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

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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

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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

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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
  • Yet her inclusion feels totally impromptu, like she and Bryan just got called up for their turn at karaoke and didn’t have a chance to work out the harmonies.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Moroney, Bryan and 19-year-old singer-songwriter Ty Myers were teased as being part of the lineup in an impromptu drone show over Tower Bridge Wednesday night.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of impromptu
Noun
  • Shifting between precision and improvisation, each rhythmic mark registers its own time signature.
    — Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The film was shot in six days on an iPhone through improvisation.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of improvisation
Verb
  • The successful applicant must also be willing to wear a hospital gown, memorize scripts, improvise dialogue and provide medical students with constructive feedback on their professionalism.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • When it’s truly improvised, the camera is often focused on only one person for an entire pass of a conversation.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of improvise
Adjective
  • These findings suggest that the audience for conversations about the soul is not shrinking, but shifting away from organized religion and toward more personal, improvisational forms of seeking.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Last month, at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival in Western North Carolina, MGU rolled through an hour-long set of new material from Appalachian Smoke and intricate improvisational jams.
    — Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of improvisational
Verb
  • After two months, the parties could reassess Hamas’s behavior and devise a more durable mechanism for delivering aid.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Determined to win her back, Ralph devises a crazy plan involving kidnapping the former child star of his favorite Christmas movie.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of devise
Adjective
  • Stiff was a record company that was founded on about 1,000 pounds and everything was done in an improvised fashion, including what order the songs came out from different artists.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of improvised
Verb
  • Yaga concocts one entertainingly heady brew, thanks to its beguiling mood and fearless cast.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
  • He was cleared of that, but then fell out with a friend who had helped concoct his alibi in the libel case, and was charged with perjury.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 17 Oct. 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
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Cite this Entry

“Ad-lib.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ad-lib. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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