transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈär-bə-ˌtrer-ē, -ˌtre-rē ]
adjective
Date: 15th century
1. : depending on individual discretion (as of a judge) and not fixed by law
the manner of punishment is arbitrary
2.
a. : not restrained or limited in the exercise of power : ruling by absolute authority
an arbitrary government
b. : marked by or resulting from the unrestrained and often tyrannical exercise of power
protection from arbitrary arrest and detention
3.
a. : based on or determined by individual preference or convenience rather than by necessity or the intrinsic nature of something
an arbitrary standard
take any arbitrary positive number
arbitrary division of historical studies into watertight compartments — A. J. Toynbee
b. : existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance or as a capricious and unreasonable act of will
when a task is not seen in a meaningful context it is experienced as being arbitrary — Nehemiah Jordan
• ar·bi·trari·ly ˌär-bə-ˈtrer-ə-lē, -ˈtre-rə- adverb
• ar·bi·trar·i·ness ˈär-bə-ˌtrer-ē-nəs, -ˌtre-rē- noun