List of 426 Sets of Synonyms - How they Differ - Total of 2307 Words - 67

SYNONYMS: chance, random, casual, haphazard, desultory.
These adjectives apply to what is determined not by deliberation or method but by accident.

Chance stresses lack of premeditation: a chance meeting with a friend.
Random implies the absence of a specific pattern or objective and suggests a lack of direction that might or could profitably be imposed: struck by a random shot; took a random guess.
Casual stresses lack of deliberation and often suggests an absence of due concern: made a casual observation.
Haphazard implies a carelessness or a willful leaving to chance: offered a haphazard plan of action.
Desultory suggests a shifting about from one thing to another that reflects a lack of method: engaged in a desultory conversation.