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

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.

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ANTONYMS FOR extemporaneous

1 memorized.

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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

But extemporaneous speech is not his strongest suit; Kanye expresses himself much better creatively than he does in conversation.
In Defense of Kanye West|Rawiya Kameir|December 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It, of course, depended a good deal on the extemporaneous affidavit qualifications of the applicant.
Remarks|Bill Nye
I understand: Robineau had ordered an extemporaneous reception—that his people should surprise him with cries of Vive monseigneur!
The White House (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XII)|Charles Paul de Kock
They were usually in the Saturnian metre and took the form of a dialogue, consisting of an interchange of extemporaneous raillery.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3|Various

If my style seems rather flippant, it is because I have been trained as an extemporaneous speaker and not as a writer.
The Iron Puddler|James J. Davis
She was trained in an art which makes no extemporaneous demand on the artist.
The Dual Alliance|Marjorie Benton Cooke

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.