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)

… 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

So, this idea of correlations and information that are sort-of hidden in this randomness, that’s this notion of entanglement. —Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025

Just randomness with Maitland Police and Public Works. —Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2025

Meanwhile, Cook and Mertz’s results have galvanized interest in catalytic computing, with new works exploring connections to randomness and the effects of allowing a few mistakes in resetting the full memory to its original state. —Ben Brubaker, Wired News, 30 Mar. 2025

Of course, out of that randomness, some concreteness happens, some kind of connection happens, and that’s a beautiful thing to watch. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined above