• Random

    Pronunciation

    • enPR: răn'dÉ™m, IPA: /ˈrændÉ™m/

    Origin

    From Middle English raundon, from Old French randon, from randir ("gallop") (whence French randonnée ("long walk, hike")), from Frankish *rant, *rand ("a running"), from Proto-Germanic *randijō ("a running"), from Proto-Germanic *rinnaną ("to run"), from Proto-Indo-European *ren- ("to rise; to sink"). See run.

    Full definition of random

    Noun

    random

    (plural randoms)
    1. A roving motion; course without definite direction; lack of rule or method; chance.
      • HerrickCounsels, when they fly
        At random, sometimes hit most happily.
      • Sir Walter ScottO, many a shaft, at random sent,
        Finds mark the archer little meant!
    2. (obsolete) Speed, full speed; impetuosity, force. 14th-17th c.
      • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book I.10:And therwith two of them dressid their sperys, and Ulfyus and Brastias dressid theire speres, and ranne to gyder with grete raundon.
      • E. HallFor courageously the two kings newly fought with great random and force.
    3. (obsolete) The full range of a bullet or other projectile; hence, the angle at which a weapon is tilted to allow the greatest range. 16th-19th c.
      • 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, in Kupperman 1988, page 144:Fortie yards will they shoot levell, or very neare the marke, and 120 is their best at Random.
    4. (figuratively, colloquial) An undefined, unknown or unimportant person; a person of no consequence. from 20th c.The party was boring. It was full of randoms.
    5. (mining) The direction of a rake-vein.

    Synonyms

    Adjective

    random

    1. Having unpredictable outcomes and, in the ideal case, all outcomes equally probable; resulting from such selection; lacking statistical correlation.The flip of a fair coin is purely random.The newspaper conducted a random sample of five hundred American teenagers.The results of the field survey look random by several different measures.
      • July 18 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Dark Knight Riseshttp://www.avclub.com/articles/the-dark-knight-rises-review-batman,82624/Where the Joker preys on our fears of random, irrational acts of terror, Bane has an all-consuming, dictatorial agenda that’s more stable and permanent, a New World Order that’s been planned out with the precision of a military coup.
    2. (mathematics) Of or relating to probability distribution.A toss of loaded dice is still random, though biased.
    3. (computing) Pseudorandom; mimicking the result of random selection.The rand function generates a random number from a seed.
    4. (somewhat colloquial) Representative and undistinguished; typical and average; selected for no particular reason.A random American off the street couldn't tell the difference.
    5. (somewhat colloquial) Apropos of nothing; lacking context; unexpected; having apparent lack of plan, cause, or reason.That was a completely random comment.The teacher's bartending story was interesting, but random.The narrative takes a random course.
    6. (colloquial) Characterized by or often saying random things; habitually using non sequiturs.You're so random!

    Synonyms

    Derived terms

    terms derived from random (adjective)

    Anagrams

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