arbitrary
[ ahr-bi-trer-ee ]
/ ˈɑr bɪˌtrɛr i /
adjective
subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one's discretion: an arbitrary decision.
decided by a judge or arbiter rather than by a law or statute.
having unlimited power; uncontrolled or unrestricted by law; despotic; tyrannical: an arbitrary government.
capricious; unreasonable; unsupported: an arbitrary demand for payment.
Mathematics.
undetermined; not assigned a specific value: an arbitrary constant.
noun, plural ar·bi·trar·ies.
arbitraries, Printing.
(in Britain) peculiar(def 9).
Origin of arbitrary
OTHER WORDS FROM arbitrary
Words nearby arbitrary
arbitrable,
arbitrage,
arbitrager,
arbitral,
arbitrament,
arbitrary,
arbitrate,
arbitration,
arbitration bar,
arbitration, the,
arbitrator
Example sentences from the Web for arbitrary
British Dictionary definitions for arbitrary
arbitrary
/ (ˈɑːbɪtrərɪ) /
adjective
founded on or subject to personal whims, prejudices, etc; capricious
having only relative application or relevance; not absolute
(of a government, ruler, etc) despotic or dictatorial
maths
not representing any specific value
an arbitrary constant
law
(esp of a penalty or punishment) not laid down by statute; within the court's discretion
Derived forms of arbitrary
arbitrarily, adverb arbitrariness, nounWord Origin for arbitrary
C15: from Latin
arbitrārius arranged through arbitration, uncertain