random

[ran-duhm] / ˈræn dəm /

ADJECTIVE

haphazard, chance

Synonyms

STRONGEST

accidental aimless arbitrary incidental indiscriminate irregular odd unplanned

WEAK

adventitious by-the-way casual contingent designless desultory driftless fluky fortuitous hit-or-miss objectless promiscuous purposeless slapdash spot stray unaimed unconsidered unpremeditated

Antonyms

STRONGEST

essential methodical planned systematic

WEAK

definite particular specific

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.

When someone gets poisoned, a random stranger just happens to have the antidote.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

I barely understood it — to me, it functioned like a random madness machine.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

After a random draw, the participating countries competed in two semi‑finals held earlier this week.

From Barron's • May 16, 2026

"If anything doing Love Island was random," she says.

From BBC • May 14, 2026

The sheet has rows and rows of random five-digit numbers.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Vocabulary lists containing random

Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Pi Day Vocabulary

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Word Generation Science - Life Science

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!