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Impromptu most often describes things, such as speeches or gatherings, that are not prepared ahead of time but that instead happen spontaneously. An impromptu concert or photoshoot, for example, is conceived and executed in the moment. Impromptu was borrowed—spelling, meaning, and all—from French in the mid-18th century. The French had gotten the word from Latin, from the phrase in promptu, meaning “in readiness.” But the presence of prompt in there is no coincidence: both impromptu and prompt are ultimately derived from the Latin promere, meaning “to bring forth, take out.”
Examples of impromptu in a Sentence
Valerie Mesa, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025
What began as an impromptu dinner quickly escalated into a playful heart-to-heart, followed by Damien and Deborah deciding to stop at a gay club, where dancing and a minor accident ultimately ensued.
—Jeff Conway, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Its flowy, non-constricting design can take me from vacation to weekend brunch to the office—or any impromptu summer activity.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2025
The comical scene has earned over 305,000 likes at the time of writing, and Gibson has been praised in the comments for taking the impromptu karaoke session in his stride.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impromptu
Cite this Entry
“Impromptu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impromptu. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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