arbitrary standard
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.
His hair was good because it was his hair; it was a Black man’s hair, and its worth didn’t rest on some arbitrary standard dictated by people who didn’t value him.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2022
It was as if the landscape itself had dysmorphia, altering its physical appearance to fit an arbitrary standard that undermined its primary function.
From The Guardian • Jan. 31, 2020
Fashion in this context was not about looking au courant or attractive by some arbitrary standard.
From Washington Post • Jan. 3, 2019
A day, therefore, is not and cannot be some arbitrary standard.
From Slate • Jun. 10, 2015
To say that the modern chrysanthemum is better than that of our forbears because it is more chrysanthemum-like is true only if we make the latter form the arbitrary standard of the chrysanthemum.
From The Psychology of Beauty by Howes, Ethel Dench Puffer