as in impromptu
made or done without previous thought or preparation
an offhand comment that later caused the politician much embarrassment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in casually
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of offhand
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2021
Thomas didn’t know offhand but circled back to him with the answer: Six.
—Amie Just | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, 25 Dec. 2020
Jordan Greene, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
This kind of offhand remark contributes to a pattern in Republican circles where constitutional constraints are treated as flexible, potentially to gauge public reaction.
—Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for offhand
Adjective
The Trolley Problem entails having to make difficult choices, contextually herein in the nature of driving decisions, and is often offhand dismissed by some as a misleading folly in the self-driving realm.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2021
Thomas didn’t know offhand but circled back to him with the answer: Six.
—Amie Just | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, 25 Dec. 2020
Adverb
What started as an offhand comment at brunch quickly became a life-changing commitment.
—Jordan Greene, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
This kind of offhand remark contributes to a pattern in Republican circles where constitutional constraints are treated as flexible, potentially to gauge public reaction.
—Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for offhand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offhand
Adjective
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And in no scene is this better displayed when Tinder hits 1 million users and an impromptu celebration sets the office sprinklers off.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
19 Sep. 2025
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The breaking point came this summer when staff staged an impromptu strike, citing untenable working conditions.—
Lindsey Tramuta,
Robb Report,
18 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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Yet just as judges appeal to precedent to create stability and predictability in the law, policy makers must be attentive to the risks of casually discarding their nation’s commitments.—
Vivek Viswanathan,
The Atlantic,
22 Sep. 2025
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Jenner dressed casually in a grey hoodie and black leggings, while Aire wore a pair of pajamas and rocked some bed hair.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The researchers believe this error was not from its knowledge base but was an improvised guess based on their prior conversation about the square’s diagonal.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Sep. 2025
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After Rogen gave a short and seemingly improvised speech, Bargatze returned for a brief monologue.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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With a tight runtime and 10 freewheeling new songs, the band embraces the energy of its beloved live show throughout the new project, as the members jam out in the studio while riffing off of one another to make a collaborative, occasionally improvisational project.—
Stephen Daw,
Billboard,
19 Sep. 2025
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At All Blues, Martin’s Side A — a raw, improvisational session — played between pours.—
Gina Pace,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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The June court decision confirming that the tax treatment on breakup fees will not be arbitrarily changed provides this stability with respect to the tax code.—
Wayne Winegarden,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Guterres noted that others working for the UN, as well as people working with NGOs, civil society and diplomatic missions, have been arbitrarily detained in Yemen since 2021.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
31 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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Wallets, coins, and rings are carelessly passed around this little society, and messages are corrupted—from Orsino’s wooing of Olivia, which is accidentally undone by his own go-between, Viola, to the letters that deceive Malvolio.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
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But also just a touch ironic — like a man handing out fire safety pamphlets while carelessly flipping burgers over a bonfire on his porch.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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The photo, informally titled The Scourged Back and depicting an escaped slave believed to have been named Peter Gordon, has been in wide circulation since the nineteeth century and is evocative of the horrors and injustice of slavery.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
18 Sep. 2025
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Other educators who spoke to the Herald describe parents cutting back on extracurricular activities, avoiding school pick-up and drop-off lines, and even keeping children home to study informally.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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No doubt many of your colleagues had their jobs indiscriminately minced by the same whizzing DOGE machine that gifted you this painless early retirement.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
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Large groups were indiscriminately huddled together and riddled with machine gun fire.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offhand. Accessed 25 Sep. 2025.
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