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arbitrarily - 3 dictionary results

ar⋅bi⋅trar⋅y

  [ahr-bi-trer-ee] adjective, noun, plural -trar⋅ies.
Use arbitrarily in a Sentence
–adjective
1. subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one's discretion: an arbitrary decision.
2. decided by a judge or arbiter rather than by a law or statute.
3. having unlimited power; uncontrolled or unrestricted by law; despotic; tyrannical: an arbitrary government.
4. capricious; unreasonable; unsupported: an arbitrary demand for payment.
5. Mathematics. undetermined; not assigned a specific value: an arbitrary constant.
–noun
6. arbitraries, Printing. (in Britain) peculiar (def. 9).
Origin:
1400–50; late ME < L arbitrārius uncertain (i.e., depending on an arbiter's decision). See arbiter, -ary

Related forms:
ar⋅bi⋅trar⋅i⋅ly  [ahr-bi-trer-uh-lee, ahr-bi-trair-] , adverb
ar⋅bi⋅trar⋅i⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ar·bi·trar·y   (är'bĭ-trěr'ē)   
adj.  
  1. Determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle: stopped at the first motel we passed, an arbitrary choice.
  2. Based on or subject to individual judgment or preference: The diet imposes overall calorie limits, but daily menus are arbitrary.
  3. Established by a court or judge rather than by a specific law or statute: an arbitrary penalty.
  4. Not limited by law; despotic: the arbitrary rule of a dictator.

[Middle English arbitrarie, from Latin arbitrārius, from arbiter, arbitr-, arbiter; see arbiter.]
ar'bi·trar'i·ly (-trâr'ə-lē) adv., ar'bi·trar'i·ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean determined by or arising from whim or caprice rather than judgment or reason: an arbitrary decision; a capricious refusal; a whimsical remark.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Arbitrarily

Ar"bi*tra*ri*ly\, adv. In an arbitrary manner; by will only; despotically; absolutely.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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