ARBITRARILY Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

arbitrarily

adverb

Definition of arbitrarily

as in capriciously

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 arbitrarily Place names that are changed arbitrarily and without due process should not be recognized by the international community. — Reuben Rose-Redwood, Time, 23 Oct. 2026 The judge said the school board inserted its own opinions into the decision, and thus acted arbitrarily and illegally. — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 Nothing gets the world going like arbitrarily taking sides in an argument based on painfully incomplete information. — Air Mail, 17 Oct. 2026 The original 1971 experiment was conducted by psychology professor Philip Zimbardo, who arbitrarily split volunteers into two groups—inmates and guards—and observed how power corrupted them. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026 Mykola Murskyj, senior adviser on policy and strategy at the nonprofit organization Razom for Ukraine, told the Washington Examiner that Zelensky isn’t just arbitrarily clinging to power — the entire country is wary of voting during wartime. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026 Resistance to specific limits such as these can help foster a wider conviction that political power should not arbitrarily determine matters properly belonging to individual judgment. — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026 At least 300 people remain arbitrarily detained, according to the human rights organization Foro Penal. — Helena Carpio, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026 And the math, in the case of Pike, is unstable, hinged somewhat arbitrarily on her birthday. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbitrarily

Adverb

Permits that are granted and withdrawn capriciously, tax credits that come and go, technologies that fall in or out of favor in successive administrations, and endless legal battles all amount to dangerous barriers to investment.

— Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 16 Apr. 2026
That standard would uphold the NCAA’s interpretation of the waiver rule so long as the NCAA didn’t act arbitrarily or capriciously, either of which is difficult to show.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 27 Jan. 2026

Definition of capriciously

Adverb

Legibility is better than permissiveness, because a business that declares its rules can enforce them, while a business that blocks indiscriminately can only hope.

— Dvir Ginzburg, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026
People get overexcited about the latest breakthrough and begin investing indiscriminately in the companies driving the innovation.

— RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of indiscriminately

Adverb

Neither phone should be used carelessly at the beach, but that higher dust rating offers a little more peace of mind.

— Nilay Patel, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026
Combine them carelessly and you either gold-plate the commercial layer or under-build the safety-critical one.

— Stephen Farrugia, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of carelessly

Adverb

The researchers analyzed 551 female patients across 73 hospitals in China who were randomly assigned to receive either the drug intravenously every three weeks, or the physician’s choice of chemotherapy.

— Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
In it, Stanford University psychologist Philip Zimbardo had 24 male college students randomly assigned to play guards or inmates in a mock prison to see how power structures could affect the behavior of ordinary people.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of randomly

Adverb

It’s been over a year since Audrey Hobert released her debut album, Who’s the Clown, but the world still can’t get enough of her whimsically addicting pop songs.

— Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026
Sculptures whimsically assembled from chairs, lamps, and a filing cabinet pulled from Cultural Center storage get roped off by floor tape that cleverly extends the artworks themselves, upending standard museum practice while also sticking to it.

— Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of whimsically

Adverb

Every major opportunity in my life can be traced back to learning something new, whether formally or informally.

— Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026
Many are setting boundaries too, with 69 percent of Gen Z and 72 percent of millennials planning to set screen-free rules or try to unplug informally during the holidays.

— Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of informally

Adverb

Huxley’s critique is clear; America mistakes body for spirit, promiscuously confusing the physical with the metaphysical.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
Political factions are steered by big personalities, and politicians jump promiscuously between parties.

— BEN BLAND, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2024

Definition of promiscuously

Browse Nearby Words

arbitraments

arbitrarily

arbitrariness

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Arbitrarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbitrarily. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of arbitrarily

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

reticent

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes