definitions
  • synonyms

extemporaneous

[ ik-stem-puh-rey-nee-uhs ]
/ ɪkˌstɛm pəˈreɪ ni əs /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR extemporaneous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

done, spoken, performed, etc., without special advance preparation; impromptu: an extemporaneous speech.
previously planned but delivered with the help of few or no notes: extemporaneous lectures.
speaking or performing with little or no advance preparation: extemporaneous actors.
made for the occasion, as a shelter.

RELATED WORDS

ad-lib, automatic, casual, expedient, extempore, fake, free, immediate, impromptu, informal, made-up, makeshift, offhand, snap, spontaneous, unplanned, unpremeditated, unprepared, unrehearsed, unstudied

Nearby words

ext, ext., extant, extd., extemporal, extemporaneous, extemporaneously, extemporary, extempore, extemporize, extend

Origin of extemporaneous

First recorded in 1650–60, extemporaneous is from the Late Latin word extemporāneus on the spur of the moment. See extempore, -an, -eous
SYNONYMS FOR extemporaneous
1, 2 Extemporaneous ( extempore ), impromptu, improvised are used of expression given without preparation or only partial preparation. Extemporaneous and impromptu may both refer to speeches given without any preparation: an extemporaneous ( impromptu ) speech. Extemporaneous may also refer to a speech given from notes or an outline: extemporaneous lectures. Impromptu also refers to poems, songs, etc., delivered without preparation and at a moment's notice. Improvised is applied to something composed (recited, sung, acted), at least in part, as one goes along: an improvised piano accompaniment.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR extemporaneous ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR extemporaneous
1 memorized.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR extemporaneous ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formsex·tem·po·ra·ne·ous·ly, adverbex·tem·po·ra·ne·ous·ness, ex·tem·po·ra·ne·i·ty [ik-stem-puh-ruh-nee-i-tee] /ɪkˌstɛm pə rəˈni ɪ ti/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for extemporaneous

British Dictionary definitions for extemporaneous

extemporaneous

extemporary (ɪkˈstɛmpərərɪ, -prərɪ)

/ (ɪkˌstɛmpəˈreɪnɪəs) /

adjective

spoken, performed, etc, without planning or preparation; impromptu; extempore
done in a temporary manner; improvised
Derived Formsextemporaneously or extemporarily, adverbextemporaneousness or extemporariness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for extemporaneous

extemporaneous

adj.

1650s (earlier extemporal, 1560s), from Medieval Latin extemporaneus, from Latin ex tempore (see extempore). Related: Extemporaneously.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper