randomadjective
uk/ˈræn.dəm/us/ˈræn.dəm/C1 happening, done, or chosen by chance rather than according to a plan:
random checks/tests/attacks
We asked a random sample/selection of people what they thought.
informal strange or unusual:
I just saw Billy wearing a top hat - he's so random!
informal unknown and unexpected in a particular situation:
Some random guy walked in.
at random
C1 by chance, or without being chosen intentionally:
The winning entry will be the first correct answer drawn at random.
More examples
- And what might be the underlying significance of these supposedly random acts of violence?
- To my untutored eye that just looks like a load of random brush strokes and yet it's a very valuable painting.
- It seems that the attack was a random act of violence.
- The survey was carried out among a random sample of voters.
- The security guards carried out random checks on people entering the building.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Chance and randomness
- accident
- arbitrary
- as luck would have it idiom
- be the luck of the draw idiom
- casual
- circumstance
- fortuitous
- haphazard
- happen
- happenstance
- harum-scarum
- lottery
- luck into sth
- more by accident than design idiom
- more by luck than judgment idiom
- one in a million idiom
- postcode lottery
- serendipity
- stochastic
- stumble into sth
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Unique and unusual
Strange, suspicious and unnatural
randomly
adverb uk/ˈræn.dəm.li/us/ˈræn.dəm.li/
C1
The books were randomly arranged on the shelves.
randomnoun [ C ]
uk/ˈræn.dəm//ˈræn.dəm/informalan unknown or unexpected person:
You can't make a whole movie with randoms off the street.