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
Jason Ma, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Kimmel had suggested during a seemingly offhand comment in Monday’s monologue that suspected Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson was a MAGA member.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for offhand
Adjective
Earlier this year, an offhand comment from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sparked speculation that the government’s gold hoard would be marked to market, releasing a windfall of hundreds of billions of dollars.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Kimmel had suggested during a seemingly offhand comment in Monday’s monologue that suspected Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson was a MAGA member.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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
See All Example Sentences for offhand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offhand
Adjective
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Organized by a slew of leading Japanese menswear companies, the event — now in its seventh iteration — is a city stroll-cum-impromptu-runway show of men decked out in full sartorial looks that has already taken place in Tokyo, Osaka and Seoul, among other cities.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
5 Nov. 2025
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Dreyer learned of the award on Friday, when SDFC’s players and staff surprised him with the trophy in an impromptu ceremony.—
Ryan Finley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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These pull-on style pants can easily be dressed down with a T-shirt to wear casually, or with a nice blouse or dress shirt and be boardroom-ready.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
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Dress casually for fun exercise and meet new, friendly people.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Mochrie then performs an improvised comedy act with the semi-conscious volunteers.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Jan. 2026
-
This writing had an intimate, improvised feel and often took a looser approach to craft; much of it was written with performance in mind.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
The tragedy side of things is addressed rather offhandedly — occasionally the movie will remember the boggling grief and betrayal at its center, only to shrug it off again just as quickly.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Perhaps those types of fluid, improvisational melodies could only be born from literally not being strapped in.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
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The band’s concerts have become a hallmark of improvisational energy that has attracted a devoted and eclectic fanbase.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
30 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Or that, even worse, it would be arbitrarily divided into episodes in order to inflate the view count and/or pander to short attention spans (Eywa wept).—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
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Tracks are shown arbitrarily with different start points but the same end points.—
Raj Dhiman,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Nov. 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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That means giving back, informally, to fulfill teachers’ wish lists and with the Eagles Autism Foundation.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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So, is the idea to replicate the British pub experience of people discussing hot topics informally?—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offhand. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.
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