Arbitrary
Definition
Left to the free choice or whim of someone, without being based on a law, a fixed rule, or an objective necessity; despotic, abusive, unjustified. In linguistics and philosophy, the term describes a conventional connection established by simple social agreement, such as the relationship between the linguistic sign and the reality denoted.
Bilingual Equivalents
- Arbitrary
- Discretionary
Grammatical & Source Details
| Inflection Type | Variable adjective with standard masculine, feminine, and plural structural variations. |
| Formation | Borrowed from French 'arbitraire' and Latin 'arbitrarius', functionally integrated as an independent descriptive term. |
| Spelling / Pronunciation | [ar.bi.ˈtrar] |
| Source | Lexicon of Philosophical Terms, Legal Systems, and Structural Linguistics |
Contextual Usage Examples
RO: Cetățenii au protestat împotriva unui arest arbitrar efectuat de forțele de ordine fără a avea un mandat legal.
EN: The citizens protested against an arbitrary arrest carried out by law enforcement forces without having a legal warrant.
RO: Profesorul a explicat că alegerea numelor de variabile în acest program de calcul este complet arbitrară.
EN: The professor explained that the choice of variable names in this computer program is completely arbitrary.
RO: Lingvistul Ferdinand de Saussure a demonstrat caracterul arbitrar al semnului lingvistic în teoriile sale structurale.
EN: Linguist Ferdinand de Saussure demonstrated the arbitrary nature of the linguistic sign in his structural theories.
Idioms & Phrases
Decizie arbitrară / Arbitrary decision / discretionary ruling
RO: Hotărâre luată fără consultarea normelor sau a datelor obiective, bazată exclusiv pe preferințele personale ale liderului.
EN: A ruling made without consulting objective standards or data, based exclusively on the personal preferences of the leader.
Arestare arbitrară / Arbitrary detention / unlawful arrest
RO: Privare de libertate abuzivă, realizată cu încălcarea drepturilor fundamentale ale omului și a procedurilor legale.
EN: An abusive deprivation of liberty, carried out in violation of fundamental human rights and legal procedures.
Caracter arbitrar / Arbitrary nature / conventionality
RO: Însușire a unui fenomen sau sistem de a depinde de o convenție socială sau de hazard, în loc de o regulă naturală.
EN: The attribute of a phenomenon or system to depend on a social convention or hazard instead of a natural rule.
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