Wayward vs Arbitrary - What's the difference?
wayward | arbitrary | Related terms |
given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray
obstinate, contrary and unpredictable
(sports) not on target
* {{quote-news
, year=2011
, date=September 2
, author=Phil McNulty
, title=Bulgaria 0-3 England
, work=BBC
(usually, of a decision) Based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at random.
Determined by impulse rather than reason; heavy-handed.
(mathematics) Any and all possible.
Determined by independent arbiter.
Anything arbitrary, such as an arithmetical value or a fee.
Wayward is a related term of arbitrary.
As adjectives the difference between wayward and arbitrary
is that wayward is given to wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray while arbitrary is (usually|of a decision) based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at random.As a noun arbitrary is
anything arbitrary, such as an arithmetical value or a fee.wayward
English
Adjective
(en adjective)citation, page= , passage=Bulgaria's only attacking weapon was the wayward shooting of Martin Petrov, whereas England's attacking options were awash with movement in the shape of Rooney, Young and Walcott.}}
arbitrary
English
Adjective
(arbitrariness) (en adjective)- Benjamin Franklin's designation of "positive" and "negative" to different charges was arbitrary . In fact, electrons flow in the opposite direction to conventional current.
- The decision to use 18 years as the legal age of adulthood was arbitrary , as both age 17 and 19 were reasonable alternatives.
- "The Russian trials were Stalin's purges, with which he attempted to consolidate his power. Like most people in the West, I believed these show trials to be the arbitrary acts of a cruel dictator." (
Max Born, Letters to Einstein
)
- The equation is true for an arbitrary value of x.
- To secure food safety, there should first be a national standard to arbitrarily state what is wholesome and what is not; second, the final buyer should know exactly what he is purchasing. (
The World's Work ...: a history of our time
)