arbitrary
arbitrary is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 2 senses, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 40 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.
Definitions
- 1.Exercised according to one's own will or caprice, and therefore conveying a notion of a tendency to abuse the possession of power. Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused licentiousness. Washington.
- 2.Despotic; absolute in power; bound by no law; harsh and unforbearing; tyrannical; as, an arbitrary prince or government. Dryden. Arbitrary constant, Arbitrary function (Math.), a quantity of function that is introduced into the solution of a problem, and to which any value or form may at will be given, so that the solution may be made to meet special requirements. -- Arbitrary quantity (Math.), one to which any value can be assigned at pleasure.
Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Synonyms
Related terms (Roget's 1911)
- and
- blow
- boutade
- brain
- camel
- capriccio
- caprice
- capricious
- captious
- chase
- cold
- contrary
- crotchet
- crotchety
- deuce
- eccentric
- erratic
- escapade
- fad
- fanciful
- fancy
- fantastic
- fast
- fickle
- fit
- fitful
- flimflam
- foolish
- freak
- freakish
- frivolous
- full
- giddy
- gnat
- have
- head
- him
- hot
- humor
- humorsome
Source: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
Related questions
Sources
- Definitions: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Synonyms: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/word/arbitrary
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