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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of arbitrary
This would be bad policy in the best of circumstances, but, as noted above, Trump’s arbitrary taxes on imports have already disrupted the economy.
—
The Editors, National Review, 12 May 2025
President Donald Trump’s tariffs have forced countries around the world—most recently announced, China—to take a seat in negotiations to try to work out an agreement to avoid Trump’s costly, and in many cases seemingly arbitrary, levies on foreign imports.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 8 May 2025
The essay concerns the classification of knowledge using categories and simple systems—letters and numbers—that result in forms of order that are often incomplete, arbitrary, or absurd.
—Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 May 2025
The rule of law in the United States has been traditionally understood to use checks and balances to prevent too much concentration of arbitrary executive power.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
The Editors, National Review, 12 May 2025
President Donald Trump’s tariffs have forced countries around the world—most recently announced, China—to take a seat in negotiations to try to work out an agreement to avoid Trump’s costly, and in many cases seemingly arbitrary, levies on foreign imports.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 8 May 2025
The essay concerns the classification of knowledge using categories and simple systems—letters and numbers—that result in forms of order that are often incomplete, arbitrary, or absurd.
—Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 May 2025
The rule of law in the United States has been traditionally understood to use checks and balances to prevent too much concentration of arbitrary executive power.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbitrary
Adjective
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By losing some of its arrogant charm, Doom has also lost the means to back it up.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
15 May 2025
-
For example, when a man in his sixties talks about the same thing, he’s seen as calm and logical, but when a woman in her twenties talks about it, she’s seen as arrogant or trying to act mature.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Mother Nature is unpredictable, fickle, random at best.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
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Clean out the dust and refresh thermal paste: Older desktops tend to overheat, which can slow things down or cause random shutdowns.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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The United States held Qaddafi’s Libya up as a success story in the global war on terror, a former rogue state that had made amends for its murderous past, relinquished its nuclear-weapons program and reoriented its oppressive state apparatus around American foreign-policy priorities.—
Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
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Contracts of adhesion are sometimes seen as oppressive, especially in the consumer context, but courts often regard them as enforceable.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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From 2019 to 2020, the authoritarian petrostate paid $115,000 a month to now–Attorney General Pam Bondi and her firm to lobby on its behalf.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
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The congressman sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, accusing him of prioritizing personal spectacle and showing admiration for authoritarian leaders.—
Heather Hunter,
The Washington Examiner,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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But critics argue that no taxes on tips is a costly, unfair tax break that will benefit few lower-income Americans.—
Bailey Schulz,
USA Today,
18 May 2025
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President Trump understands that, when used wisely, tariffs can level the playing field, protect American industries from unfair competition, incentivize U.S. manufacturing, and ultimately strengthen our national security.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Oilers’ power play comes up short The power play has been the Oilers’ bread and butter for so long, but it’s been inconsistent in the playoffs and downright nonexistent on the road.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
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SoftBank’s investment division can be inconsistent, as it is driven by changes in public and private financial markets.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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Coupled with his hateful rhetoric, threats, lies, erratic policies, trampling of the Constitution and abnormal fascination with childish superlatives, tyrannical figures and Soviet-era style military parades, there’s much to be concerned about.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2025
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The Wolves rose up and defeated the tyrannical FEDRA, forcing them to abandon the quarantine zone.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In a unanimous opinion, the justices said courts can look beyond the exact moment a police officer is using deadly force to determine if the force was unreasonable.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
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Given the high degree of regulation and data privacy concerns within our industry, this isn’t an unreasonable question, to say nothing of the cost of bespoke software solutions.—
Tom Hughes,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arbitrary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbitrary. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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