their arbitrary rules for games
  3. absolute; despotic

Etymology: L arbitrarius < arbiter, arbiter

arbitrary Related Forms
ar′·bi·trar′·ily adverb ar′·bi·trar′i·ness noun
arbitrary Synonyms

arbitrary

modif.

  1. Capricious; said of people

    willful, capricious, self-assertive, frivolous, injudicious, wayward, offhand, erratic, impulsive, inconsistent, crotchety, irresponsible, opinionated, supercilious, self-willed, whimsical, unreasonable, irrational, toplofty*.

    Antonyms reasonable*, consistent, rational.

  2. Without adequate determining principle: said of actions or ideas

    subjective, unscientific, unreasonable, unpredictable, capricious, random, chance, temporary, unpremeditated, irrational, motiveless, unaccountable, superficial, whimsical, fanciful, freakish, determined by no principle, depending on the will alone, optional, uncertain, inconsistent, discretionary, subject to individual will, half-baked*.

    Antonyms judicious*, scientific, considered.

  3. Despotic

    imperious, dictatorial, tyrannical, dogmatic; see absolute 3, autocratic 1. See syn. study atdogmatic.

arbitrary Law Definition

adj

  1. Determined or founded on individual discretion, especially when based on one’s opinion, judgment, or prejudice, rather than on fixed rules, procedures, or law. See also abuse of discretion.
  2. Absolute; despotic; completely unreasonable; lacking any rational basis. This type of decision is often called arbitrary and capricious.
arbitrary Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • somewhat: The figure used for c is somewhat arbitrary - selected to indicate a ` realistic ' boat speed for a given output power.
  • seemingly: It's a seemingly arbitrary list that has little in the way of logic - like a lot of things you encounter in here.
  • purely: These relationships constitute the dynamic aspect of meaning, which is purely arbitrary.
  • essentially: It is possible to scroll the display to the right to generate essentially arbitrary precision in the result.
  • fairly: Each year we have to decide on a fairly arbitrary academic cut-off, usually on the basis of their GCSE performance.
  • apparently: These might bring a closer resemblance to real crystals which have apparently arbitrary growth features.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: This subjectivity, however, does not make value arbitrary or trivial.

Modifies a noun

  • arrest: No-one gets in, or out, without a search & ID check, and talking back means arbitrary arrest anyway.
  • interference: To the conclusion the pleasure of owned by either to arbitrary interference.
  • imposition: They are an arbitrary imposition of a 1 % per annum growth in future greenhouse gas concentrations.
  • execution: For example, the taking of hostages, arbitrary executions, torture, cruel or degrading treatment and reprisals are prohibited.
  • distinction: She was anxious to avoid crude and arbitrary class distinctions.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: In ancient times, the world must have seemed pretty arbitrary.
  • appear: Here the material covered is precisely defined, but these definitions appear arbitrary.
  • become: You could say the same about the whole set of gospels, it becoming purely arbitrary what is considered original and what is added.
  • allow: This action allows arbitrary, repeated communication between the master and a single slave process.
  • remain: Government had a tendency to remain arbitrary, not to mention corrupt.
  • apply: It is not always the case that corruption causes losses to occur, and this therefore makes the financial sanctions applied somewhat arbitrary.

Preposition: in

  • sense: Similarly, a link is arbitrary in the sense that there are no rules to say where a link shall be made.
arbitrary Quotes

The only obligation to which in advance we may hold a novel, without incurring the accusation of being arbitrary, is that it be interesting.

—James, Henry

To customs and beliefs, the very ones we hold sacred, sociology ruthlesslyattaches the adjective 'arbitrary'.

—Aron, Raymond Claude Ferdinand