as in impromptu
made or done without previous thought or preparation
stumbled through an improvised reply to an unexpected question at the press conference
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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
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
Bundelkhand is represented by Maans ke Dahi Bade, a lamb-and-lentil recipe improvised by Maharaja Digvijaya Singh of Sailana, while Panna finds its spot through the imperious-sounding Aash-e-Sangsheer.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Much of it seems improvised, and probably was.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 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
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
Bundelkhand is represented by Maans ke Dahi Bade, a lamb-and-lentil recipe improvised by Maharaja Digvijaya Singh of Sailana, while Panna finds its spot through the imperious-sounding Aash-e-Sangsheer.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Much of it seems improvised, and probably was.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improvised
Adjective
-
The impromptu choir, alongside dozens of others in the audience, was advocating for cuts to the Sacramento Police Department in favor of funding youth violence intervention, a community ambassador program, homelessness services and fee waivers for underserved residents.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
-
Cole spent February driving around the country for impromptu fan meets, peddling CDs from the trunk of his pre-stardom Honda Civic.—
John Kennedy,
VIBE.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
In this case, the team devised a way to directly merge the mechanophores as cross-links into common polymers.—
Shirl Leigh
June 10,
New Atlas,
10 June 2026
-
The team’s Mediterranean Programme was devised in response to the exponential risk of extinction to the sea’s nearly 80 species of shark and ray.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
With the trend away from toxic chemical control of plant pests and diseases, treatment formulas concocted from benign household products are on the rise.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
28 May 2026
-
Their fragrances were always concocted around a storyline.—
Jennifer Weil,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Miguel Andujar hit a light chopper to third baseman Alec Bohm, who faked a throw to first and Tatis was tagged out in a rundown to end the inning.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
-
But in the final scene, Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) tells a story about how Eleven secretly faked her death and is living peacefully somewhere.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Improvised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improvised. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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