Synonyms of arbitrary

arbitrary

adjective

ˈär-bə-ˌtrer-ē 

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

• arrogant
• unfair
• inconsistent
• unreasonable
• authoritarian
• dominant
• dictatorial
• imperious
• unjust
• willful
• peremptory
• domineering
• high-handed
• commanding
• unequal
• capricious
• totalitarian
• tyrannical
• erratic
• overbearing
• despotic
• demanding
• autocratic
• whimsical
• presumptuous
• partisan
• inequitable
• haughty
• unrealistic
• imperative
• mercurial
• biased
• changeable
• unprincipled
• unscrupulous
• masterful
• unconscionable
• tyrannous
• unethical
• lordly
• prejudiced

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• equal
• equitable
• objective
• reasonable
• fair
• impartial
• balanced
• rational
• just
• dispassionate
• disinterested
• evenhanded
• nonpartisan
• understanding
• moral
• unbiased
• unprejudiced
• ethical
• honorable
• unimpeachable
• principled
• irreproachable
• law-abiding

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

• random
• scattered
• erratic
• accidental
• haphazard
• stray
• sporadic
• lucky
• contingent
• aimless
• casual
• odd
• desultory
• irregular
• slapdash
• hit-or-miss
• incidental
• chance
• inadvertent
• helter-skelter
• catch-as-catch-can
• indiscriminate
• unintentional
• fortuitous
• unintended
• unplanned
• spot
• unconsidered
• unsystematic
• unpremeditated
• purposeless
• shotgun
• directionless
• scattershot
• undirected
• disorganized
• chancy
• fluky
• disorderly
• undiscriminating
• objectless
• unselective

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• systematic
• regular
• regular
• orderly
• continuous
• constant
• fixed
• stable
• organized
• steady
• nonrandom
• established
• methodical
• systematized
• even
• set
• arranged
• deliberate
• conscious
• aware
• planned
• purposeful
• ordered
• willful
• thoughtful
• managed
• orchestrated

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

• oppressive
• authoritarian
• tyrannical
• despotic
• autocratic
• dictatorial
• absolute
• tyrannous
• domineering
• czarist
• monocratic
• totalitarian
• antidemocratic
• imperious
• sovereign
• magisterial
• autonomous
• omnipotent
• all-powerful
• unconditional
• high-handed
• unlimited
• jackbooted
• almighty
• antirepublican
• masterful
• self-governing
• self-ruling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• limited
• constitutional
• restricted
• lawful
• democratic
• circumscribed
• restrained
• republican

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of arbitrary

Overturning the eighty-year-old world trade system by imposing arbitrary tariffs? — Mark Danner, The New York Review of Books, 1 Aug. 2026

The new cloak is designed to accommodate arbitrary inner and outer shapes while operating omnidirectionally. — New Atlas, 29 July 2026

The rhetoric resembles nothing more than the frothing tone of masculinity influencers in the online manosphere, with its strict but arbitrary standards for what makes a man a man. — Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026

The rational response to such arbitrary power is not to satisfy consumer demands, but to keep in the good graces of the Big Player. — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 27 July 2026

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