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
Melissa Locker, Time, 23 July 2025
An offhand comment that William S. Burroughs makes in Naked Lunch illuminates the way others shape us from an unexpected angle.
—Michael W. Clune, Harpers Magazine, 16 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 finally cracks the case for Sophie, though, was an offhand remark Margo made to Sophie in the very first episode of the series.
—Melissa Locker, Time, 23 July 2025
An offhand comment that William S. Burroughs makes in Naked Lunch illuminates the way others shape us from an unexpected angle.
—Michael W. Clune, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for offhand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offhand
Adjective
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Episodes revolved around impromptu demonstrations of his telekinetic and telepathic skills, dealing with daily high school issues, and embarking on government missions.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
They got engaged in 2017 and tied the knot in an impromptu Vegas wedding in 2019.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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Then, after glancing toward his owner in the kitchen, the dog hops off the couch and casually walks past the kitchen before disappearing out of frame.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
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Instead, one waits for a handful of moments when his casually menacing persona clicks with a memorable bop, resulting in a few minutes of earworm ecstasy.—
Mosi Reeves,
Rolling Stone,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The suspect also had a smoke bomb, or a firework that would produce smoke, but no bomb or improvised explosives were found on the scene, according to O'Hara.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
-
But this shift was not an improvised experiment.—
Martín Toro,
Rolling Stone,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Wilford Brimley was totally improvisational.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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But can those advances continue arbitrarily far into the future, without any bound?—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
7 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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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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What has amazed Boudreau even more is that even as the project was suspended, many staff members kept working informally — keeping tabs on the famine situation in their country.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
13 Aug. 2025
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Common folk developed their own cheap and simple remedies, says Schult, passed down from generation to generation at first informally, then, by the 19th century, increasingly in handwritten recipe books or in almanacs meant for a slightly wider audience.—
Mark Hay,
Popular Science,
13 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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And if so why are the IDF bombarding a civilian population from the skies indiscriminately destroying any bit of shelter and infrastructure?—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
10 Aug. 2025
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If your resume doesn't align with the role or appears to have been generated and sent out indiscriminately, there's a good chance it will be filtered out before a human ever sees it.—
Tammy Homegardner,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offhand. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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