random
/ˈrændəm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈrændəm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈran-dəm/ (ame, mw) · /ˈræn.dəm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈræn.dəm/ (ame, ipa)
random — adjective
- randompositive
- more randomcomparative
- most randomsuperlative
1. occurring without being planned, chosen, or guided by any rule or intention — si
occurring without being planned, chosen, or guided by any rule or intention — simply as a result of luck or accident.
The winner was chosen by a random draw from all the tickets sold.
collocation: random draw / random selection
A random check of bags at the airport caught several banned items.
collocation: random check
Takeshi met his old neighbour by pure random chance on the Tokyo subway.
The survey used a random sample of five hundred households across Taipei.
Henry picked a random book from the library shelf and started reading.
- planned
done with prior intention and preparation
- deliberate
done on purpose, not by accident
- systematic
following a clear method or order
文法句型
random + noun
be + random
用法筆記
In academic and survey contexts, 'random' has a precise statistical meaning (equal probability for each item). Outside those contexts, it simply means 'by chance'. The phrase 'at random' is the adverbial form.
常見錯誤
2. strange, surprising, or far from what you would normally expect, often striking
strange, surprising, or far from what you would normally expect, often striking you as funny or oddly interesting.
Gabriel sent me a random photo of a cat wearing a hat.
informal: 'random' describing unexpected content
That is such a random fact — I did not know penguins lived in Africa.
Esme had a random thought about why the sky is not green.
My grandmother told a random story about a goat that learned to dance.
Felipe got a random message from someone who said they had the wrong number.
文法句型
random + noun
be + random
that is so random
用法筆記
Very common in spoken English among younger speakers. Often used in the fixed expression 'that's so random!' to react to something odd or unexpected. Not used in formal writing.
常見錯誤
❌ 'That is random!' (in a formal essay) — avoid this sense in academic or professional writing; use 'odd' or 'unexpected' instead.
3. used to describe a person you do not know, did not expect, or whose identity is
used to describe a person you do not know, did not expect, or whose identity is not important in the situation.
A random woman stopped Niran on the street and asked for directions.
Tara got a call from some random guy who claimed to be a talent agent.
The website kept asking me to verify my identity with random strangers.
Iker sat next to a random passenger and chatted the whole way.
- unknown
neutral, more formal
- unidentified
formal, often used in police or official contexts
- some
informal; 'some guy' conveys the same dismissive tone
- specific
known and identified
- particular
singled out from others
文法句型
random + person noun
用法筆記
Always used before a noun like 'person', 'guy', 'stranger', 'passenger'. Cannot be used predicatively for this sense: 'The person was random' sounds like sense 2 (strange), not sense 3 (unknown).
4. done, chosen, or taken without following a particular order, rule, or selection
done, chosen, or taken without following a particular order, rule, or selection method.
The teacher asked random students to answer questions from the textbook.
describes method: no particular order
Amihan opened the drawer and grabbed a random pair of socks.
The police conducted random breath tests at three different roadblocks.
Rania picked a random seat in the café and sat down with her coffee.
The files were stored in random order, making them very hard to find.
- arbitrary
more negative, suggests unfair or unreasonable choices
- indiscriminate
formal; describes action that does not distinguish between good and bad
- unsystematic
neutral, describes something not done in a methodical way
- methodical
done in a careful, ordered way
- selective
carefully chosen from a group
- deliberate
done with careful intention
文法句型
random + noun (method/process)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 describes an outcome that happens BY chance ('a random event'), while this sense describes a method done WITHOUT a system ('a random choice'). The two often overlap but are not identical.
random — noun
- randomsingular
- randomsplural
1. a person you do not know or did not expect to see in a particular place or situa
a person you do not know or did not expect to see in a particular place or situation.
Some random came up to Élise at the station and asked for her phone number.
'a random' as noun = unknown person
Tariro does not like it when randoms follow her on social media.
A random walked into the office and asked if we were hiring.
Otis kept getting calls from some random who wanted to sell him insurance.
- stranger
neutral, standard English; lacks the dismissive tone of 'random'
- unknown person
formal, used in official reports
- acquaintance
someone you know, though not closely
- friend
someone you know and trust
文法句型
a random
some random
用法筆記
Highly informal — used mainly in spoken English and online messaging. The noun form is short for 'random person' or 'random stranger'. Often appears with 'some' or 'a'.
常見錯誤
❌ 'I saw a random at the bus stop' (in formal writing) — avoid this noun in essays or professional emails.
random — adverb
1. in a way that does not follow any particular plan, method, or pattern; by chance
in a way that does not follow any particular plan, method, or pattern; by chance rather than by choice.
The numbers were scattered randomly across the page with no pattern.
adverb describing arrangement
Sade randomly picked a restaurant from the map and hoped for the best.
The computer randomly selects five names from the list of applicants.
Bilal randomly decided to learn how to play the violin at age forty.
The printer randomly stopped working in the middle of the night.
- by chance
phrase, emphasises luck rather than method
- arbitrarily
suggests a decision based on whim rather than chance
- indiscriminately
negative connotation; without making proper distinctions
- systematically
following a clear plan or method
- deliberately
done on purpose with intention
- intentionally
done with a specific aim in mind
用法筆記
Can modify both deliberate actions (choosing, selecting) and accidental events (breaking, stopping). In computing and statistics, 'randomly' often carries the precise technical meaning that each outcome has an equal probability of occurring.