Arbitrariness

noun

noun ·5 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The quality or state of being arbitrary; the extent to which something is arbitrary. uncountable, usually

    "Passion, providence, and imitation are conventionally the respective ruling forces of these three processes. Yet to take them at face value, as an innocent reading of the poem might advise, would be to betray Garcilaso’s own efforts, in this sonnet and elsewhere, to expose the arbitrariness of grandiose idealist concepts such as Platonic love and providential history."

  2. 2
    the trait of acting unpredictably and more from whim or caprice than from reason or judgment wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
arbitrarityarbitraritybossismcapricecapriciousnessdomineering

Example

More examples

"Arbitrariness is the enemy of freedom."

Etymology

From arbitrary + -ness.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.