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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.

What frightens scientists more than the sheer numbers are that the cuts are arbitrary and manifestly pernicious.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

The complaint was filed on behalf of 14 deportees, some of whom are currently held in Equatorial Guinea under conditions "amounting to arbitrary and indefinite detention", according to the lawsuit, seen by AFP.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

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

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

Perec was a member of Oulipo, an avant-garde circle of writers and mathematicians who believed that arbitrary rules imposed in advance of writing were the path to creative discovery.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

In reality, all of those dates are merely attempts to label arbitrary points along a continuum.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond




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