单词 | arbitrariness |
释义 | arbitrariness (once / 31688 pages) n 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. WORD FAMILYarbitrary: arbitrarily, arbitrariness, nonarbitrary, unarbitrary USAGE EXAMPLESJustice Stephen G. Breyer said there will always be borderline cases and a degree of arbitrariness in deciding who is disabled intellectually. New York Times(Nov 29, 2016) “Maidan” came to mean an impassioned revolt against arbitrariness and tyranny. The New Yorker(Nov 28, 2016) Pyongyang’s U.N. mission said this month that sanctions resolutions are “illegal criminal documents fabricated by arbitrariness of the U.S.” Wall Street Journal(Oct 28, 2016) n the trait of acting unpredictably and more from whim or caprice than from reason or judgment Syn|Hyper capriciousness, flightiness, whimsey, whimsicality, whimsy irresponsibility, irresponsibleness a form of untrustworthiness; the trait of lacking a sense of responsibility and not feeling accountable for your actions |
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