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

At the same time, the filmmaker finds a surprising pathos underneath all the viscera with Hal forced to confront the randomness and inevitability of death. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025

But the true question is lurking within the randomness alongside it. —Peter Hall, Quanta Magazine, 10 Dec. 2025

What begins as a portrait of longevity becomes a meditation on the passage of time, the randomness of fate, and the joy and profound human experience of being alive. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 10 Dec. 2025

The randomness of game action and challenging decisions are the other two obstacles to success in the fantasy postseason. —Shawn Childs, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined above