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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of arbitrary
While none of those migrants are being held at Bata, the visit put the spotlight on Equatorial Guinea’s overall human rights record and its judiciary, which rights campaigners have criticized for its lack of independence, arbitrary detentions and other abuses.
—
Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
The European Union first sanctioned him in 2008, and imposed parallel sanctions in 2022 over the use of live ammunition, arbitrary detention of protesters and journalists, and the violent suppression of demonstrations.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Those instructions, frequent visitors emphasize, aren't arbitrary.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2026
It's fueled accusations of human rights abuses and arbitrary detention, but also sharply dipped homicide rates in a country long terrorized by gangs, handing Bukele soaring popularity levels.
—ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
The European Union first sanctioned him in 2008, and imposed parallel sanctions in 2022 over the use of live ammunition, arbitrary detention of protesters and journalists, and the violent suppression of demonstrations.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Those instructions, frequent visitors emphasize, aren't arbitrary.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2026
It's fueled accusations of human rights abuses and arbitrary detention, but also sharply dipped homicide rates in a country long terrorized by gangs, handing Bukele soaring popularity levels.
—ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for arbitrary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbitrary
Adjective
-
The series has devolved into a hysteria that the young and arrogant Timberwolves feed on since that first quarter of Game 2.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
-
However, many thought Tilson Thomas too brash and arrogant to lead an orchestra, and, around the same time, Tilson Thomas fell in with New York’s disco-hopping crowd.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Those aren’t just random stories.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Law enforcement will also have random checkpoints throughout the county to catch impaired drivers, according to the department's website.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
An especially visually striking debut, Mosquitoes exists in a saturated hyperreality that is consummately engrossing, and announces the Bertani sisters as formidable portraitists of girlhood cast against the backdrop of an alternately beautiful and oppressive world.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Snakes, freeways, difficult men and Didion’s quiet brutality hang in the air like the oppressive heat of this unusually warm spring day.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Rich Batenburg, founder and CEO of The Clear Brands, says competitors in the marijuana industry who skirt the rules gain unfair advantages and present public health risks to patients and consumers.—
Karen Morfitt,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
For the early architects, food was always political and thus, so too was food justice—a direct affront to unfair systems.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There are a few, scattered references to female gladiators.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Within minutes of leaving town, the pavement twists downward through tight turns and steep grades as the mountain air begins to warm, the vegetation giving way to chaparral and scattered juniper, then to the stark silhouettes of ocotillo and Mojave yucca.—
Josh Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Advertisement The orthodox and authoritarian left in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela has, in many ways, sabotaged and delayed the renewal of the Latin American left.—
Carlos Manuel Alvarez,
Time,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Snow’s life’s work has been sustaining a Hobbesian authoritarian government.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
After two inconsistent seasons, Johnson became a consensus first-team All-American last year, rushing for 1,537 yards and a school-record 22 touchdowns.—
Sam Warren,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Melissa Horner’s inconsistent presence in the home seemed to upset her son’s routines.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Beyond blood, these women are tied together by destiny and the decisions of the violent and tyrannical men surrounding them.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
-
All the orchestration and glamour of the rally, the glory of the Leader, was meant to tell a story—of a nation wounded from within, of a fifth column, of tyrannical foreign countries, of an economic crisis, and of a grandiose account of renewal and coming greatness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arbitrary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbitrary. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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