random
Americanadjective
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proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern.
the random selection of numbers.
- Synonyms:
- fortuitous, chance, haphazard
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Statistics. of or characterizing a process of selection in which each item of a set has an equal probability of being chosen.
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Building Trades.
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(of building materials) lacking uniformity of dimensions.
random shingles.
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(of ashlar) laid without continuous courses.
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constructed or applied without regularity.
random bond.
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Slang.
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unknown, unidentified, or suspiciously out of place.
A couple of random guys showed up at the party.
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odd or unpredictable, often in an amusing way.
my totally random life.
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noun
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something that is random, or a random state or condition.
different statistical methods used to estimate randoms.
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Slang.
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a person or thing that is unknown, unidentified, or suspiciously out of place.
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a person or thing that is odd or unpredictable.
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Chiefly British. bank.
adverb
idioms
adjective
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lacking any definite plan or prearranged order; haphazard
a random selection
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statistics
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having a value which cannot be determined but only described probabilistically
a random variable
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chosen without regard to any characteristics of the individual members of the population so that each has an equal chance of being selected
random sampling
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informal (of a person) unknown
some random guy waiting for a bus
noun
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Relating to a type of circumstance or event that is described by a probability distribution.
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Relating to an event in which all outcomes are equally likely, as in the testing of a blood sample for the presence of a substance.
Other Word Forms
- nonrandom adjective
- nonrandomness noun
- randomly adverb
- randomness noun
Etymology
Origin of random
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English raundon, random, from Old French randon, derivative of randir “to gallop,” from Germanic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The absence of the other six products indicates that the molecules were not created by random chemical reactions in the environment.
From Science Daily
“He was a random roommate and we never had a conversation with him once,” Hopper told The Times in an interview.
From Los Angeles Times
Instead, he sent Maggie random sums—fifty dollars, ten dollars, fifteen dollars—to keep her quiet.
From Literature
If researchers had examined a more random selection of lunar rocks, it would have been highly unlikely to find samples that recorded these rare magnetic surges.
From Science Daily
A team at Scripps Research found that some condensates are not random blobs at all.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
