1
as in arrogant
having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity
an arbitrary piano teacher who makes all her students do the same exercises over and over again
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
the order of the names of the 10 semifinalists is entirely arbitrary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
a nation with no tradition of democracy, only a long history of arbitrary rulers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of arbitrary
While none of those migrants are being held at Bata, the visit put the spotlight on Equatorial Guinea’s overall human rights record and its judiciary, which rights campaigners have criticized for its lack of independence, arbitrary detentions and other abuses.
—
Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
The European Union first sanctioned him in 2008, and imposed parallel sanctions in 2022 over the use of live ammunition, arbitrary detention of protesters and journalists, and the violent suppression of demonstrations.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Those instructions, frequent visitors emphasize, aren't arbitrary.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2026
It's fueled accusations of human rights abuses and arbitrary detention, but also sharply dipped homicide rates in a country long terrorized by gangs, handing Bukele soaring popularity levels.
—ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
The European Union first sanctioned him in 2008, and imposed parallel sanctions in 2022 over the use of live ammunition, arbitrary detention of protesters and journalists, and the violent suppression of demonstrations.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Those instructions, frequent visitors emphasize, aren't arbitrary.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2026
It's fueled accusations of human rights abuses and arbitrary detention, but also sharply dipped homicide rates in a country long terrorized by gangs, handing Bukele soaring popularity levels.
—ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbitrary
Adjective
-
The series has devolved into a hysteria that the young and arrogant Timberwolves feed on since that first quarter of Game 2.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
-
However, many thought Tilson Thomas too brash and arrogant to lead an orchestra, and, around the same time, Tilson Thomas fell in with New York’s disco-hopping crowd.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Even if the threshold for disagreement was quite low, disagreements were amplified to the point that each random interaction was increasingly likely to exceed the threshold.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 May 2026
-
But as some have learned the hard way, that tendency of random things to appear to form patterns means that the other peak might be just noise.—
Faye Flam,
Scientific American,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Others are subjected to frequent rains and oppressive summer humidity.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 May 2026
-
An especially visually striking debut, Mosquitoes exists in a saturated hyperreality that is consummately engrossing, and announces the Bertani sisters as formidable portraitists of girlhood cast against the backdrop of an alternately beautiful and oppressive world.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And disparities between a storm's classification, for example, and the actual damage on the ground could lead to unfair situations, disaster experts warn.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
7 May 2026
-
How Florida’s new voting maps favor white voters Voting rights groups have criticized the new Florida maps as giving an unfair advantage to the GOP and the white communities that make up the majority of the party’s voter base.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
There are a few, scattered references to female gladiators.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Within minutes of leaving town, the pavement twists downward through tight turns and steep grades as the mountain air begins to warm, the vegetation giving way to chaparral and scattered juniper, then to the stark silhouettes of ocotillo and Mojave yucca.—
Josh Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As urbanist scholar Federico Cugurullo and geography researchers Isobel Lee and Rebecca Weir found when speaking with people involved in The Line between 2022 and 2024, the project represented a strange mixture of western science fiction aesthetics and authoritarian ambitions.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
1 May 2026
-
But under the authoritarian military regime that comes to power after a coup, being a musician is dangerous, and the Aguirres’ band, Río Babel, becomes an accidental voice of rebellion.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
New York outscored Atlanta by roughly 20 points per 100 possessions with Robinson on the floor — yet minutes were inconsistent.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
Clegg was Plascencia’s understudy and the favorite to win the job this season, but was inconsistent throughout the spring.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
Joaquin Phoenix's villainous performance as the tyrannical emperor Commodus earned him an Academy Award nomination.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
5 May 2026
-
At the same time, the list of what a child needs has become exhaustive and tyrannical.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arbitrary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbitrary. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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