as in impromptu
made or done without previous thought or preparation
stumbled through an improvised reply to an unexpected question at the press conference
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in devised
to perform, make, or do without preparation
since the award was a complete surprise, I improvised an acceptance speech
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Recent Examples of improvised
Andrea Rodríguez, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
All-Stars will perform an improvised version of the award-winning podcast.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 May 2026
Now, those nightly improvised tangents have become one of the production's most beloved elements.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 May 2026
In March, a man bearing an AR-15-style rifle crashed a car loaded with improvised explosives into a Michigan Jewish preschool near dismissal time.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
The over 13-minute uncut interview shows the rapper thoroughly unsettling Colbert, in an improvised rap about, among other things, a romantic relationship between the pair of them.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 20 May 2026
That data only reflects damage caused by airstrikes, drone attacks and remote and improvised explosive device, or IED, explosions.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 13 May 2026
Allison Barr/The Oregonian via AP Portland police said in a statement Saturday night that during an ensuing search of the vehicle and building, investigators located several incendiary and improvised explosive devices, some of which had partially detonated.
—Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 3 May 2026
She was blessed with an unstinting energy and buoyancy that had her dashing off postcards far and wide, answering e-mails with improvised poetry, and cold-calling younger writers to offer encouragement.
—Pico Iyer, Air Mail, 2 May 2026
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026
The show, partly scripted and partly improvised, relies heavily on audience participation and a willingness to be vulnerable.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
Four years later, the same governments improvised the same shortfalls under the conditions of national emergency.
—Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Rivilis also coaxes confident, naturalistic performances from her non-professional cast, who largely improvised their dialogue, making this a good fit for festivals with young audiences.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 25 May 2026
The decision to restrict exports of minerals critical to defense and clean energy wasn’t improvised.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 May 2026
There’s a moment in Diamond between me and Vicky that was improvised in our last scene together.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 20 May 2026
Even the wiring had to be improvised at scale, with metal rods used in place of traditional jumper wires, since no off-the-shelf equivalents exist for a project of this size.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 17 May 2026
With limited supplies available, the pair improvised using items from passengers and crew — including blankets and a shoelace provided by a flight attendant, the outlet noted.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Garbage piles now choke nearly every Havana street corner, filling neighborhoods with stench, flies and rats as residents navigate improvised dumps outside homes, hospitals and busy thoroughfares.
—Andrea Rodríguez, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
All-Stars will perform an improvised version of the award-winning podcast.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 May 2026
Now, those nightly improvised tangents have become one of the production's most beloved elements.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 May 2026
In March, a man bearing an AR-15-style rifle crashed a car loaded with improvised explosives into a Michigan Jewish preschool near dismissal time.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
The over 13-minute uncut interview shows the rapper thoroughly unsettling Colbert, in an improvised rap about, among other things, a romantic relationship between the pair of them.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 20 May 2026
That data only reflects damage caused by airstrikes, drone attacks and remote and improvised explosive device, or IED, explosions.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 13 May 2026
Allison Barr/The Oregonian via AP Portland police said in a statement Saturday night that during an ensuing search of the vehicle and building, investigators located several incendiary and improvised explosive devices, some of which had partially detonated.
—Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 3 May 2026
She was blessed with an unstinting energy and buoyancy that had her dashing off postcards far and wide, answering e-mails with improvised poetry, and cold-calling younger writers to offer encouragement.
—Pico Iyer, Air Mail, 2 May 2026
Verb
Professional sports are better equipped to withstand a culture increasingly saturated by gambling because the rules are bargained, not improvised.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026
The show, partly scripted and partly improvised, relies heavily on audience participation and a willingness to be vulnerable.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
Four years later, the same governments improvised the same shortfalls under the conditions of national emergency.
—Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Rivilis also coaxes confident, naturalistic performances from her non-professional cast, who largely improvised their dialogue, making this a good fit for festivals with young audiences.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 25 May 2026
The decision to restrict exports of minerals critical to defense and clean energy wasn’t improvised.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 May 2026
There’s a moment in Diamond between me and Vicky that was improvised in our last scene together.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 20 May 2026
Even the wiring had to be improvised at scale, with metal rods used in place of traditional jumper wires, since no off-the-shelf equivalents exist for a project of this size.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 17 May 2026
With limited supplies available, the pair improvised using items from passengers and crew — including blankets and a shoelace provided by a flight attendant, the outlet noted.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improvised
Adjective
-
The impromptu display quickly won over viewers online.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
-
That woman may not realize it, but her impromptu photo with Padilla might now be a collector’s item.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Security firm Varonis devised an exploit chain that was able to catapult over these guardrails.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
16 June 2026
-
The researchers were Stanford psychologists carrying out an experiment on impulse control devised by Walter Mischel.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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Director Josh Rowland describes the new improvisational show as set in a place where bounty hunters with empty pockets chase high-stakes outlaws through a gritty solar system trying to make a big score.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2026
-
All of those skills are especially important on clay and grass, surfaces where players have to be more creative and improvisational.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Investigators believed Simko met one of the suspects at a cannabis festival in Ann Arbor, where the suspects reportedly concocted a plan to set up a fake business deal and steal what officials said was upwards of 50 pounds of marijuana.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
Blanche, his former personal lawyer, concocted it in staggering disregard of legal ethics.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The shocking story of how Parker faked a pregnancy — and ultimately killed expectant mother Reagan Simmons Hancock, 21, in an attempt to steal her unborn baby — is the focus of the Netflix documentary, Maternal Instinct.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
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The new Netflix documentary Maternal Instinct details the chilling 2020 murder of Reagan Simmons-Hancock at the hands of Taylor Parker, who faked a pregnancy for 10 months before attempting to steal Simmons-Hancock’s unborn child.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Improvised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improvised. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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