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Meanings of arbitrary in English

Portuguese
arbitrária
Catalan
arbitrari
Spanish
arbitrario

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

Related terms
arbitrária
Usage of arbitrary in English
1
Amnesty accuses Chad's government of arbitrary detention and holding prisoners without trial.
The Guardian
2
Otherwise, the biggest risks remain corruption and the arbitrary rule of law.
Reuters
3
The apparently arbitrary nature of the decision renders it unjust and unacceptable.
The Irish Times
4
All of us can remember being made the victim of arbitrary power.
Wired
5
It had taken him twenty years to learn how arbitrary things were.
Complete Books of Blood
6
Could 'Captain Kane' reach the double century before this arbitrary cut-off point?
Radio NZ
7
Thirdly, it will seem arbitrary and discriminatory between people near retirement age.
The Irish Times
8
They assumed that salaries can be set in an almost arbitrary way.
The Irish Times
9
They're not the only airline to express frustration at the arbitrary rule.
News.com.au
10
It's an arbitrary decision made by that megalomaniac Daniel Andrews, he said.
News.com.au
11
His arbitrary irresponsibility shook the confidence of the nation in his sincerity.
Dryden's Palamon and Arcite
12
But lines started getting drawn, and they were quite arbitrary and unhelpful.
The Guardian
13
Australians may also be at risk of arbitrary detention, the advice states.
The Guardian
14
The OI is related to the arbitrary aspects of a boundary level.
Pubmed
15
The arbitrary system provoked a minor outrage, but the judges' decision stood.
Wired
16
They then changed their position to be tagged to an arbitrary debt-ratio.
Radio NZ
About this term
More collocations
Translations for arbitrary
Catalan
arbitrari
Spanish
arbitrario
Arbitrary through the time
Arbitrary across language varieties
United Kingdom
Common
Ireland
Common
United States of America
Common