extemporaneous

American  

[ik-stem-puh-rey-nee-uhs] / ɪkˌstɛm pəˈreɪ ni əs /

adjective

1. done, spoken, performed, etc., without special advance preparation; impromptu.

   an extemporaneous speech.

2. previously planned but delivered with the help of few or no notes.

   extemporaneous lectures.

3. speaking or performing with little or no advance preparation.

   extemporaneous actors.

4. made for the occasion, as a shelter.

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extemporaneous British  

/ ɪkˌstɛmpəˈreɪnɪəs, ɪkˈstɛmpərərɪ, -prərɪ /

adjective

1. spoken, performed, etc, without planning or preparation; impromptu; extempore

2. done in a temporary manner; improvised

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Related Words

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. Although extempore is an adjective with the very same meaning as extemporaneous, this word is most often used in its adverbial senses: She spoke extempore, and had the audience's rapt attention. 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.

Other Word Forms

• extemporaneity noun
• extemporaneously adverb
• extemporaneousness noun

Etymology

Origin of extemporaneous

First recorded in 1650–60, from Late Latin extemporāneus “on the spur of the moment”; extempore, -an, -eous

Explanation

Extemporaneous means spoken without preparation. The orator's performance was impressive, but we did not realize the depth of his talent until we learned that his speech was extemporaneous. Some politicians are so skilled that even their prepared remarks have an extemporaneous quality. As opposed to policy debates where teams know the resolution in advance, extemporaneous debates are judged on style and nimble argumentation, as the participants receive the resolution minutes before debating begins. Extemporaneous comes from the Latin phrase ex tempore, literally meaning "out of time." The words in this family (extemporary, extemporaneously, extemporize, etc.) almost always refer to speaking or composing something on the spot — without time or enough preparation.

Example Sentences

No one else will experience that extemporaneous moment like the woman in that particular seat.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026

There were times when his unplanned, extemporaneous delivery would cause frustration.

From Salon • Feb. 29, 2024

Although he set the text aside, his deviation was not extemporaneous in the truest since of the word.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 22, 2023

The evening’s first big group-sing came during “POF,” the opening cut from Lennox’s second and most recent album, “Age/Sex/Location,” during which she made the precision of her phrasing feel extemporaneous, like conversation.

From Washington Post • Mar. 30, 2023

Speros’s extemporaneous opening act was to decide which figures from popular culture we looked like: DiPaola was Bart Simpson, Chavez was Zorro, Dimmie was a soul singer from the 1970s.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover