extempore

[ ik-stem-puh-ree ]

See synonyms for extempore on Thesaurus.com

adverb

on the spur of the moment; without premeditation or preparation; offhand: Questions were asked extempore from the floor.
without notes: to speak extempore.

(of musical performance) by improvisation.

adjective

extemporaneous; impromptu.

Origin of extempore

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin: literally, “out of the time, at the moment,” equivalent to ex “out of” (see ex-¹) + tempore “the time” (ablative singular of tempus )

synonym study For extempore

4. See extemporaneous.

Other words from extempore

non·ex·tem·po·re, adverb, adjective

Words Nearby extempore

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use extempore in a sentence

Never having known, before, how to roast an egg, I did not regret this lesson in the art of extempore cookery.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 67, Number 414, April, 1850 | Various
He spoke extempore and admirably, and could go on for a long time in that deep, appealing voice which had struck us to the soul.
Z. Marcas | Honore de Balzac
Carpenters were at work converting the library into an extempore theatre.
Frank Fairlegh | Frank E. Smedley
Carlyle had no faith in rapid writing of any sort, any more than Daniel Webster had in extempore speaking.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume XIII | John Lord
Prince Albert was present, and made a very sensible and pertinent extempore speech.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VII, December 1850, Vol. II | Various

British Dictionary definitions for extempore

extempore

/ (ɪkˈstɛmpərɪ) /

adverb, adjective

without planning or preparation; impromptu

Origin of extempore

C16: from Latin ex tempore instantaneously, from ex- 1 out of + tempus time

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

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