ARBITRARY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does arbitrary mean? 

• ARBITRARY (adjective)
  The adjective ARBITRARY has 1 sense:

1. based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice

  Familiarity information: ARBITRARY used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ARBITRARY (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice

Context example:

arbitrary division of the group into halves

Similar:

absolute (not limited by law)

capricious; impulsive; whimsical (determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason)

discretional; discretionary (having or using the ability to act or decide according to your own discretion or judgment)

Antonym:

nonarbitrary (not subject to individual determination)

Derivation:

arbitrariness (the trait of acting unpredictably and more from whim or caprice than from reason or judgment)

 Context examples 

A unit of arbitrary substance concentration (biologic activity concentration) defined as the concentration of one international unit per one milliliter of system volume.

(International Unit per Milliliter, NCI Thesaurus)

A dose calculation unit expressed as a number of arbitrary units of biological activity (International Units) of substance per square meter of body surface area.

(International Unit per Square Meter, NCI Thesaurus)

An arbitrary unit of a kallikrein inactivator concentration equal to the concentration at which one milliliter of the mixture contains one unit of the kallikrein inactivator.

(Kallikrein Inactivator Unit per Milliliter, NCI Thesaurus)

A unit of arbitrary substance concentration with biologic activity defined as the concentration of international unit(s) per milligram of creatinine.

(International Unit per Milligram of Creatinine, NCI Thesaurus)

Unit of arbitrary substance concentration (biologic activity concentration) defined as the concentration of one international unit of alpha-Tocopherol per one milligram of preparation.

(International Unit per Milligram of Alpha-Tocopherol, NCI Thesaurus)

A dose calculation unit equal to one international unit (an arbitrary unit of biological activity) of a product per one kilogram of body mass administered per unit of time equal to one hour.

(International Unit per Kilogram per Hour, NCI Thesaurus)

Unit of arbitrary substance concentration (biologic activity concentration) defined as the concentration of one international unit per one liter of the system volume.

(International Unit per Liter, NCI Thesaurus)

Unit of arbitrary substance concentration (biologic activity concentration) defined as the concentration of one international unit per one milligram of substance.

(International Unit per Milligram, NCI Thesaurus)

An arbitrary unit of substance content expressed in thousands of units of biological activity per unit of mass equal to one kilogram.

(Kilounit per Kilogram, NCI Thesaurus)

A dose calculation unit equal to one-thousandth (10E-3) of an arbitrary unit of biological activity (International Unit) of substance per square meter of body surface area.

(Milliinternational Unit per Square Meter, NCI Thesaurus)