arbitrary vs authoritarian

arbitrary

adj
  • Determined by impulse rather than reason; heavy-handed. 

  • Not representative or symbolic; not iconic. 

  • Determined by independent arbiter. 

  • Based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at random. 

  • Any, out of all that are possible. 

noun
  • Anything arbitrary, such as an arithmetical value or a fee. 

authoritarian

adj
  • Tending to impose one's demands upon others as if one were an authority. 

  • Demanding obedience to authority; marked by authoritarianism; dictatorial, tyrannical. 

  • Of, or relating to, or exhibiting strict obedience to an authority; favoring authoritarianism over civic and individual liberties. 

noun
  • One who commands absolute obedience to his or her authority. 

  • One who follows and is excessively obedient to authority. 

How often have the words arbitrary and authoritarian occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )