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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of offhand
Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2025
Dario’s debut for Versace was all in the mix; the Gianni refs, the vintage-y layering and eclecticism, the youthful offhand sexiness and dare-to-be different vibe.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 29 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
Lewis cited an offhand comment Lively made at the sentencing hearing.
—Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2025
Dario’s debut for Versace was all in the mix; the Gianni refs, the vintage-y layering and eclecticism, the youthful offhand sexiness and dare-to-be different vibe.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 29 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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But such impromptu races weren’t unknown at the time.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Some stood on large metal dumpsters that blocked all traffic, banging on them, while others gave speeches at the growing impromptu memorial for Pretti, who was a 37-year-old ICU nurse at a VA hospital.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Rih’s silky black hairdo—coiffed by her long-time hairdresser Yusef Williams—was, at times, worn with a Yankees cap and others, casually tossed into a bun.—
Essence,
Essence,
23 Jan. 2026
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Clean, elevated, hard stone pendants are made easy to wear, when casually strung on a leather cord.—
Kate Matthams,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana seeks to preserve that heritage, capturing the raw intensity and intimate, improvised interplay of the performers in Tablao Flamenco, coming to Dallas as part of the TITAS/Dance Unbound series.—
Manuel Mendoza,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
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Recent Emmy nominee and beloved Broadway star Michael Urie gets to embrace Brian’s egomania by preaching its benefits in an improvised TED talk… only to then repeatedly abandon his personal belief system in favor of the show’s supportive communal vibes.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Sometimes, Academy Award-winning actress Sandra Bullock will offhandedly give you career advice.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
28 Nov. 2025
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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
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Worse, perhaps, leadership in moments of upheaval requires a certain theatricality and improvisational creativity that establishment Republican politicians tend to lack.—
Walter Russell Mead,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
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The bigger concern is the improvisational contributions from Nix — big scrambles, off-platform throws, odd-angle deliveries — have been a significant part of an offense that has struggled at times to hang its hat on anything else consistently.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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That standard would uphold the NCAA’s interpretation of the waiver rule so long as the NCAA didn’t act arbitrarily or capriciously, either of which is difficult to show.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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There are questions about the rights of citizens versus non-citizens, the rights of the US to pull visas arbitrarily.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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As flawed generative AI tools continue to be used carelessly, without the necessary follow-up work of checking for hallucinations, experts warn that agencies like NWS could inflict serious damage to their reputation and authority.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
7 Jan. 2026
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Florida has a prohibition on carelessly carrying a gun.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
31 Dec. 2025
Adverb
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Previously, agents had informally shared information about protesters and agitators with each other, the memo said.—
Jeff Winter,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
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Zamorano’s writing group still meets informally.—
Erica Zora Wrightson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Offhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offhand. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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