All 6 Uses of
arbitrary
in
The Magic Mountain
- He was thirteen years old, a seventh-grader in short pants, and he was standing in the schoolyard talking with another boy about his age, but from a different class—a conversation that Hans Castorp had initiated more or less arbitrarily and that delighted him no end, although it would be a short one, given the limited scope offered by the physical object under discussion.†
Chpt 4.5arbitrarily = in a manner based on chance or impulse
- If so, we needed some light for it—please forgive my arbitrarily taking care of the matter," he said, waving one small hand toward the ceiling lamp.†
Chpt 5.1
- I used it quite arbitrarily, simply because my head is a little muddled.†
Chpt 6.7
- Forgive me, Mynheer Peeperkorn, for having arbitrarily completed your sentence.†
Chpt 7.4
- Fine, no one else had anything better, so let the spirit share this arbitrary item from the fullness of its knowledge.†
Chpt 7.8 *arbitrary = based on chance or impulse
- And scientific accuracy likewise prohibited even thinking of engaging in any such arbitrary departure and return.†
Chpt 7.8
Definition:
based on chance or impulse (rather than upon reasoning, consistent rules, or a proper sense of fairness)