Arbitrary
Arbitrary adjective - Having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity.
Usage example: an arbitrary piano teacher who makes all her students do the same exercises over and over again
Capricious is a synonym for arbitrary in whimsical topic. In some cases you can use "Capricious" instead an adjective "Arbitrary", when it comes to topics like surprise, random. popular alternative
Capricious
Capricious adjective - Likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly.
Usage example: capricious weather that was balmy one day and freezing cold the next
Arbitrary is a synonym for capricious in surprise topic. You can use "Arbitrary" instead an adjective "Capricious", if it concerns topics such as fickle, given to sudden behavior change. popular alternative
Nearby Words: caprice, capriciously
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- impulsive and arbitrary
- impulsive and capricious
- whimsical and arbitrary
- whimsical and capricious
- fanciful and arbitrary
- fanciful and capricious
- chance and arbitrary
- chance and capricious
- wayward and arbitrary
- wayward and capricious
- willful and arbitrary
- willful and capricious
- inconsistent and arbitrary
- inconsistent and capricious
Both words in one sentence
- Celestia is often depicted in fan works as an arbitrary and capricious dictator.
- Blessed with Suck: A man's having his wife be the most beautiful woman in the world turns out to be this in "Arbitrary Potato and the Most Beautiful Woman in the World", because Arbitrary Potato is a capricious and arbitrary potato.
Source: Webcomic / Buttersafe -
The fairy mistress was a natural for Courtly Love, with her magical ability to come and go secretly, and her magical taboos, which played nicely into the spirit of obeying one's lady no matter how capricious she was and how arbitrary her commands were.
Source: The Fair Folk
Cite this Source
Capricious and Arbitrary. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/arbitrary/capricious
Arbitrary & Capricious. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/arbitrary/capricious>.
Capricious or Arbitrary. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/arbitrary/capricious.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "arbitrary" and "capricious" have occurred on timeline