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
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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
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Recent Examples of arbitrary
The case likely would head to the Supreme Court, which ruled recently that the quasi-governmental Fed is a special entity immune from arbitrary personnel moves regarding governors.
—
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 19 July 2025
In the lawsuit, the attorneys general argue the rule is unlawful, arbitrary and capricious and would cause significant harm to states and their residents.
—Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 17 July 2025
Specifically, the chunks were placed inside the TXT record, a portion of a DNS record capable of storing any arbitrary text.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2025
The Florida court contrived a weird and arbitrary compromise, granting new sentencing hearings only to death row prisoners whose sentences were considered final after 2002, when the U.S. court issued a decision that was a precursor to Hurst’s.
—Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 19 July 2025
In the lawsuit, the attorneys general argue the rule is unlawful, arbitrary and capricious and would cause significant harm to states and their residents.
—Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 17 July 2025
Specifically, the chunks were placed inside the TXT record, a portion of a DNS record capable of storing any arbitrary text.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2025
The Florida court contrived a weird and arbitrary compromise, granting new sentencing hearings only to death row prisoners whose sentences were considered final after 2002, when the U.S. court issued a decision that was a precursor to Hurst’s.
—Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbitrary
Adjective
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Depicting Americans as arrogant, loud, boorish and demeaning of other cultures, the term has stuck and is still mentioned 60-plus years later.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
-
The most radical overhaul of the tax code in our state’s history would require voter approval in November 2026, and that starts by portraying local governments as cartoonishly arrogant, bloated and unaccountable.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 July 2025
Adjective
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In case of doubt, competent authorities may carry out random on-site inspections of cybersecurity standards in the companies, for which the management can be held liable.—
Dennis-Kenji Kipker,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Until then, the random Week 17 NFL game will prove to be a downgrade from Peacock’s exclusive Week 1 game last season — the league’s first-ever regular-season game in South America — which itself was a downgrade from its own preceding season’s exclusive NFL Wild Card Weekend game.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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What was mostly missing was the occasional cool front that pushes out the most oppressive heat and humidity.—
Staff And Wire Reports,
Boston Herald,
10 Aug. 2025
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Philadelphia had 29 days, Washington had 27 days and Baltimore had 24 days where the highest dew point simmered to at least 75 degrees, which even the the weather service office in Tampa calls oppressive, according to weather service data.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And this matters now more than ever, during a time when universities are dismantling their humanities programs and being pressured into pandering to authoritarian strongmen.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Aug. 2025
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Stricter parenting styles include authoritative or authoritarian styles.—
Wendy Wisner,
Parents,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Union employees at Stillwater Medical Group have reached a tentative agreement with HealthPartners, just two days after voting to authorize another unfair labor practices strike.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
7 Aug. 2025
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Utility commissioners ruled in favor of power companies, which argued that older versions of the program created an unfair cost burden on customers.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And not all retail data strategies are created equally as many organizations are plagued with data silos, subpar data quality, inconsistent data, and other challenges.—
Gary Drenik,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
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But this summer, the rain has been inconsistent and has often missed much of northern and central Arizona.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Shame on you, Mr. LaCava, for supporting the city’s new trash collection fee and for your tyrannical ideology surrounding this issue.—
Letters To The Editor,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Aug. 2025
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In the sci-fi franchise, Darth Vader—adorned in a black helmet, mask and armor—is one of the main antagonists, who serves as the ruthless enforcer for a tyrannical galactic empire.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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There are ways to encourage tenants to be good neighbors without being unreasonable or punitive.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Aug. 2025
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As always, some people will argue that demanding more is unreasonable, that Palace are already punching above their weight.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arbitrary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbitrary. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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