as in scattered
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
since we were new in town, our choice of a vet for our dog was entirely random
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Recent Examples of random
It is written in an almost stream-of-consciousness style, rather like someone reluctantly dredging up their memories, with random thoughts interrupting the narrative, long sentences sometimes running to over a page, little punctuation, and peppered with Kobe dialect.
—
Ginny Tapley Takemori
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Not just random photos lost in my camera roll, but a timeline of our baby’s story.
—Daphne Wilder, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
The secret formula for picking winning numbers − at least for those who didn't let the machine choose random numbers for them − seemed to be birthdates, specifically those of the players' kids and grandkids.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
There are, of course, research firms that analyze and rank local real estate markets, but BGO found their results to be somewhat random, according to Carrafiell.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for random
Ginny Tapley Takemori
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Not just random photos lost in my camera roll, but a timeline of our baby’s story.
—Daphne Wilder, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
The secret formula for picking winning numbers − at least for those who didn't let the machine choose random numbers for them − seemed to be birthdates, specifically those of the players' kids and grandkids.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
There are, of course, research firms that analyze and rank local real estate markets, but BGO found their results to be somewhat random, according to Carrafiell.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for random
Recent Examples of Synonyms for random
Adjective
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The result was a mile-long line that turned scattered craftwork into synchronized production.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Aug. 2025
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More likely, a supernova occurs inside a galaxy loaded with numerous, scattered clouds of gas and dust.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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If senior figures display rudeness or disrespect, employees may assume that such behavior is acceptable, making selective enforcement seem arbitrary and undermining of trust.—
Andrew Binns,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Moreover, Burroughs further held that the administration’s actions were arbitrary and capricious, in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).—
Noah Feldman,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Between February and May, when Dudek’s tenure ended, his erratic rhetoric and decisions routinely made front-page news.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
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Dyrdhal knew all too well Gooden’s penchant for erratic violence.—
Mara H. Gottfried,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But before Wednesday, only four incidents had occurred in Poland during the war, with Romanian and Moldova most affected, although stray drones were detected in Latvia in September 2024 and fellow NATO members Lithuania and Estonia in July and August this year, ACLED said.—
Brendan Cole
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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Department Director Annette Jose said the attack does not appear to have been done by a stray dog.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Police determined the injury was accidental and not child abuse.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
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The sound does much of the work in action sequences obscured by blinding snowstorms and flashing emergency lights, punctuated by creative acts of accidental self-harm that save our protagonists from certain death more than once.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Random.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/random. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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