What does “arbitrary” mean?
- 1
adjectivebased on chance or personal choice rather than on a reason or system
The cut-off date seems completely arbitrary.
- 2
adjectiveusing power without limits or fairness
Citizens were protected from arbitrary arrest.
Arbitrary at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective
- CEFR level
- C1 (advanced)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈɑrbɪˌtrɛri/ · AR-bih-trair-ee
How to use “arbitrary” correctly
Often a criticism: an arbitrary rule is one with no good reason behind it.
Common phrases with “arbitrary”
- an arbitrary decision
- arbitrary arrest
- chosen arbitrarily
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- random
- unreasonable
- capricious
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- systematic
- reasoned
Word family
- arbitrarily
- arbitrariness
“arbitrary” is on these word lists
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