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
  • Plus spending two to three hours running — plus recovery time — on Saturdays and Sundays likely saved me from at least a few impromptu shopping trips.
    — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Paquette was in a ska/punk band in his youth, then began setting up impromptu music shows in rehearsal studios and other places.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of impromptu
Noun
  • A little improvisation could make the rest of the day surprisingly efficient.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The Midwest rock band Umphrey’s McGee is known for pairing progressive rock with nightly improvisation, stated casino officials in the release.
    — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of improvisation
Verb
  • Governors and county boards are improvising, from moratoriums to new permitting rules, because Washington has no framework, even as the industry asks for one.
    — Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Faux freckles grew into a beauty trend as freckles shifted from a feature often concealed to one people deliberately recreate, often improvising with everyday makeup like brow pencils and eyeliner before dedicated products arrived.
    — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of improvise
Adjective
  • The New Stanford Prison Experiment, Netflix’s take on a project that was always more convincing as improvisational theater than as scientific research, isn’t even television’s first crack at Zimbardo’s study.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of improvisational
Verb
  • Over the following weeks, the group of roughly 15 people spoke almost daily to trace the vulnerabilities to their common source and devise a fix.
    — Harry Booth, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
  • With her knack for devising novel solutions to seemingly insoluble problems, no one was better suited for the job.
    — Dean Robbins, Space.com, 18 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
  • After an uneasy initial meeting, the two women unleash a passion neither knew could exist, with Olivia concocting a way for Tamsin to move into the Madden home.
    — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Gabardine, named after the world’s first breathable, waterproof fabric that Burberry created and used in its iconic trenchcoat, was concocted by Givaudan’s Nisrine Grillié and Yann Vasnier.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 27 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
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 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All