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nonarbitrary

nonarbitrary

7.8
Based on clear rules or facts, not on personal choice
  • adjective
  • /ˌnɒnˈɑːrbɪtrəri/
translation icon : no arbitrario
  • The organization's policies are nonarbitrary, designed to promote equal opportunities for all employees.

Examples

  • To ensure fairness, the judge provided a nonarbitrary assessment of the evidence presented.

  • The committee made a nonarbitrary decision based on clear guidelines and data.

  • As Rhoda Howard points out: "The key to legitimacy will be, however, not the indigenous nature of the law, but whether it is perceived to be fair and nonarbitrary."

    Academic text (1992)
  • Republicans argue, however, that public authority does not constitute "alien control" if the state is properly "checked" to ensure that it does not serve as an instrument of arbitrary control. A state that interferes with private choices on a nonarbitrary basis to secure a regime of secure and equal freedom does not dominate its people.

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

deterministic
vsnonarbitrary
  • Specialized
8 7.7

When things that happen before make the result sure and not random

adds that outcomes are not decided by personal choice
nonrandom
vsnonarbitrary
1 5.8

Not chosen by chance and having a clear pattern

also excludes decisions made by personal choice, not only lack of chance
unarbitrary
vsnonarbitrary
8.6

Not decided by personal choice or chance

is the same meaning but uses a different adjective form
nondiscretionary
vsnonarbitrary
  • Formal
7.1

Must follow law or rules and cannot be a personal choice

is broader and applies to any objective basis beyond rule required actions
nonsubjective
vsnonarbitrary
7.6

Free from personal feelings and based on facts

also excludes random decision, adding that outcomes have a determined basis

Antonyms

92 6.1

Not decided by a clear reason or rule but by personal choice

How Arbitrary

capricious
19 7.9
arbitrary
92 6.1
nonarbitrary
7.8
principled
39 3.8
systematic
66 4.6

Surface Forms

nonarbitrary positive

Morphology

nonarbitrary = arbitrary (transparent) = non + arbitrary

A straightforward negation formed by the productive prefix 'non-' added to the adjective 'arbitrary', so the meaning is directly 'not arbitrary'.

Etymology

Nonarbitrary is made from the prefix non- meaning 'not' and arbitrary meaning 'based on a person's choice or wish', the same root you see in arbitrate 'to decide for others'. So a nonarbitrary rule or decision is not a personal choice but is based on evidence, clear rules, or fair reasons.