Based on or determined by chance, whim, or personal inclination rather than by reason, necessity, or established principles.
It felt unfair when the teacher made an arbitrary rule about who could answer questions. She did not explain her reason and just pointed to certain kids whenever she wanted. The other students felt frustrated because her choices seemed to come out of nowhere each time.
The new manager’s rules felt completely arbitrary. One day we couldn't use the front door, the next we had to wear green shirts. There was no reason for the changes. His unfair decisions made everyone feel angry and confused because they were made for no good reason.
The teacher changed the classroom rules every week without explanation. One day phones were allowed, the next day they weren't. Students who sat in front got extra credit on Tuesday, but by Friday it didn't matter anymore. Nothing made sense. Every decision felt arbitrary, like she was just making things up as she went along, and nobody could predict what would happen next.
Last week, my cat decided the kitchen was suddenly off-limits, enforcing this arbitrary rule by guarding the doorway like a tiny, angry lion. No one understood why. It seemed to happen at random, maybe just because she felt like being unreasonable and dramatic—like most housecats do.
My cat suddenly instated a new, completely arbitrary rule that he will only eat his food if I sing opera to him first. There was no warning and no reason for this change; now my neighbors think I'm training for a role in The Barber of Seville.
The teacher's decision to assign partners for the project seemed arbitrary, as there was no clear reasoning behind the pairings. Some students were happy with their partners, while others felt frustrated by the seemingly random selection process.
In the chaotic city, traffic flowed in an arbitrary manner. Cars swerved and honked with no discernible pattern, creating a symphony of discord. The rules of the road seemed to vanish, as if by some capricious will. Pedestrians dodged and weaved through the unpredictable stream of vehicles, their lives seemingly hanging in the balance of chance.
In the dimly lit room, Sarah's heart raced as she heard the creaking floorboards draw closer. She knew that she was at the mercy of an arbitrary force, one that seemed to take pleasure in inflicting terror upon her. The sound of heavy breathing filled the air, sending chills down her spine. Suddenly, a bony hand reached out from the shadows, grabbing her by the throat with a strength that was both horrifying and inexplicable. As she gasped for breath, Sarah realized that she was trapped in a nightmare of arbitrary cruelty, with no hope of escape.
In the labyrinth of arbitrary torment, cries echoed through the cold, stone walls. Screams were extinguished as swiftly as they ignited, leaving a deafening silence that was more terrifying than the agony itself. The tormentors' laughter, a symphony of cruelty, filled the void, as they reveled in the inexplicable suffering they inflicted—a testament to their capricious whimsy and the randomness of their victims' pain.
In the mystical land of Eldoria, the Great Wizard had the power to make arbitrary decisions that affected the entire kingdom. One day, without warning, he declared that all the rivers would flow upstream instead of down. The villagers were confused and outraged by this seemingly random and unreasonable act. As they struggled to adapt to the new order, they realized that the Wizard's whims were unpredictable and often caused chaos. Despite their frustration, the people of Eldoria knew they had no choice but to accept the arbitrary commands of their powerful ruler, for his will was law in their enchanted realm.
When the teacher assigned seating, her choices seemed arbitrary. Friends who had always worked well together were separated, and some students were placed next to those they had problems with. The randomness of it frustrated everyone, because there appeared to be no reason or pattern behind the decisions.
The new manager's rules felt completely arbitrary. He insisted we clock out for bathroom breaks, a policy with no logical basis that only served to frustrate the entire team. We all felt helpless against his unreasonable demands, which seemed to change daily without warning.
The principal's new dress code felt completely arbitrary to students who had worn the same outfits for years without issue. She banned red shirts one week, then hats the next, offering no real explanation. Each rule seemed to emerge from nowhere, targeting different groups at random while serving no apparent purpose beyond asserting her authority over trivial matters.
Marcus claimed his haircut choices weren’t arbitrary, but everyone suspected he simply spun a wheel each morning, landing on styles like “giraffe antennae” or “backwards mullet,” each result coming about seemingly at random, as if his barbershop doubled as a laboratory for confused hair scientists.
My cat, Reginald, declared a sudden, vicious war on a single, unsuspecting teacup. His decision seemed entirely arbitrary, a fluffy tyrant's decree against innocent porcelain, compelling us to nervously relocate all our mugs to a higher, more defensible cabinet.
The manager’s decision to alter the work schedule felt arbitrary to the entire team. There was no clear logic behind who received the favorable shifts or who was suddenly assigned the late hours. It seemed almost capricious and left everyone feeling powerless and bewildered.
The new manager's dismissals felt entirely arbitrary, a capricious exercise of power. A veteran with an immaculate record was ousted while a perennial malcontent was promoted. The decision seemed to have no discernible logic, stoking widespread fear and resentment among the remaining staff.
The principal's new dress code felt completely arbitrary to the students. Why were cargo pants banned but not regular pants with pockets? Why could they wear gray hoodies but not black ones? No one could discern any logic behind the rules, which seemed to materialize from the administrator's whims rather than genuine concern for order or propriety.
When the principal announced that everyone must wear mismatched socks on Tuesdays, the decision struck us as entirely arbitrary, concocted at random or, perhaps, as a capricious flex of whimsical authority, leaving the whole student body bewildered and contemplating the existential significance of footwear chaos.
My pugnacious cat, Bartholomew, instituted a new, seemingly arbitrary rule: all naps must now commence from atop the refrigerator. His reasoning remains a befuddling conundrum, a capricious edict from a furry, diminutive autocrat who clearly enjoys our logistical predicaments.
Normal — Everyday words worth reinforcing.