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
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
The key question here is whether the comment was feedback to be considered or simply an offhand remark to be dismissed.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
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
The film gathers small details — a slight here, an offhand accusation there, a minor humiliation there — that collectively become overwhelming.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
The key question here is whether the comment was feedback to be considered or simply an offhand remark to be dismissed.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
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
-
The Giants first hosted Beckham for a workout April 20, after weeks of public flirting and an impromptu visit by the receiver to chat with Harbaugh at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
Near the end of the night, several students reportedly made an impromptu decision to swim in the river near Dartmouth's student docks.—
Corin Cesaric,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
Adverb
-
Collaboration is not a word Seehorn deploys casually.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
2 June 2026
-
Sorry to just casually mention that Rue died 45 minutes into the episode.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Yet the idea of an improvised solo as a story to tell, and of the melody as the vehicle for that story, was a constant in his music.—
Don Heckman,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
-
Now, those nightly improvised tangents have become one of the production's most beloved elements.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 May 2026
Adverb
-
America is offhandedly disregarding science.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
Sometimes, Academy Award-winning actress Sandra Bullock will offhandedly give you career advice.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
28 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Over two minutes, a spectrum of Black improvisational styles battle on what feels like a Red Planet, interspersed with video game chirps and tectonic-shifting airblasts that cool the magma cooked up during combat, each one building off the other’s energy.—
Tatiana Lee Rodriguez,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
-
Shange describes the night as having been both improvisational and in process for years.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
Adverb
-
The hundreds of thousands of people every year who have been clearing the legal requirements of adjustment of status cannot have their rights cut off arbitrarily.—
Cassandra Burke Robertson,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
-
The people whose few belongings were being arbitrarily picked up and thrown by a crane into the trash were not harassing staff.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
Adverb
-
Done carelessly, a ban is unlikely to succeed.—
Mercury News Editorial Board,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
-
But the same tool, used carelessly, will do real harm.—
Lutz Finger,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Adverb
-
When the 16 coaches were informally polled about doubling the size of the playoff field during one of their sessions at the Big 12 spring meetings, all of them raised their hands.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
-
The project started informally almost a decade ago between Arthur and Clarke, long before the idea of making a record.—
David Chiu,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Offhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offhand. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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