What does randomize mean?
Randomize is a verb meaning to make something occur or be arranged without a deliberate sequence, pattern, or fixed method. A researcher might randomize the order of test questions or randomly assign participants to groups; a program might randomize the arrangement of items on a screen. The word is often associated with fairness, impartiality, and the reduction of bias, although it can also describe making an outcome unpredictable or poorly controlled. In everyday speech, randomize may carry a slightly negative connotation, as in a poorly planned process that seems to have no systematic order. The related forms random, randomly, and randomness describe the quality or manner of being random, while randomization names the process itself.
verbTo make something random or arranged by chance rather than by a definite system, rule, or plan. It can also mean to select or determine something in a random way.
- To make something random or arrange it in a random order.
- To select, assign, or determine something in a random way.
- To occur or be distributed randomly.
"The researcher randomized the order of the participants to reduce bias."
"The instructor randomized the seating before the exam."
"The results varied widely because the samples were randomized at each stage."
Randomizing is how researchers keep chance from quietly shaping their results.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does randomize come from?
Randomize is an English formation made by combining random with the suffix -ize. The related base random was already established in English before the verb became common, with its modern sense associated with chance, lack of definite direction, and unpredictability. The suffix -ize, which ultimately derives from Greek -izein, is widely used in English to form verbs expressing the action or process of making something like something else.
Related word forms
How randomize is actually used
The word is common in academic, technical, statistical, and administrative contexts. It is especially frequent in research methods, where randomizing assignments or samples helps reduce selection bias. In everyday use, it may suggest careless or unpredictable organization.
Easily confused with randomize
Random describes something selected or occurring without a definite pattern, while randomize is the verb describing the act of making or arranging something in that way.