improvisation

noun

im·​pro·​vi·​sa·​tion (ˌ)im-ˌprä-və-ˈzā-shən 

ˌim-prə-və-

also ˌim-prə-(ˌ)vī-

1

: the act or art of improvising

2

: something (such as a musical or dramatic composition) improvised

improvisational

(ˌ)im-ˌprä-və-ˈzā-sh(ə-)nəl 

ˌim-prə-və-

also ˌim-prə-(ˌ)vī-

adjective

improvisationally adverb

Synonyms of improvisation

• impromptu
• improv

Examples of improvisation in a Sentence

that comedy skit was a totally unrehearsed improvisation

Recent Examples on the Web

But there was nothing as spontaneously magnificent as the wildly extended improvisation that went down later, in the second act. —Chris Willman, Variety, 2 Dec. 2025

The 306-page book use solos by Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis and other jazz immortals to provide melodic and rhythmic vocabularies for improvisation. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2025

One take there might be an improvisation, the other take there isn’t. —Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 24 Nov. 2025

There was a heavy amount of improvisation, right? —Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for improvisation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

improvisation

noun

im·​pro·​vi·​sa·​tion (ˌ)im-ˌpräv-ə-ˈzā-shən 

ˌim-prə-və-

1

: the act or art of improvising

2

: something that is improvised

improvisational

-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective