arbitrary

1 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 of arbitrary dictatorial, high-handed, imperious, peremptory, willful (or wilful) Words Related to arbitrary arrogant, commanding, demanding, dominant, domineering, haughty, imperative, lordly, masterful, overbearing, presumptuous; authoritarian, autocratic (also autocratical), despotic, totalitarian, tyrannical (also tyrannic), tyrannous; capricious, changeable, erratic, inconsistent, mercurial, whimsical; biased, inequitable, partisan, prejudiced, unequal, unfair, unjust, unrealistic, unreasonable; unconscionable, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous Near Antonyms of arbitrary balanced, disinterested, dispassionate, equal, equitable, evenhanded, fair, impartial, just, nonpartisan, objective; rational, reasonable, understanding; unbiased, unprejudiced; ethical, honorable, irreproachable, law-abiding, moral, principled, unimpeachable

2 lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern the order of the names of the 10 semifinalists is entirely arbitrary Synonyms of arbitrary aimless, random, catch-as-catch-can, desultory, erratic, haphazard, helter-skelter, hit-or-miss, scattered, slapdash, strayWords Related to arbitrary accidental, casual, chance, chancy, contingent, fluky (also flukey), fortuitous, inadvertent, incidental, lucky, unconsidered, unintended, unintentional, unplanned, unpremeditated; scattershot, shotgun; irregular, odd, sporadic, spot; directionless, objectless, purposeless; indiscriminate, unsystematic; undirected; disorderly, disorganized; undiscriminating, unselectiveNear Antonyms of arbitrary established, fixed, regular, set, stable, steady; constant, continuous, even; arranged, managed, orchestrated, ordered, planned; aware, conscious, deliberate, purposeful, thoughtful, willful (or wilful)Antonyms of arbitrary methodical (also methodic), nonrandom, orderly, organized, regular, systematic, systematized

3 exercising power or authority without interference by others a nation with no tradition of democracy, only a long history of arbitrary rulers Synonyms of arbitrary absolute, autocratic (also autocratical), czarist (also tsarist or tzarist), despotic, dictatorial, monocratic, tyrannical (also tyrannic), tyrannousWords Related to arbitrary authoritarian, jackbooted, oppressive, totalitarian; antidemocratic, antirepublican; high-handed, magisterial; domineering, imperious, masterful; all-powerful, almighty, omnipotent; autonomous, self-governing, self-ruling, sovereign (also sovran); unconditional, unlimitedNear Antonyms of arbitrary circumscribed, restrained, restricted; constitutional, lawful; democratic, republicanAntonyms of arbitrary limited