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The desire for liberty has also made itself felt as struggle against domestic tyranny or arbitrary rule.
Emily Greene Balch

Meaning of "arbitrary" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD ARBITRARY

From Latin arbitrārius arranged through arbitration, uncertain.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF ARBITRARY

arbitrary  [ˈɑːbɪtrərɪ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF ARBITRARY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Arbitrary is an adjective.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES ARBITRARY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Arbitrariness

Arbitrariness is a term given to choices and actions subject to individual will, judgment or preference, based solely upon an individual's opinion or discretion. Arbitrary decisions are not necessarily the same as random decisions. For example, during the 1973 oil crisis, Americans were allowed to purchase gasoline only on odd-numbered days if their license plate was odd, and on even-numbered days if their license plate was even. The system was well-defined and not random in its restrictions; however, since license plate numbers are completely unrelated to a person's fitness to purchase gasoline, it was still an arbitrary division of people. Similarly, schoolchildren are often organized by their surname in alphabetical order, a non-random yet still arbitrary method, at least in cases where surnames are irrelevant.

Definition of arbitrary in the English dictionary

The first definition of arbitrary in the dictionary is founded on or subject to personal whims, prejudices, etc; capricious. Other definition of arbitrary is having only relative application or relevance; not absolute. Arbitrary is also despotic or dictatorial.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH ARBITRARY


bizarrerie
bɪˈzɑːrərɪ
cinerary
ˈsɪnərərɪ
contemporary
kənˈtɛmprərɪ
contrary
ˈkɒntrərɪ
cotemporary
kəʊˈtɛmpərərɪ
extraliterary
ˌekstrəˈlɪtrərɪ
funerary
ˈfjuːnərərɪ
honorary
ˈɒnərərɪ
horary
ˈhɔːrərɪ
interlibrary
ˌɪntəˈlaɪbrərɪ
itinerary
aɪˈtɪnərərɪ
librairie
ˈliːbrərɪ
library
ˈlaɪbrərɪ
literary
ˈlɪtərərɪ
orrery
ˈɒrərɪ
petrary
ˈpetrərɪ
registrary
ˈredʒɪstrərɪ
subcontrary
sʌbˈkɒntrərɪ
supernumerary
ˌsuːpəˈnjuːmərərɪ
temporary
ˈtɛmpərərɪ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE ARBITRARY

arbiter
arbitrable
arbitrage
arbitrager
arbitrageur
arbitral
arbitrament
arbitrarily
arbitrariness
arbitrate
arbitration
arbitration clause
arbitration service
arbitration tribunal
arbitrational
arbitrative
arbitrator
arbitrement
arbitress
arbitrium

WORDS THAT END LIKE ARBITRARY

British Library
circulating library
dynamic link library
film library
games library
gene library
lending library
mobile library
nonarbitrary
on the contrary
picture library
public library
reference library
rental library
school library
software library
sound library
Tipperary
video library
vulnerary

Synonyms and antonyms of arbitrary in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «ARBITRARY»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «arbitrary» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of arbitrary

Translation of «arbitrary» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF ARBITRARY

Find out the translation of arbitrary to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of arbitrary from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «arbitrary» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

随意的
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

arbitrario
570 millions of speakers

English

arbitrary
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

मनमाना
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

تعسفية
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

произвольное
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

arbitrário
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

অবাধ
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

arbitraire
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Sewenang-wenangnya
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

willkürlich
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

恣意的な
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

임의의
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Kasepakatan
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

tùy ý
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

தன்னிச்சையான
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

अनियंत्रित
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

keyfi
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

arbitrario
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

arbitralne
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

довільне
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

arbitrară
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αυθαίρετη
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

arbitrêre
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

godtycklig
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

vilkårlig
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of arbitrary

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «ARBITRARY»

The term «arbitrary» is very widely used and occupies the 15.941 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
93
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «arbitrary» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of arbitrary
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «arbitrary».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «ARBITRARY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «arbitrary» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «arbitrary» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about arbitrary

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «ARBITRARY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word arbitrary.
1
Abigail Adams
Arbitrary power is like most other things which are very hard, very liable to be broken.
2
John Quincy Adams
Nip the shoots of arbitrary power in the bud, is the only maxim which can ever preserve the liberties of any people.
3
Mortimer Adler
Freedom is the emancipation from the arbitrary rule of other men.
4
Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned
I have lived with my husband more than I have with my parents... I live beside him, and know his worries, his hopes, and his dreams for his nation. We believe that things happen by design, not in an arbitrary way. And we believe it is our duty to make things happen.
5
Emily Greene Balch
The desire for liberty has also made itself felt as struggle against domestic tyranny or arbitrary rule.
6
Michael Behe
Science is not a game in which arbitrary rules are used to decide what explanations are to be permitted.
7
Roy Blount, Jr.
According to scholars of linguistics, the relation between a word and its meaning is arbitrary.
8
Roy Blount, Jr.
I just think lots of words have physicality. How about the word 'wobble?' You think that's arbitrary? When you say the word 'wince,' you wince. How about that?
9
William S. Burroughs
Be just and if you can't be just, be arbitrary.
10
Sandra Cisneros
I was a terrible student. Still, I managed to get into college, but my daydreaming threatened to sabotage me. I used behavior modification to break the cycle. I started by setting an arbitrary time limit on studying: for every 15 minutes of study, I'd allow myself an hour of daydreaming. I set the alarm.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «ARBITRARY»

Discover the use of arbitrary in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to arbitrary and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Arbitrary Justice : The Power of the American Prosecutor: ...
In this eye-opening work, Angela J. Davis shines a much-needed light on the power of American prosecutors, revealing how the day-to-day practice of even the most well-intentioned prosecutors can result in unequal treatment of defendants and ...
Angela J. Davis Professor of Law American University Washington College of Law, 2007
2
Arbitrary Rule: Slavery, Tyranny, and the Power of Life and ...
Arbitrary Rule is the first book to tackle political slavery’s discursive complexity, engaging Eurocolonialism, political philosophy, and literary studies, areas of study too often kept apart.
Mary Nyquist, 2013
3
Arbitrary Power: Romanticism, Language, Politics
This book explores previously unexamined links between the arbitrary as articulated in linguistic theories on the one hand, and in political discourse about power on the other.
William Keach, 2004
4
Between the Absolute and the Arbitrary
Individually, the essays in this book contribute to ongoing debates in their respective fields.
Catherine Z. Elgin, 1997
5
Arbitrary Killings by Security Forces: Submission to the ...
The Human Rights Watch documented 133 killings, but believes the actual number of arbitrary killings by security forces may be sustantially higher.
‎2009
6
Limiting Arbitrary Power: The Vagueness Doctrine in Canadian ...
Taking as its starting point a cogent analysis of the fundamentalconcepts of "legality" and the "rule of law,"Limiting Arbitrary Power undertakes a specific study of thecontents of the vagueness doctrine.
Marc Ribeiro, 2004
7
"Welcome to Hell": Arbitrary Detention, Torture, and ...
The Duty to Investigate
‎2000
8
Limiting the Arbitrary: Linguistic Naturalism and Its ...
This book traces the heritage of this linguistic naturalism back to its locus classicus, Plato's dialogue Cratylus. The first half of the book is a detailed examination of the linguistic arguments in the Cratylus.
John Earl Joseph, 2000
9
Wave Scattering by Small Bodies of Arbitrary Shapes
This book presents analytical formulas which allow one to calculate the S-matrix for the acoustic and electromagnetic wave scattering by small bodies or arbitrary shapes with arbitrary accuracy.
Alexander G. Ramm, 2005
10
Arbitrary and capricious: the Supreme Court, the ...
Foley argues that fundamental flaws exist in the implementation of the death penalty.
Michael A. Foley, 2003

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «ARBITRARY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term arbitrary is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Arbitrary term limits hinder African security
President Jimmy Carter said that he wanted an American foreign policy based on human rights, including our fostering of truly contestable ... «OCRegister, Jul 15»
2
The 56 Declaration of Independence Signers: An Arbitrary Ranking
Some were just there. Here is an arbitrary ranking of them. 56. Thomas Stone [Maryland] He was definitely there. That's about all we know. 55. «The Big Lead, Jul 15»
3
Gun classifications based solely on the look of grips are arbitrary
What separates a generic, inoffensive small-calibre rifle from a prohibited assault weapon? According to the RCMP, it's the colour of the grip. «National Post, Jul 15»
4
'Liberia Void of Arbitrary, Unlawful Killings,' - US Report Says
The U.S. Department of State 2014 Country Report on Human Rights has disclosed that there were no reports that the Liberian Government or ... «AllAfrica.com, Jul 15»
5
Thailand : Arbitrary detention and judicial harassment against (...)
The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the arbitrary detention and judicial harassment against 14 student activists with the Neo ... «FIDH, Jul 15»
6
Local Doctors Say Obamacare Physician Rules are Arbitrary
Now that the Affordable Care Act is here to stay, having survived two rounds at the U.S. Supreme Court, local doctors are hoping to do ... «WOAI.com, Jul 15»
7
Saudi Arabia: Joint Letter: Raif Badawi - Arbitrary Detention and …
The sentence of lashing and imprisonment imposed on Raif Badawi violates Saudi Arabia's international law obligations and must be ... «OMCT World Organisation Against Torture, Jul 15»
8
Osage Nation joins oil industry in asking federal court to block …
Joining oil producers who say they are being driven out of business by “arbitrary and capricious” government regulations, the Osage Nation ... «Tulsa World, Jul 15»
9
Prison Inspection Report: Punishments can be arbitrary, unregulated
A 'housed' cell in the Northward segregation unit, where prisoners are held for their own protection. The inspection report notes these cells are ... «Cayman Compass, Jun 15»
10
Angola : Arbitrary arrest and detention of fourteen members of (...)
The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the arrest of fourteen members of the Revolutionary Movement, a group of youth activists ... «FIDH, Jun 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Arbitrary [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/arbitrary>. May 2024 ».
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