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

The randomness means there’s always a chance of hitting the jackpot variant that generates massive views. —Anjana Susarla, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025

But in many computing applications, suitable randomness can be hard to generate. —Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 9 July 2025

This randomness has turned TikTok into a veritable goldmine for new music, where an offhand clip can launch the next big hit. —Seth Yudof, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2025

That randomness is supposed to simulate Arbus’ most famous method of finding her subjects: wandering the kaleidoscopic streets of New York with a camera strapped around her neck. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined above