ARBITRARY, adjective [Latin arbitrarious.] 1. Depending on will or discretion; not governed by any fixed rules; as, an arbitrary decision; an arbitrary punishment. ARBITRARY power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness. 2. Despotic; absolute in power; having no external control; as, an arbitrary prince or government.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI