at random
Featured
May 23, 2025
At random means without any plan, pattern, or system—chosen or happening by pure chance. If you pick names at random from a hat, you're not selecting based on any logic or preference.
Americans will also describe a person as a “random” meaning a person who is not central to a story, not known to any of the individuals, seemingly selected “at random” from the general population.
The term comes from the idea that something selected without deliberate choice is unpredictable. Scientists use random selection to avoid bias in experiments, and gaming uses random number generators to determine outcomes in everything from dice rolls to video game loot drops.
Americans will also describe a person as a “random” meaning a person who is not central to a story, not known to any of the individuals, seemingly selected “at random” from the general population.
The term comes from the idea that something selected without deliberate choice is unpredictable. Scientists use random selection to avoid bias in experiments, and gaming uses random number generators to determine outcomes in everything from dice rolls to video game loot drops.
Rate of Appearance in English Language Print
Google's Ngram project shows how often a pair of words has appeared in print every year since the 1800's.
Data from Google Books Ngram Viewer. Licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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