as in volatility
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Recent Examples of arbitrariness
Extreme violence is now a large part of this repertoire of arbitrariness.
—
Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
The execution of Jesus reveals the utter arbitrariness of political power.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 2026
In an effort to construct a system of law that could prevent arbitrary outcomes, the court ended up making room for plenty of arbitrariness in who was allowed to live and who was sentenced to die.
—Literary Hub, 20 Jan. 2026
The sense of arbitrariness that had previously bewildered and frustrated me was drowned out by excitement and sheer aesthetic pleasure.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2025
As algorithms replace human deciders, HAI-EIS fellow Kathleen Creel argues arbitrariness at scale is morally and legally problematic.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Mar. 2021
Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
The execution of Jesus reveals the utter arbitrariness of political power.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 2026
In an effort to construct a system of law that could prevent arbitrary outcomes, the court ended up making room for plenty of arbitrariness in who was allowed to live and who was sentenced to die.
—Literary Hub, 20 Jan. 2026
The sense of arbitrariness that had previously bewildered and frustrated me was drowned out by excitement and sheer aesthetic pleasure.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2025
As algorithms replace human deciders, HAI-EIS fellow Kathleen Creel argues arbitrariness at scale is morally and legally problematic.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbitrariness
Noun
-
Toward the end of this week’s episode, Daisy calls him out on his tendency to make up for volatility with charm.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The volatility money will pay for an infusion of $300 million into the child care endowment fund, Ritter said.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Newsom explains his fickleness differently.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The fickleness of decisions relieved some and cursed others.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Screenwriter Craig Mazin finds a way, however, by smartly retooling Swann’s story for a younger audience, stripping out the text’s more violent eccentricities, while preserving the universally winning curiosity of the premise.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The album is full of strange, brilliant contradictions; Oklou slides masterfully between fun and eccentricity, pump and pathos.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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However, the primary contractor for the Habitation and Logistics Outpost, Northrop Grumman, soon acknowledged there was a manufacturing irregularity.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
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As an example of this irregularity, between 2000 and 2099, there will be 25 leap days, including the starting year, but in the following three centuries, there will only be 24 leap days.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Scientific and engineering advances don't do well in the face of such wild swings and inconstancy.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Europeans, awakened to the danger of American inconstancy, are scrambling to spend trillions more on defense in coming years.—
Adam Rasmi,
Time,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arbitrariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbitrariness. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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