What does "pseudorandom" mean?

Of a sequence of numbers, such that it has all the properties of a random sequence following some probability distribution (except true randomness), but is actually generated using a deterministic algorithm.

What is a synonym for "pseudorandom"?

Common synonyms include: random.

Pseudorandom

adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1
Of a sequence of numbers, such that it has all the properties of a random sequence following some probability distribution (except true randomness), but is actually generated using a deterministic algorithm. not-comparable
"Simple random samples were chosen from an ordered list with the aid of a Pseudo Random Digit Generator affiliated with the Computer Data Corporation Fortran Compiler."

Synonyms

All synonyms

random

Example

More examples

"Simple random samples were chosen from an ordered list with the aid of a Pseudo Random Digit Generator affiliated with the Computer Data Corporation Fortran Compiler."

Etymology

From pseudo- + random.

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