Arbitrariness (Noun)
Meaning
The trait of acting unpredictably and more from whim or caprice than from reason or judgment; "I despair at the flightiness and whimsicality of my memory".
Classification
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects.
Examples
- The judge criticized the prosecutor for the arbitrariness of the charges, pointing out that they seemed to be based on personal bias rather than fact.
- The company's policy of promoting employees randomly rather than based on merit was an example of the chief executive's arbitrariness.
- Many critics argue that the government's decision to revoke the program was a classic case of arbitrariness, as it seemed to be based on no logical reasoning.
- The monarch's rule was characterized by arbitrariness, as he often made decisions without warning or explanation.
- The novel's narrator complained about the arbitrariness of the universe, where good things happened to bad people and vice versa, often without rhyme or reason.