Meanings
- not comparableDepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance.
Malicious Fate, too, they felt, would even crown with the grand prix the number they would have chosen. But for the prospective draw for the wig—which reintroduced the aleatory—life would scarcely have been bearable.
1910, Israel Zangwill, The Grey Wig2 more examples
Soon the snow will close on us; we are here some twenty miles - twenty-seven, they say, but this I profoundly disbelieve - in the woods; communication by letter is slow and (let me be consistent) aleatory; by telegram is as near as may be impossible.
1887 October 8, Robert Louis Stevenson, letter to Edmund GooseThere is no particular reason why even the gregarious Americans should so throng the portals of a perfectly obscure steerage passenger like young Chuzzlewit. There was every reason why they should throng the portals of the author of Pickwick and Oliver Twist. And no doubt they did. If I may be permitted the aleatory image, you bet they did.
1922, G. K. Chesterton, What I saw in AmericaSynonyms: random, stochastic
- not comparableartProduced with an element of chance (aleatoricism).
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveDepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivedependent on chance
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latināleātōrius
- Englishaleatory
From Latin āleātōrius, from āleātor (“dice-player”), from ālea (“a die”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian случаен, зависещ от стечение на обстоятелствата
- случаен (slučaen)depending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
- зависещ от стечение на обстоятелстватаdepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
Chinese Mandarin 偶然
- 偶然 (ǒurán)depending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
Dutch aleatoir, aleatorisch
- aleatoirdepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
- aleatorischdepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
Esperanto aleatora
- aleatoradepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
Finnish satunnainen, aleatorinen
- satunnainendepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
- aleatorinendepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
French aléatoire
- aléatoiredepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
German aleatorisch, zufällig
- aleatorischdepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
- zufälligdepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
Latin aleatorius
- aleatoriusdepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
Portuguese aleatório
- aleatóriodepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
Romanian aleatoriu
- aleatoriudepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
Spanish aleatorio
- aleatoriodepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
Swedish aleatorisk, slumpmässig
- aleatoriskdepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
- slumpmässigdepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
- tillfälligdepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
Turkish şansa bağlı
- şansa bağlıdepending on the throw of a die; random, arising by chance
Cite this entry
aleatory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aleatory
“aleatory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aleatory. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aleatory,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aleatory.
Source: aleatory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.