arbitrariness
If you get detention Monday for not eating peaches, Tuesday for not wearing a top hat, and Wednesday for not walking backward, you might complain about the arbitrariness of the rules, which are random, unpredictable, and without reason.
We often associate arbitrariness with dictators who make up laws and dish out punishments based on their moods or their desperate attempts to stay in power. At the same time, parents demonstrate a kind of arbitrariness when they answer the question "why not?" with "Because I said so!" To avoid arbitrariness, people make decisions based on consistency, reason, order, and predictability.
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the trait of acting unpredictably and more from whim or caprice than from reason or judgmentsynonyms: capriciousness, flightiness, whimsey, whimsicality, whimsytype of:irresponsibility, irresponsiblenessa form of untrustworthiness; the trait of lacking a sense of responsibility and not feeling accountable for your actions
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Vocabulary lists containing arbitrariness
Bryan Stevenson details his experiences as a defense attorney, focusing on the case of Walter McMillian, who insisted on his innocence even after he was sentenced to the death penalty. This book provides an eye-opening behind-the-scenes look at how the criminal justice system works — or doesn't.
This list covers "America and I," "The Two Clashing Meanings of 'Free Speech,'" The Bill of Rights, and Address on the Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, October 28, 1936.
An Indian merchant experiences uncertainty, love, and hardship when he relocates to a town in central Africa.