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arbitrarily

   Also found in: Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
ar·bi·trar·y  (ärb-trr)
adj.
1. Determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle: stopped at the first motel we passed, an arbitrary choice.
2. Based on or subject to individual judgment or preference: The diet imposes overall calorie limits, but daily menus are arbitrary.
3. Established by a court or judge rather than by a specific law or statute: an arbitrary penalty.
4. Not limited by law; despotic: the arbitrary rule of a dictator.

[Middle English arbitrarie, from Latin arbitrrius, from arbiter, arbitr-, arbiter; see arbiter.]

arbi·trari·ly (-trâr-l) adv.
arbi·trari·ness n.
Synonyms: arbitrary, capricious, whimsical
These adjectives mean determined by or arising from whim or caprice rather than judgment or reason: an arbitrary decision; a capricious refusal; a whimsical remark.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adv.1.arbitrarilyarbitrarily - in a random manner; "the houses were randomly scattered"; "bullets were fired into the crowd at random"
Translations
arbitrarily [ˈɑːbɪtrərɪlɪ] ADVarbitrariamente
arbitrarily [ˌɑːrbɪˈtrɛərɪli] adv [choose, decide] → arbitrairement
arbitrarily
advwillkürlich, arbiträr (geh)
arbitrarily [ˈɑːbɪtrərəlɪ] advarbitrariamente


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Laws of motion of any kind become comprehensible to man only when he examines arbitrarily selected elements of that motion; but at the same time, a large proportion of human error comes from the arbitrary division of continuous motion into discontinuous elements.
If we will arbitrarily suppose the contrary, we may deduce any inferences we please from the supposition; for it is certainly possible, by an injudicious exercise of the authorities of the best government that ever was, or ever can be instituted, to provoke and precipitate the people into the wildest excesses.
The only reason why they were ever thus arbitrarily distinguished may be attributed to the singular fact, that their existence was altogether unknown to the world until the year 1791, when they were discovered by Captain Ingraham, of Boston, Massachusetts, nearly two centuries after the discovery of the adjacent islands by the agent of the Spanish Viceroy.
 
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