ARBITRARILY Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

arbitrarily

adverb

Definition of arbitrarily

as in capriciously

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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 Polling places can stay open late, but this cannot just be done arbitrarily. — CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026 Police and military personnel forcibly disappeared, arbitrarily detained, beat and threatened opposition members, lawyers, journalists and government critics, the report said. — ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026 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 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

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Permits that are granted and withdrawn capriciously, tax credits that come and go, technologies that fall in or out of favor in successive administrations, and endless legal battles all amount to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

Raybould said surveillance footage captured Yancy pulling a handgun from his waistband before firing 11 rounds indiscriminately into a crowd of hundreds celebrating Halloween weekend.

— Doug Myers, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026
Hitler had attempted to extinguish a whole people, and both the Axis and the Allied powers had bombed cities indiscriminately.

— David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of indiscriminately

Adverb

But the proliferation of drones has created a challenge for authorities trying to distinguish routine flights from aircraft operating carelessly, illegally or with malicious intent.

— MSNBC Newsweek, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Nov. 2026
An outright ban on the use of the technology would remove a valuable tool only because some departments have used it carelessly.

— Edward Longe, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of carelessly

Adverb

My Beloved’s casually romantic chassis—but Kings of Leon are still prone to occasionally rocking out, for better or worse.

— Larry Fitzmaurice, Pitchfork, 9 Nov. 2026
Heather Knight, a native of Northern California, has always casually cheered on the San Francisco Giants and the Golden State Warriors.

— Lauren Segal, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of casually

Adverb

Those randomly selected to benefit will be notified by email, text message and a letter in the mail that their medical debt has been eliminated.

— Garrett Behanna, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
In the study, Malone's team recruited 196 people aged between 21 and 64 years, who were randomly assigned either an eight-week lifestyle program (control) or this plan, as well as a sleep-coaching component.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Nov. 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

The sumptuous Shangri-La Boracay is set on a secluded corner of the island, informally dubbed Station Zero.

— Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Nov. 2026
The paper also published WhatsApp messages from former Britain’s Got Talent runners who complained about Walliams informally in work messaging groups.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 10 Nov. 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

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“Arbitrarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbitrarily. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of arbitrarily

adverb

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