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arbitrary

[ahr-bi-trer-ee] / ˈɑr bɪˌtrɛr i /




Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A Federal Reserve paper published last year found substantial and arbitrary variation in agent commissions across metropolitan areas.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

The civil code would also allow judges to base some rulings on vaguely defined "good morals" -- a provision Human Rights Watch warned would be "opening the door to arbitrary interpretation".

From Barron's • May 17, 2026

The statement added that it came "after 140 days of arbitrary detention and the persistent denial of specialised healthcare".

From BBC • May 2, 2026

Open inquiry, honest engagement with evidence, the willingness to follow reasoning wherever it leads—these aren’t arbitrary cultural preferences; they are the conditions under which intelligence flourishes at scale.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Thanks to him the Street of the Turks, with its dazzling display of knickknacks, became a melodic oasis where one could forget Arcadio's arbitrary acts and the distant nightmare of the war.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez




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