Synonyms

improvised

American

[im-pruh-vahyzd] / ˈɪm prəˌvaɪzd /

adjective

made or said without previous preparation.

an improvised skit.

Synonyms:

unprepared, unrehearsed, unpremeditated

Related Words

See extemporaneous.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of improvised

First recorded in 1830–40; improvise + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Some shows, like Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino’s “Off Book: The Improvised Musical” — where their whole shtick is to make a musical from scratch on the spot — were born for these moments.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025

Improvised bits of modern dialogue and a variety of acting styles give the productions a sense of a particularly collaborative rehearsal process.

From New York Times • Oct. 18, 2022

Improvised ladders litter the brush along the base of the wall between the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa crossings.

From Washington Post • Apr. 29, 2022

Oxford Research Group’s chief executive, Richard Reeve, likened averting asymmetric attacks to defending against Improvised Explosive Device or suicide attacks on land forces.

From Reuters • Jun. 14, 2019

Improvised undertaking shops have embalmed and placed in their shrouds 198 persons.

From The Johnstown Horror!!! or, Valley of Death, being A Complete and Thrilling Account of the Awful Floods and Their Appalling Ruin by Walker, James Herbert

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023