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arbitrary

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Based on individual discretion or judgment.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ahrbuhtruhree

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɑɹbətɹɛɹi

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. usually of a decision

    Based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at random.

  2. Based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice

  3. Determined by impulse rather than reason; often connoting heavy-handedness.

  4. mathematics

    Any, out of all that are possible.

  5. Determined by independent arbiter.

noun

  1. Anything arbitrary, such as an arithmetical value or a fee.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at random.

Used this way, arbitrary is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use arbitrary

  • “An arbitrary decision.”adjective

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

arbitrary powersomewhat arbitraryarbitrary governmentarbitrary numberarbitrary rulearbitrary pointarbitrary mannerarbitrary choice

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • arbitrationnounDerived noun

    The hearing and determination of a dispute by an impartial referee agreed to by both parties (often used to settle disputes between labor and management).

  • arbitraladjectiveDerived adjective

    Related to Based on individual discretion or judgment.

  • arbitrarilyadverbDerived adverb

    In a random manner.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

adjective

Sense: based on individual discretion or judgment

absolute

noun

Sense: anything arbitrary or such as an arithmetical value

absolute

Antonyms

Sense: based on individual discretion or judgment

nonarbitraryRare

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.