arbitrary

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Related to arbitrary: arbitrarily, Arbitrary constant

ar·bi·trar·y

(är′bĭ-trĕr′ē)

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. Law Relating to a decision made by a court or legislature that lacks a grounding in law or fact: an arbitrary penalty.

4. Not limited by law; despotic: the arbitrary rule of a dictator.

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

ar′bi·trar′i·ly (-trâr′ə-lē) adv.

ar′bi·trar′i·ness n.

arbitrary

(ˈɑːbɪtrərɪ)

adj

1. founded on or subject to personal whims, prejudices, etc; capricious

2. having only relative application or relevance; not absolute

3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (of a government, ruler, etc) despotic or dictatorial

4. (Mathematics) maths not representing any specific value: an arbitrary constant.

5. (Law) law (esp of a penalty or punishment) not laid down by statute; within the court's discretion

[C15: from Latin arbitrārius arranged through arbitration, uncertain]

ˈarbitrarily adv

ˈarbitrariness n

ar•bi•trar•y

(ˈɑr bɪˌtrɛr i)
adj.

1. subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one's discretion: an arbitrary decision.

2. decided by a judge or arbiter rather than by a law or statute.

3. having unlimited power; uncontrolled or unrestricted by law; despotic: an arbitrary government.

4. capricious; unreasonable; unsupported: an arbitrary demand for payment.

5. Math. undetermined; not assigned a specific value: an arbitrary constant.

[1400–50; late Middle English < Latin arbitrārius uncertain (i.e., depending on an arbiter's decision). See arbiter, -ary]

ar′bi•trar`i•ly, adv.

ar′bi•trar`i•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.

arbitrary - based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice; "an arbitrary decision"; "the arbitrary rule of a dictator"; "an arbitrary penalty"; "of arbitrary size and shape"; "an arbitrary choice"; "arbitrary division of the group into halves"

nonarbitrary, unarbitrary - not subject to individual determination

arbitrary

adjective

1. random, chance, optional, subjective, unreasonable, inconsistent, erratic, discretionary, personal, fanciful, wilful, whimsical, capricious Arbitrary arrests were common.
random reasoned, sound, objective, reasonable, sensible, consistent, rational, logical, judicious

2. dictatorial, absolute, unlimited, uncontrolled, autocratic, dogmatic, imperious, domineering, unrestrained, overbearing, tyrannical, summary, magisterial, despotic, high-handed, peremptory, tyrannous the virtually unlimited arbitrary power of slave owners

arbitrary

adjective

1. Determined or marked by whim or caprice rather than reason:

capricious, whimsical.

2. Based on individual judgment or discretion:

discretionary, judgmental, personal, subjective.

3. Having and exercising complete political power and control:

absolute, absolutistic, autarchic, autarchical, autocratic, autocratical, despotic, dictatorial, monocratic, totalitarian, tyrannic, tyrannical, tyrannous.

Translations

إعْتِباطي،تَعَسُّفي، تَحَكُّمي

произволен

libovolnýnáladovýsvévolný

arbitrærvilkårlig

willkürlich arbiträr

αυθαίρετος

arbitrario

arbitraire quelconque

geîòóttalegur, geîòótta-

arbitrario

savavališkaisavavališkas

patvaļīgs

willekeurig

vilkårlig egenrådig tilfeldig

arbitrário

arbitrar

произвольный

arbiträrgodtycklig

keyfî

任意的武断的

arbitrary

[ˈɑːbɪtrərɪ] ADJ → arbitrario

arbitrary

[ˈɑː^rbɪtri] adj [decision, choice] → arbitraire

arbitrary

adj → willkürlich, arbiträr (geh)

arbitrary

[ˈɑːbɪtrərɪ] adj → arbitrario/a

arbitrary

(ˈaːbitrəri) adjective

not decided by rules or laws but by a person's own opinion. He made a rather arbitrary decision to close the local cinema without consulting other people.

ˈarbitrarily adverb

References in classic literature ?

And Nature takes no account of moral consequences, of arbitrary conditions which we create, and which we feel obliged to maintain at any cost.

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Though, in these cases, the direction taken by any one whale be straight as a surveyor's parallel, and though the line of advance be strictly confined to its own unavoidable, straight wake, yet the arbitrary vein in which at these times he is said to swim, generally embraces some few miles in width (more or less, as the vein is presumed to expand or contract); but never exceeds the visual sweep from the whale-ship's mast-heads, when circumspectly gliding along this magic zone.

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If we employ an arbitrary symbol, and pay, say, five dollars a day for farm work, then the cost of a bushel of wheat is fifty cents.

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A states- man gains little by the arbitrary exercise of iron-clad authority upon all occasions that offer, for this wounds the just pride of his subordinates, and thus tends to undermine his strength.

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When I had groped my way, blindly, through these difficulties, and had mastered the alphabet, which was an Egyptian Temple in itself, there then appeared a procession of new horrors, called arbitrary characters; the most despotic characters I have ever known; who insisted, for instance, that a thing like the beginning of a cobweb, meant expectation, and that a pen-and-ink sky-rocket, stood for disadvantageous.

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It was a sort of vault on the ground floor at the back, with a despotic monster of a four-post bedstead in it, straddling over the whole place, putting one of his arbitrary legs into the fire-place and another into the doorway, and squeezing the wretched little washing-stand in quite a Divinely Righteous manner.

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But after all I could not desist from telling her that night, for, as afterwards at her lodging we sat over the fire, talking as if we had known each other all our lives, there seemed no reason for an arbitrary delay.

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Warr hath determin'd us, and foild with loss Irreparable; tearms of peace yet none Voutsaf't or sought; for what peace will be giv'n To us enslav'd, but custody severe, And stripes, and arbitrary punishment Inflicted?

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And while their manners were thus the subject of sarcastic observation, the untaught Saxons unwittingly transgressed several of the arbitrary rules established for the regulation of society.

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Now, no men are greater sticklers for the arbitrary dominion of genius and talent than your artists.

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How shallow were the arbitrary definitions of ordinary psychologists

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He was much more arbitrary and expensive than any railroad has ever dared to be; and as the country grew, he became impossible.