1
as in arrogant
having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity
an arbitrary piano teacher who makes all her students do the same exercises over and over again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
the order of the names of the 10 semifinalists is entirely arbitrary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in oppressive
exercising power or authority without interference by others
a nation with no tradition of democracy, only a long history of arbitrary rulers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of arbitrary
His greatness comes in the art of holding his nation together, not in the exercise of arbitrary power.
—
David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Yet if the denial of a driver’s license is based on such arbitrary factors as a victim’s advocacy, or a defendant’s remorse, or public opinion, or the whims of state bureaucrats, the results are inconsistent.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
InThis arbitrary selection was not a neutral act of civic stewardship.
—Matt Klink, Oc Register, 17 Mar. 2026
The report did not say exactly how many people are subject to arbitrary detention.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Yet if the denial of a driver’s license is based on such arbitrary factors as a victim’s advocacy, or a defendant’s remorse, or public opinion, or the whims of state bureaucrats, the results are inconsistent.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
InThis arbitrary selection was not a neutral act of civic stewardship.
—Matt Klink, Oc Register, 17 Mar. 2026
The report did not say exactly how many people are subject to arbitrary detention.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbitrary
Adjective
-
The rabbi is ornery, arrogant, sometimes cruel.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The air rang with random alarms; the soft surfaces were mottled with mystery stains.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The sentence, arrived at via a sequence of random numbers thrown out by the group itself, begins the eighth paragraph of page 432 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.—
Séamas O'Reilly,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Unger, who lives in Clearwater, has a reputation for solid stand-alone thrillers that have landed on bestseller lists, with unusual plots and unconventional motives shrouded in dark-but-not-oppressive atmospheres.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Brown, who later became a successful commercial novelist, found the movie literally oppressive.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Labor Department has also gutted the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, an agency that has audited the pay practices of major companies and obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for women and minorities who have suffered from unfair policies.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The lawsuit alleges that THCa is functionally identical to marijuana, and that the stores have an unfair competitive advantage by operating outside of the state’s regulatory framework.—
Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Earlier sunshine way to clouds and scattered rain as the first, in a series, of passing systems brings brief wet weather to Maryland.—
Cutter Martin,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
And in legislative committees and in debate on Wednesday, sponsors of the new requirement didn’t cite evidence of more than scattered cases in which non-citizens may have voted.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Organizers and protesters fear America is on a path toward authoritarian rule.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The President has, in ICE, a quasi-authoritarian force at his disposal.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For the first half on Friday night, Angel City Football Club was turning in one of those inconsistent performances that Coach Alex Straus expected would happen this season with a young team.—
Damian Calhoun,
Daily News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
As is often the case for 23-year-olds pushed into large roles, Podziemski has been inconsistent.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Enslaved by a tyrannical regime for nearly half a century, everyday Iranians long passionately for their freedom, as the rebellion earlier this year showed.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Our founding fathers experienced the heavy hand of a tyrannical government.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arbitrary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbitrary. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
