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

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

But those odds have subsequently been redistributed, introducing more randomness than ever before (especially with 16 teams in the mix, instead of 14). —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 June 2026

There isn’t much small-sample randomness anymore. —Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 June 2026

Rain works through a different mechanism — the randomness of raindrops creates a pink noise pattern the brain processes more easily than white noise, associated with better sleep and reduced anxiety. —Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined above