Origin: Latin suffix -ary
Arbitrary has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
Anything arbitrary, such as an arithmetical value or a fee.
"The council decided to set an arbitrary fee of fifty dollars for late submissions without any clear justification."
In plain English: An arbitrary decision is something made without any real reason or plan behind it.
"The arbitrary was an old wooden box kept in the corner for storing miscellaneous items."
based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice
"an arbitrary decision"
"the arbitrary rule of a dictator"
"an arbitrary penalty"
"of arbitrary size and shape"
"an arbitrary choice"
"arbitrary division of the group into halves"
Based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at random.
"The manager decided which employee would get the promotion through an arbitrary choice rather than a review of their performance records."
In plain English: Arbitrary means something decided without any real reason, rule, or logic behind it.
"The manager made an arbitrary choice to change the meeting time without any reason."
Usage: Use arbitrary to describe decisions that rely solely on personal choice rather than logical rules or evidence. It is often confused with random, but while something random lacks pattern entirely, an arbitrary decision specifically ignores objective criteria in favor of individual discretion.
The word arbitrary comes from the Latin term arbitrārius, which means "uncertain." This Latin root is derived from arbiter, originally referring to a witness or judge.