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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of arbitrary
The other roommate, Nathan Blalock, remains in prison, which Jackson said highlights the arbitrary nature of the decision.
—
Martha Ross, Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2025
The state department has advised Americans not to travel to Belarus, citing the Belarusian authorities’ arbitrary enforcement of local laws and the risk of detention as key factors.
—Victoria Butenko, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2025
What follows is a twisted examination of motherhood and the arbitrary expectations of adulthood.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
This is less sound economic policymaking than the arbitrary dispersal of favors.
—David B. McGarry, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
Martha Ross, Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2025
The state department has advised Americans not to travel to Belarus, citing the Belarusian authorities’ arbitrary enforcement of local laws and the risk of detention as key factors.
—Victoria Butenko, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2025
What follows is a twisted examination of motherhood and the arbitrary expectations of adulthood.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
This is less sound economic policymaking than the arbitrary dispersal of favors.
—David B. McGarry, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbitrary
Adjective
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Ava Daniels is a young comedy writer who is unable to find work due to an insensitive tweet and her reputation for being self-centered and arrogant.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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And the villains, of course, exuding every nastily relatable emotion; the stepmothers and sorceresses are vain, arrogant, dismissive, lonely, rude, and outrageous.—
Darren Franich,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And as for the new show, the contestants are no longer random.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025
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Nicki Minaj was reportedly the target of a random swatting attack by someone who told police there had been a shooting at her Hidden Hills home.—
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady,
Billboard,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Collector is also hoping these will satiate the growing wants of his oppressive overlord, The Forger (Roddy Ricch), who has mysterious motives of his own.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2025
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The current war in Sudan involves civil strife and shifting allegiances, in which one oppressive regime was toppled by a coalition, which then turned in on itself, leading to an even more vicious war.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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His parents were Italian immigrants who fled Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime, and his grandmother Rosa Margherita Vassallo di Bergoglio was active in Catholic Action, formed by Italian bishops who wanted to maintain their independence from Mussolini’s authoritarian rule.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
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Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been called an authoritarian, and previous reports have noted restrictions to civil liberties.—
Graham Smith,
NPR,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Trump sees tariffs as a tool to protect domestic manufacturing businesses from unfair global competition or to open up open markets such as the EU's so American businesses can sell more freely in them.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
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In some ways, this is the same old story of an unfair economy where the rungs on the ladder to success keep getting farther apart, keeping those with wealth securely at the top while others struggle to climb.—
Daryl Fairweather,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Even so, the practice of choosing a papal name remained inconsistent for the next 1,000 years, with most popes using their baptismal names.—
Christopher Watson,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2025
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After an inconsistent first half of the season, manager Unai Emery has found a way of tinkering with Villa’s line-up and still winning.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And what can today’s resistance movements facing tyrannical regimes learn from their success?—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2025
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Howard plays himself as a tyrannical auteur who petulantly refuses to cut a vacuous scene from his overlong thriller, warding off pleas only to change his mind at the moment of truth.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Courts will not second-guess the safety measures employers adopt, even when those measures infringe on an employee’s privacy, unless the measures are unreasonable under the circumstances.—
Dan Eaton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Apr. 2025
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Companies need to assess their higher costs, and then negotiate with the state regulators who try to protect ratepayers from unreasonable hikes.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arbitrary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbitrary. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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