arbitrary en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈɑɹ.bɪˌtɹɛɹ.i/ (Canada, General-American)
- /ˈɐː.bɪ.tɹə.ɹi/ (Australia)
- /ˈɑː.bɪ.tɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation) haplology
- audio Queensland
- (California) audio
- /ˈɑː.bɪ.tɹə.ɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈɐː.bə.tɹə.ɹi/ (New-Zealand)
- [ˈɑɹ.bɪˌt͡ʃɹ̊ɛɹ.i] (Canada, General-American)
Etymology
Etymology tree Latin arbiter Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -ārius Latin arbitrāriusder. Middle English arbitrarie English arbitrary From Middle English arbitrarie, Latin arbitrārius (“arbitrary, uncertain”), from arbiter (“witness, on-looker, listener, judge, overseer”).
Meanings
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(of a decision, usually) Based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at random.
Benjamin Franklin's designation of "positive" and "negative" to different charges was arbitrary.
The decision to use 18 years as the legal age of adulthood was arbitrary, as both age 17 and 19 were reasonable alternatives.
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Determined by impulse rather than reason; often connoting heavy-handedness.
1937/1938, Albert Einstein, letter to Max Born The Russian trials were Stalin's purges, with which he attempted to consolidate his power. Like most people in the West, I believed these show trials to be the arbitrary acts of a cruel dictator.
The bromide conforms to everything sanctioned by the majority, and may be depended upon to be trite, banal, and arbitrary.
1906, Gelett Burgess, Are You a Bromide?:
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Any, out of all that are possible.
The equation is true for an arbitrary value of x.
- Determined by independent arbiter.
- Not representative or symbolic; not iconic.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more arbitrary | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most arbitrary | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
arbitrary unit · arbitrarity · arbitrarily · nonarbitrary · arbitrary-precision arithmetic · arbitrariness · unarbitrary
Relateds
arbitrage · arbitration · arbitrary and capricious · arbitrator · arbitrate · arbit · arbiter · arbitrary law · arbitrable
Translations (116)
fr arbitraire (determined by impulse) · la arbitrārius (based on individual discretion or judgment) · pl dowolny (mathematics: any out of all possible) · fr quelconque (mathematics: any out of all possible) · it arbitrario (based on individual discretion or judgment) · hi यादृच्छिक (based on individual discretion or judgment) · tr dürtüsel (determined by impulse) · tr isteğe bağlı (based on individual discretion or judgment) · tr keyfî (based on individual discretion or judgment) · ast arbitrariu (based on individual discretion or judgment) · mk произволен (based on individual discretion or judgment) · id sembarang (determined by impulse) · nb vilkårlig (based on individual discretion or judgment) · de willkürlich (determined by impulse) · fi omavaltainen (determined by impulse) · el παράταιρο και ανομοιογενές στοιχείο (determined by impulse) · de nach Ermessen (based on individual discretion or judgment) · is geðþóttalegur (based on individual discretion or judgment) · la arbitrārius (determined by impulse) · hy կամայական (mathematics: any out of all possible) · de frei wählbar (mathematics: any out of all possible) · ga aondeonach (based on individual discretion or judgment) · de in freiem Ermessen (based on individual discretion or judgment) · ga ar togradh (based on individual discretion or judgment) · id mana saja (determined by impulse) · tl alitakdain (based on individual discretion or judgment) · cmn 随机决定 (determined by impulse) · sv arbiträr (determined by impulse) · el αυθαίρετος αριθμός (determined by impulse) · de willkürlich (based on individual discretion or judgment) · hu önkényes (based on individual discretion or judgment) · io arbitriala (based on individual discretion or judgment) · bg произволен (mathematics: any out of all possible) · de arbiträr (based on individual discretion or judgment) · th ตามอำเภอใจ (determined by impulse) · tl alitakdain (determined by impulse) · no tilfeldig (mathematics: any out of all possible) · de arbiträr (determined by impulse) · fi mielivaltainen (mathematics: any out of all possible) · pl arbitralny (based on individual discretion or judgment) · el αυταρχικός (determined by impulse) · he שרירותית (determined by impulse) · no vilkårlig (determined by impulse) · nl arbitrair (based on individual discretion or judgment) · ka დაუსაბუთებელი (based on individual discretion or judgment) · sq arbitrar (based on individual discretion or judgment) · ar اِعْتِبَاطِيّ (based on individual discretion or judgment) · cmn 任意 (determined by impulse) · cs arbitrární (based on individual discretion or judgment) · be адво́льны (based on individual discretion or judgment) · it arbitrario (determined by impulse) · tl alitakdain (mathematics: any out of all possible) · gl arbitrario (based on individual discretion or judgment) · el αυθόρμητος (determined by impulse) · fr arbitraire (based on individual discretion or judgment) · el παρορμητικός (determined by impulse) · nn vilkårleg (based on individual discretion or judgment) · tr keyfî (determined by impulse) · nl willekeurig (based on individual discretion or judgment) · de Ermessens- (based on individual discretion or judgment) · bg произволен (based on individual discretion or judgment) · de frei (based on individual discretion or judgment) · eo hazarda (determined by impulse) · pt arbitrário (determined by impulse) · ro impulsiv (determined by impulse) · pl dowolny (based on individual discretion or judgment) · sk arbitrárny (based on individual discretion or judgment) · ro arbitrar (based on individual discretion or judgment) · id apa saja (determined by impulse) · de launisch (determined by impulse) · ja 不特定多数 (determined by impulse) · sv arbiträr (based on individual discretion or judgment) · fi välitys- (determined by arbiter) · fi mielivaltainen (based on individual discretion or judgment) · ca arbitrari (based on individual discretion or judgment) · he שרירותי (determined by impulse) · ro arbitrar (determined by impulse) · it arbitraria (based on individual discretion or judgment) · id siapa saja (determined by impulse) · da vilkårlig (determined by impulse) · de unbegründet (determined by impulse) · el δεσποτικός (determined by impulse) · pt arbitrária (based on individual discretion or judgment) · ja 任意 (determined by impulse) · bg своеволен (based on individual discretion or judgment) · cs libovolný (based on individual discretion or judgment) · ja 恣意的な (based on individual discretion or judgment) · es arbitrario (determined by impulse) · ka თვითნებური (determined by impulse) · ru произво́льный (based on individual discretion or judgment) · pl umowny (based on individual discretion or judgment) · no vilkårlig (mathematics: any out of all possible) · de beliebig (mathematics: any out of all possible) · da vilkårlig (based on individual discretion or judgment) · fi umpimähkäinen (determined by impulse) · fi mielivaltainen (determined by impulse) · pt arbitrário (based on individual discretion or judgment) · es arbitrario (based on individual discretion or judgment) · tr ihtiyarî (based on individual discretion or judgment) · ru произвольный (mathematics: any out of all possible) · de eigenwillig (determined by impulse) · de launenhaft (determined by impulse) · cs náladový (determined by impulse) · el αυθαίρετος (based on individual discretion or judgment) · nl willekeurig (determined by impulse) · sv godtycklig (determined by impulse) · el τυπογραφικό στοιχείο εκτός "οικογένειας" (determined by impulse) · fi satunnainen (mathematics: any out of all possible) · th ดุลยพินิจ (based on individual discretion or judgment) · ru произво́льный (determined by impulse) · nl willekeurig (mathematics: any out of all possible) · sv godtycklig (mathematics: any out of all possible) · el αυθαίρετος (determined by impulse) · sv godtycklig (based on individual discretion or judgment) · hu tetszőleges (mathematics: any out of all possible) · da arbitrær (based on individual discretion or judgment)