ar·bi·trar·y (ärʼbĭ-trĕr'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.]
ar'bi·trarʼi·ly (-trârʼɘ-lē) adv.
arʼbi·trar'i·ness n.
Synonyms: arbitrary, capricious, whimsical
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.
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