arbitrary vs chance

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. 

chance

adj
  • Happening by chance, casual. 

noun
  • probability; possibility. 

  • The probability of something happening. 

  • An opportunity or possibility. 

  • Random occurrence; luck. 

verb
  • To try or risk. 

  • To discover something by chance. 

  • To rob, cheat or swindle someone. 

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