improvisation

American  

[im-prov-uh-zey-shuhn, im-pruh-vuh-] / ɪmˌprɒv əˈzeɪ ʃən, ˌɪm prə və- /

noun

• improvisations
  plural

1. the art or act of improvising, or of composing, uttering, executing, or arranging anything without previous preparation.

   Musical improvisation involves imagination and creativity.

2. something improvised.

   The actor's improvisation in Act II was both unexpected and amazing.

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improvisation British  

/ ˌɪmprəvaɪˈzeɪtərɪ, -trɪ, ˌɪmprəˈvaɪzətərɪ, ˌɪmprəvaɪˈzeɪʃən, -ˈvɪz- /

noun

1. the act or an instance of improvising

2. a product of improvising; something improvised

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• improvisational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• improvisations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of improvisation

First recorded in 1780–90; improvise + -ation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

improvisation improvisations

Messi's genius has always been rooted in improvisation.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

From there, a cook either proceeds with furious off-the-cuff improvisation or arranges their mise en place and serenely moves through each step as instructed or based on their knowledge.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

And, on any given night, he didn’t hesitate to expand an improvisation to startling lengths, finding new ideas well beyond the imaginative limits of most jazz players.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

Then things happen and it feels like there is a lot of improvisation and performance.

From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026

Through the practice of imitation, exploration, improvisation, and composition, students learn what music is by performing.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Listen closely through the web of startling improvisations on Mr. Sorey’s version of “Effi,” and you can hear Mr. Allen playing traces of Merritt’s alluring bass grooves from the original.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 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

She would whisper in her Uncle Marcos’s ear, and he in turn would transmit the message to the client, along with any improvisations of his own that he thought pertinent.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Related Words

• spontaneity