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
The states say the rule is arbitrary and capricious and was enacted in violation of federal administrative law.
—
Reuters, NBC news, 17 July 2025
India has emerged as one of the most enthusiastic suitors of a trade pact with the United States, with a tentative deal expected to be reached before the president’s new, arbitrary August 1 deadline.
—Milan Vaishnav, Foreign Affairs, 16 July 2025
The Declaration of Independence aimed to eliminate arbitrary actions by a king.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 13 July 2025
There are no longer arbitrary divisions in which people say that different functions aren’t their job or concern.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
Reuters, NBC news, 17 July 2025
India has emerged as one of the most enthusiastic suitors of a trade pact with the United States, with a tentative deal expected to be reached before the president’s new, arbitrary August 1 deadline.
—Milan Vaishnav, Foreign Affairs, 16 July 2025
The Declaration of Independence aimed to eliminate arbitrary actions by a king.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 13 July 2025
There are no longer arbitrary divisions in which people say that different functions aren’t their job or concern.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbitrary
Adjective
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In addition to Sandler, the 2025 film also sees the return of several familiar faces, including Julie Bowen as Happy’s love interest, Virginia Venit; Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin, Happy’s arrogant nemesis; and Ben Stiller as Hal L., the orderly from Happy’s grandmother’s nursing home.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Christopher McDonald plays Happy’s comically villainous, arrogant rival Shooter McGavin, maestro of the finger guns.—
Skyler Trepel,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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The entertainment space has shown us that, as random as couples may seem, the best thing is to expect the unexpected.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
29 July 2025
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Training is a disciplined system, not a series of random workouts.—
Ludovic Gaudé,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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In many areas along and east of the Mississippi River, heat index values could soar to between 110 and 115 degrees — the kind of oppressive heat that can quickly turn dangerous without proper precautions.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Austin American Statesman,
23 July 2025
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Sweltering under a heat dome that brought oppressive triple-digit temperatures and humidity to large swaths of the Midwest and East Coast, average daily highs in Chicago topped 84.1 degrees in June, 3.7 degrees above normal.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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While Western democracies debate environmental reviews and grid reliability, authoritarian systems can rapidly direct energy flows to computing infrastructure.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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North Korea is under sanctions from the United States — as well as the United Nations and several other countries — largely in response to the isolated authoritarian state's weapons programs.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Property managers find fault with the current program Some property managers have raised concerns about the way the program works, claiming its requirements are unfair to responsible property owners and managers who are actively trying to remedy maintenance issues, particularly in older buildings.—
Ella McCarthy,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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Israel also faces prejudice and unfair expectations that would not be faced by many other countries in such circumstances.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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While Salesforce tries to make this as painless as possible, its UI/UX can be inconsistent and create bottlenecks during onboarding.—
Andrii Kovalchuk,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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The company's customer service is known for being inconsistent.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Since his memorable performance on the Netflix sci-fi show, Quinn has starred alongside Lupita Nyong’o in A Quiet Place: Day One and played a tyrannical emperor in Gladiator II.—
Olivia Singh,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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Such control isn’t intrinsically tyrannical or oppressive.—
Michael W. Clune,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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The same could be true of the recent cost estimates, but construction technology has advanced in the past half century, so that lower costs per mile are not unreasonable.—
Michael Lynch,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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His exact demands are unknown but given his status as one of the world’s leading players a range of £250,000 to £300,000 a week is far from unreasonable.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arbitrary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbitrary. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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