arbitrarily
Something said or done arbitrarily is done randomly or without much thought — like when you arbitrarily eat whatever happens to be on the buffet table at your cousin's wedding.
The adverb arbitrarily describes something that's done haphazardly, based on random chance or on your own whim of the moment. If you go to a movie and know nothing about anything that's playing, you might arbitrarily choose one — based on the titles, the look of the posters, or on nothing at all. When there's not much reason behind your actions, they're done arbitrarily.
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in a random mannersynonyms: at random, every which way, haphazardly, indiscriminately, randomly, willy-nilly
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Vocabulary lists containing arbitrarily
Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office as the 16th President of the United States on March 4, 1861. Since his election the previous November Southern states had met and declared their intent to secede. In his inaugural address Lincoln made it clear that he did not consider the Southern states to be enemies but that it was his duty to protect the Union, by force if necessary.
Botanist and mechanical engineer Mark Watney was chosen for NASA's Ares Program to explore Mars, but when a sandstorm prevents him from reaching the departing spaceship, his new solo mission is figuring out how to use the limited resources to survive on a lifeless planet.
Considered an important part of American democracy, this act was first signed into law in 1966, but it has since undergone many amendments in the conflicts over how much access the public should have to the documents and records of federal agencies. Read the full text here.