as in devising
to perform, make, or do without preparation
since the award was a complete surprise, I improvised an acceptance speech
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of improvising
The group sings and harmonizes with the instruments, improvising every now and then.
—
Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
That's all Masali just improvising.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
Daniel, Chris’s father, has been searching for him ever since, along the banks of the Vistula River, improvising methods and means of investigation.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
This reflects conscientiousness, or the tendency to plan, organize and execute systematically versus improvising and adapting in real time.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
So neighbors have been improvising.
—Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
The franchise already has its playbook, and judging by social media reactions, Blumhouse ran it without improvising for the win.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Dec. 2025
The country is still bruised, unbalanced and improvising.
—Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
During an early rehearsal, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande began improvising a goodbye — speaking, not singing — with their arms wrapped around each other in a corner of the room.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
That's all Masali just improvising.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
Daniel, Chris’s father, has been searching for him ever since, along the banks of the Vistula River, improvising methods and means of investigation.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
This reflects conscientiousness, or the tendency to plan, organize and execute systematically versus improvising and adapting in real time.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
So neighbors have been improvising.
—Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
The franchise already has its playbook, and judging by social media reactions, Blumhouse ran it without improvising for the win.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Dec. 2025
The country is still bruised, unbalanced and improvising.
—Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
During an early rehearsal, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande began improvising a goodbye — speaking, not singing — with their arms wrapped around each other in a corner of the room.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improvising
Verb
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There were also signs of progress on property taxes as lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee advanced their tax cut proposal — although their plan remains far from the one their Senate counterparts are devising.—
Stephen Gruber-Miller,
Des Moines Register,
19 Mar. 2026
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Last week, the council voted to direct the city manager to study moving emergency operations, dispatch and the service call center out of City Hall while devising funding plans for repairing the building, staying there and relocating.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As Gyllenhaal begins concocting her third directorial feature, could Curtis be part of the picture?—
Antonio Ferme,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
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Gyllenhaal, who also wrote her film, has corrected the imbalance, refashioning the story from the Bride’s perspective and concocting a protagonist of unfiltered feminist fury.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Martin Necas set him up in the high slot, and after faking a slap shot, MacKinnon rifled a wrister past Pittsburgh goalie Arturs Silovs.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
17 Mar. 2026
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Cumming found that taxpayers spent more than $694,000 on 15 contractors to help troubled youth, and at least two of those contractors committed fraud, overbilling Baltimore by thousands of dollars and faking invoices.—
Mike Hellgren,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Improvising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improvising. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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