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 Heat views its approach not as an unwillingness to adapt to the NBA’s new world free-agency-is-no-longer-a-thing ecosystem, but a preference to rely on uncovering gems in the draft process than relying on the randomness of the draft lottery. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026

These approaches work with general procedural rules that are repeated with some measure of randomness to create infinite scenery. —Amir Husain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

The apparent randomness of the attack has left residents and workers in the area shaken, particularly given the trail’s popularity and the neighborhood’s reputation for safety. —Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026

The randomness is the difference between a regime based on terror and a regime that is plainly repressive. —M. Gessen, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined above