improvisation
Americannoun
-
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.
Other Word Forms
- improvisational adjective
Etymology
Origin of improvisation
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.
When movement finally began, it resembled not so much order as managed improvisation.
From Slate • Mar. 26, 2026
Against that backdrop, the use of charged historical analogies can feel less like explanation and more like improvisation.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
His intuitive grasp of the logic of power, his genius for improvisation, and his willingness to adapt dramatic and unconventional approaches equip him with skills that a war president needs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026
For the American firms and American consumers who bear the brunt of tariffs, the practical question is simpler: Will U.S. trade policy become stable and predictable, or will it remain an instrument of constant improvisation?
From MarketWatch • Feb. 23, 2026
Or was their tenure somewhat less cynical, more a matter of improvisation, motivated by the distant but vague object of forging a lasting harmony between Greek and Egyptian?
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
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.
