offhand

[awf-hand, of-]

See more synonyms for offhand on Thesaurus.com

adverb

cavalierly, curtly, or brusquely: to reply offhand.
without previous thought or preparation; extempore: to decide offhand to take a trip.

adjective

informal, casual, curt, or brusque: an offhand manner.
Also off·hand·ed. done or made offhand.
Glassmaking. working manually and without the use of molds: offhand blowing.

Origin of offhand

First recorded in 1685–95; off + hand

Related formsoff·hand·ed·ly, adverboff·hand·ed·ness, noun

Synonyms

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. short, shortly, abruptly. 3, 4. impromptu, extempore.

Antonyms

4. considered.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for offhand

Contemporary Examples

Offhand, I can think of two Jacks—Jack of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and Jack the Ripper, who cut quite a figure in his day.
Harvey Weinstein’s Battle With Warner Bros. Over ‘The Butler’: There's History
Marlow Stern
July 12, 2013
One aide monitoring the speech gave it the kind of offhand tweet it deserves.
Romney's Birther "Joke" and the Automatic Outrage Machine
Michael Tomasky
August 24, 2012
Everyone should watch what they say lest their offhand remarks be twisted and damage the company.
Rupert Murdoch Bares Media’s Reach to Leveson Inquiry on Phone Hacking
Nicholas Wapshott
April 28, 2012
C-SPAN Negotiations An offhand promise in a debate ended up coming back to haunt Democrats during the health-care debate.
Obama's 7 Broken Promises
The Daily Beast
April 20, 2010
Was the threat just an offhand comment that got quoted in the press?
The G-20's Drama Queen
Eric Pape
September 24, 2009

Historical Examples

Offhand he could think of no weak spot on his side; and if he must fight, he would fight.
The Wild Geese
Stanley John Weyman
The doctor was a little bearded man in white, with an offhand manner.
The Moon and Sixpence
W. Somerset Maugham
With offhand cordiality, Claude takes charge of this interesting friend.
Oswald Langdon
Carson Jay Lee
It isn't every day that a man and his wife get their lives saved in that offhand way!
Peak and Prairie
Anna Fuller
I began in an offhand but cautious manner to talk about Bernard.
John Gayther's Garden and the Stories Told Therein
Frank R. Stockton

British Dictionary definitions for offhand

offhand

adjective, adverb Also: offhanded

without care, thought, or consideration; sometimes, brusque or ungraciousan offhand manner
without preparation or warning; impromptu

Derived Formsoffhandedly, adverboffhandedness, noun

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

offhand

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}offhand

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Examples from the Web for offhand

Contemporary Examples

Offhand, I can think of two Jacks—Jack of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and Jack the Ripper, who cut quite a figure in his day.

One aide monitoring the speech gave it the kind of offhand tweet it deserves.

Everyone should watch what they say lest their offhand remarks be twisted and damage the company.

C-SPAN Negotiations An offhand promise in a debate ended up coming back to haunt Democrats during the health-care debate.

Was the threat just an offhand comment that got quoted in the press?

Historical Examples

Offhand he could think of no weak spot on his side; and if he must fight, he would fight.

The doctor was a little bearded man in white, with an offhand manner.

With offhand cordiality, Claude takes charge of this interesting friend.

It isn't every day that a man and his wife get their lives saved in that offhand way!

I began in an offhand but cautious manner to talk about Bernard.

offhand

Origin of offhand