ad-lib 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of ad-libnext
as in impromptu
made or done without previous thought or preparation not bad for an ad-lib comedy routine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ad-lib

2 of 3

noun

as in improvisation
something that is performed, made, or done without preparation you would never suspect that that stirring speech was an ad-lib

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ad-lib

3 of 3

verb

ˈad-ˈlib How to pronounce ad-lib (audio)
as in to improvise
to perform, make, or do without preparation had to ad-lib constructing a piñata because she'd never actually seen it being done

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ad-lib
Adjective
Ritchie’s process Multiple Gentlemen cast members have talked about Ritchie’s on-set process, which often calls on actors to learn new versions of scripts in the moment, or ad-lib to improve a scene. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026 But that moment, that is an ad-lib because the line was [supposed to be] very calm. — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
As seen in a video clip uploaded to the official Oscars YouTube channel, his ad-lib received applause from the audience in the room, but the Academy ultimately excluded the Chicago actor from presenting at the ceremony for several years. — Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 6 Dec. 2025 Puzzled, Aggie climbs the stairs and — as Nile continues to ad-lib — finds Teddy, dead, suffocated with a bag, in Cooper’s room, which is decked out to match the live feed. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ad-lib
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ad-lib
  1. impromptu
  2. improvisation
  3. improvise
  4. improvisational
  5. devise
  6. improvised
  7. concoct
  8. extemporize
Adjective
  • There, Simone joined Little Richard for an impromptu performance.
    — Jason Miller, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Some do impromptu handstands against the wall, their feet tapping to the music; others migrate to adjacent gym equipment, pulsing on workout rings, swinging on knotted climbing ropes or swiveling their hips on a Bosu balance ball.
    — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of impromptu
Noun
  • Yet musical improvisation remained a defining influence throughout his practice, which was unusual in its diversity of styles, mediums, and materials.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Trailblazers should not resist structure simply because improvisation worked in the beginning.
    — Kevin Brady, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of improvisation
Verb
  • Fans who didn’t have one of those improvised by using their phone lights to join in.
    — Natalia Cano, Billboard, 26 Sep. 2026
  • But across Gaza, students and teachers are improvising with what is left, still driven by the promise of education.
    — Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of improvise
Adjective
  • The 28-year-old QB has succeeded when supported by consistent line play, yet also boasts improvisational skills that set him apart from many NFL starters.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026
  • Tsepetis’s improvisational approach to hospitality creates a home-away-from-home warmth that keeps many of his guests returning, year after year.
    — Noo Saro-Wiwa, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of improvisational
Verb
  • Teams devised an unprecedented bit of spaceship surgery to replace the valve without draining the propellant and disassembling the spacecraft, steps that would have triggered a much longer delay.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026
  • This boutique-sized wellness retreat of 10 antique handmade Javanese wooden houses in Uluwatu was devised by owner Martha Brooke as a place to share many of the holistic methods and tools that helped her overcome cancer.
    — Kathryn Romeyn, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of devise
Adjective
  • The piece contends that the threat warrants advance legal planning rather than reliance on improvised responses after a disruption occurs.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Comedian TaTa Sherise headlines 50 Worst Dates, an improvised comedy series, while Broadway veterans Kristine Covillo and Ben Davis star in ReelArc’s psychological thriller Zero Point.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of improvised
Verb
  • Explanations require concocting narratives and then defending them.
    — Diana Olick, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Navatek would concoct a research project in partnership with a university in a member’s district or home state, and Kao would make a large initial campaign donation.
    — William Turton, ProPublica, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of concoct
Verb
  • The future, instead, seems to belong to the teams and coaches who are willing to be a little more flexible and see their role as providing a platform on which their players might extemporize.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2023
  • Friends said he was talented and could extemporize about anything.
    — Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2023
Definition of extemporize

Browse Nearby Words

adjuvant
ad-lib
ad-libbed
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Ad-lib.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ad-lib. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All