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
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
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
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Recent Examples of ad-lib
Sabrina Park, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 Mar. 2023
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2025
The camera then cut to Tiger Woods — co-founder of the new three-on-three golf league — who broke out into a wide smile, laughing and shaking his head at the ad-lib.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2025
While much of the show was scripted, Lowe was also allowed to ad-lib, which further helped solidify the show’s off-kilter, edgy sense of humor.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2025
During their jam session with Bad Bunny, the group was able to ad-lib an element unique to their hometown: the tale of Jacinto, a farmer who is dragged by his cow into a ocean blowhole, famously known as Jacinto’s pit cave.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
First of all, Megan gets to ad-lib every night and comes up with really funny lines every single night.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
According to Patton Oswalt, the cast would ad-lib jokes for Reynolds to say to Blade in Snipes’s absence.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2024
But little did Pearson know, Key would one-up these references with an ad-lib.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2024
McCall’s ad-lib joke about beetles (as in the insect) got them the biggest laugh.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2024
Adjective
At the same time, more ad-lib moments are often expected onstage, bound to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
—Sabrina Park, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 Mar. 2023
Verb
Being able to ad-lib was such a steep learning curve for me.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2025
The camera then cut to Tiger Woods — co-founder of the new three-on-three golf league — who broke out into a wide smile, laughing and shaking his head at the ad-lib.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2025
While much of the show was scripted, Lowe was also allowed to ad-lib, which further helped solidify the show’s off-kilter, edgy sense of humor.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2025
During their jam session with Bad Bunny, the group was able to ad-lib an element unique to their hometown: the tale of Jacinto, a farmer who is dragged by his cow into a ocean blowhole, famously known as Jacinto’s pit cave.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
First of all, Megan gets to ad-lib every night and comes up with really funny lines every single night.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
According to Patton Oswalt, the cast would ad-lib jokes for Reynolds to say to Blade in Snipes’s absence.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2024
But little did Pearson know, Key would one-up these references with an ad-lib.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2024
McCall’s ad-lib joke about beetles (as in the insect) got them the biggest laugh.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ad-lib
Adjective
-
Near the end of the night, several students reportedly made an impromptu decision to swim in the river near Dartmouth's student docks.—
Corin Cesaric,
People.com,
18 May 2025
-
Laxe revels in the beauty and imposing scale of the Sahara desert (where Sirat was filmed) with scenes of the cars rolling up steep mountains or getting lost in impromptu sand storms.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
The solution to their stasis is a drama set in a Covid testing set that will combine theater, improvisation, and cinema.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2025
-
Mealtime is an all-too-familiar improvisation, based on whatever's in the fridge.—
Matthew Korfhage,
Wired News,
18 May 2025
Verb
-
Not Sorry that Michele refused to improvise while shooting scenes for the Fox comedy series.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
8 May 2025
-
The music in the scene was completely improvised, Lindo later shared.—
Cheyanne M. Daniels,
The Hill,
5 May 2025
Verb
-
Solving problems like the most efficient way to use an aircraft cargo hold, or helping devise the next generation of long-term storage batteries, is only part of the IonQ mission.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
-
President Trump's tariffs are upending retailer supply chains, forcing them to devise workarounds.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
9 May 2025
Verb
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The book centers on Amber Patterson concocting a plan to get closer to the wealthy Daphne Parrish, whose lavish life Amber envies.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Apr. 2025
-
The creator of the modern-day Tequila Sunrise, concocted and popularized in a Sausalito bar in the 1970s, has died.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
Verb
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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
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Friends said he was talented and could extemporize about anything.—
Jacques Kelly,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Jan. 2023
Verb
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Binky, a four-year-old Chihuahua, has become a viral sensation after a video showing him faking injuries to keep his owner from going to work racked up more than 15 million views since being shared this week.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
-
There’s a cut in the middle of the video, which looks like a glitch; some people on the internet think it’s been faked.—
Jia Tolentino,
New Yorker,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ad-lib.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ad-lib. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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