vilkårlige

Vilkårlig is an adjective used in Norwegian to describe something that is determined by personal whim, without a fixed principle or consistent criteria. The term conveys a sense of arbitrariness, unpredictability, and sometimes caprice. It is commonly applied to decisions, procedures, rules, or outcomes that seem to be guided by chance or the mood of those who implement them, rather than by objective standards. In everyday language, vilkårlig carries a negative connotation, especially when fairness or due process is at stake.

Vilkårlig derives from vilkår, meaning condition or term, with the suffix -lig meaning "characterized by" or "having the quality of". The word has cognates in other Scandinavian languages, such as Danish vilkårlig and Swedish vilkårlig, used with similar meaning, though usage patterns can vary.

In practice, you can hear phrases like "en vilkårlig beslutning" (an arbitrary decision) or "vilkårlige regler" (arbitrary rules). It is often contrasted with tilfældig or tilfeldig, which more directly denote randomness or chance, whereas vilkårlig emphasizes a lack of principled justification or consistency in application.

In legal, administrative, or ethical discourse, vilkårlig decision-making is typically criticized for failing to apply criteria uniformly and for risking bias. Some discussions acknowledge a nuance between "arbitrary" meaning driven by whim and "random" meaning governed by chance, and speakers may choose vilkårlig to reflect a lack of consistent justification rather than mere randomness.

See also: tilfældig, tilfeldig, arbitrary, capricious.