improvisation
Americannoun
-
improvisations
plural
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the art or act of improvising, or of composing, uttering, executing, or arranging anything without previous preparation.
Musical improvisation involves imagination and creativity.
-
something improvised.
The actor's improvisation in Act II was both unexpected and amazing.
noun
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the act or an instance of improvising
-
a product of improvising; something improvised
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of improvisation
Explanation
Improvisation is making it up as you go along, like taking a long stroll with no destination in mind and walking down random streets for the fun of it. Making choices that aren’t planned ahead of time, that’s improvisation. Jazz musicians are masters of improvisation, creating saxophone solos off the top of their heads based on what they feel in the moment. The Latin word improvisus means “unforeseen,” and improvisation happens when you can’t see the end goal but you keep moving ahead, dealing with obstacles in a creative way.
Vocabulary lists containing improvisation
Starting Your New Life: Inspiring Words from Commencement Speeches
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Dwight D. Eisenhower, "The Military-Industrial Complex" (1961)
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Theater - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
Messi's genius has always been rooted in improvisation.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
That’s still my favorite kind of recipe: one that knows exactly what it is while leaving plenty of room for improvisation.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
He well understood the city’s brightness, harshness, improvisation and fractured essence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Then things happen and it feels like there is a lot of improvisation and performance.
From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026
Exactly how such an event should proceed without tearing the country apart was still very much a matter of speculation and improvisation.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
The pianos are made in significant numbers, but each one requires the application of personalized craft; Mr. Payne’s photographs display Steinway employees with the technical virtuosity and artistic improvisations of fine musicians.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
When DiCaprio cut loose with long improvisations, like when his character, a burnout revolutionary, argues on the phone with headquarters, the crew played it safe by capturing his takes with a conventional film camera.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025
"We do all sorts of exercises to establish the family routines and the traditions. We do improvisations based on, 'What's Sunday dinner like?'"
From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2024
Perttu Kesäniemi and Mikko Ojanen recorded the artists' vocal and instrumental improvisations at the University of Helsinki Music Research Laboratory, and digitally added the acoustics of selected sites to them.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
Then slowly build up from shorter 4-beat improvisations to 8-beat ones.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
