arbitrary.
Based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at random.
Meaning & usage
Based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at random.
Benjamin Franklin's designation of "positive" and "negative" to different charges was arbitrary.
The decision to use 18 years as the legal age of adulthood was arbitrary, as both age 17 and 19 were reasonable alternatives.
Determined by impulse rather than reason; often connoting heavy-handedness.
Any, out of all that are possible.
The equation is true for an arbitrary value of x.
Determined by independent arbiter.
Not representative or symbolic; not iconic.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Latin arbiter Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -ārius Latin arbitrāriusder. Middle English arbitrarie English arbitrary From Middle English arbitrarie, Latin arbitrārius (“arbitrary, uncertain”), from arbiter (“witness, on-looker, listener, judge, overseer”).
Anything arbitrary, such as an arithmetical value or a fee.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Latin arbiter Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -ārius Latin arbitrāriusder. Middle English arbitrarie English arbitrary From Middle English arbitrarie, Latin arbitrārius (“arbitrary, uncertain”), from arbiter (“witness, on-looker, listener, judge, overseer”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.