Synonyms of improvise

improvise

verb

ˈim-prə-ˌvīz 

as in to devise

to perform, make, or do without preparation

since the award was a complete surprise, I improvised an acceptance speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

• devise
• concoct
• extemporize
• fake
• ad-lib
• manufacture
• clap (together or up)
• invent
• hatch
• contrive
• think (up)
• cook (up)
• fabricate
• make up
• dash (off)
• cobble (together or up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prepare
• ready
• arrange
• lay
• consider
• study
• practice
• exercise
• contemplate
• ponder
• rehearse

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of improvise

Zacharia had little time to prepare for the briefing, which can be a challenging joust with the press in which a press secretary needs to advocate on behalf of the administration and improvise quickly when tricky topics arise. — Michael Birnbaum The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026

If any of the above mandatory elements is missing, the system should not improvise. — Darko Pavic, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Props to the whole team for trying to get the sketch back on track, and for Day improvising a small admonishment within the scene. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2026

Marina Warner Possessed of Alchemystic Powers Ithell Colquhoun improvised with Surrealist and occult divinatory techniques in her paintings, and also in her writing—and in this lies her true originality. — Conor Heffernan, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026