randomness

noun

ran·​dom·​ness ˈran-dəm-nəs 

: the quality or state of being or seeming random (as in lacking or seeming to lack a definite plan, purpose, or pattern)

Many Western artists and writers have been inspired by the I Ching. … The composer John Cage used it as a way to generate randomness and chance in his compositions, giving them their distinctive and often remarkable qualities.

—Heinz Insu Fenkl

… the metaphor of a coin flip for randomness remains unquestioned. We use coin tosses to settle disputes and decide outcomes because we believe they are unbiased, with 50-50 odds. Yet recent research into coin flips has discovered that the laws of mechanics determine the outcome of coin tosses …

—David E. Adler

the randomness of life

Examples of randomness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Residents say the repeat offenders make the neighborhood unsafe given the randomness of their attacks. — Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 23 June 2026

Validated quality Modern cybersecurity lives or dies by true randomness. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 22 June 2026

And because there’s so much randomness in their arrival and trajectory through our atmosphere, observing them in a consistent manner is tricky. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 12 June 2026

The process saddles the building with a randomness that makes for an odd fit with the nation’s ultrarational CEO, and the result is no less opaque or imposing. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 4 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined above