WordGarden.iorandomly
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /rˈændəmli/
US
- /ˈrændəmli/
Meanings
Adverb
by chance or without any predictable pattern
unexpectedly or for no obvious reason
Beyond the definition
Imagine scattering seeds across a field. You don't carefully place each one; you just toss them and let them land where they may. That's the basic idea of "randomly." It means happening or being done without a clear plan, reason, or pattern. A lottery number is chosen randomly, so each number has an equal chance of being picked. You might run into an old friend at the grocery store by chance. Sometimes events happen this way, and sometimes people act this way too, like choosing a movie with no real reason when they can't decide.
"Randomly" describes something that happens, is chosen, or is done without a predictable order, clear intention, or set pattern. It often suggests that chance, rather than a plan, decides the result. Think of shuffling a deck of cards: each card can appear next, and you do not know in advance what the order will be.
The word is often used for fair or unbiased processes, like random sampling in research, where participants are chosen randomly so the group is not picked in a biased way, or in medicine, where patients are randomly placed into different treatment groups. But it can also simply mean "by chance" in everyday life. If you say, "A stranger randomly offered me help with my groceries," you mean the act was unexpected and unplanned.
It is important to note that "randomly" does not always mean messy or chaotic. It mainly means there is no deliberate pattern or choice behind what happens. In daily speech, people also use it more loosely to mean "unexpectedly" or "for no obvious reason," as in "He randomly started singing." So whether you are talking about choosing names from a hat, meeting someone by chance, or assigning people to groups in a study, "randomly" points to chance rather than careful planning.
Examples
- 1
Prize drawing
The winners were selected randomly from all the entries.
- 2
App behavior
The app shows a different tip randomly each time you open it.
- 3
Classroom
The teacher called on students randomly, so everyone had to stay ready.
- 4
Research study
Patients were randomly divided into two groups for the study.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Accidental discovery
I randomly came across an old photo of us while cleaning my desk.
- 6
Sudden behavior
He randomly started singing in the middle of dinner.
- Usage
randomly can also mean "suddenly" or "for no clear reason" in everyday speech
- 7
Unexpected contact
She texted me randomly after not speaking to me for months.
See also
Similar
- at random
- haphazardly
- by chance
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- randomly selected
- randomly assigned
- randomly generated
- chosen randomly
Word family
Explore
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- randomlyadverb