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
Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Nov. 2025
Lewis cited an offhand comment Lively made at the sentencing hearing.
—Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 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
An offhand remark from the prime minister of Japan has roiled Beijing, unleashing an onslaught of accusations and even threats of decapitation from Chinese officials.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Nov. 2025
Lewis cited an offhand comment Lively made at the sentencing hearing.
—Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 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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The second half of my 20s unveiled a new loneliness born from ending a 10-year relationship, an impromptu interstate move that took me from Brooklyn across the water to become the first in my bloodline to settle in New Jersey, and the existential weight of it all.—
Inés Anguiano,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Feb. 2026
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Frank Sinatra has burst into impromptu song in the bar, Michael Jackson offered to buy the hotel and Robbie Williams (who has a place nearby) is a regular in the restaurant.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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So far, he’s been spotted draped in a full-length, white fluffy coat and fire engine-red hat and gloves, watching the women’s downhill race, and casually chatting with onlookers at the curling mixed doubles, adorned in a zip-jacket emblazoned with Team USA players’ faces.—
Sheena McKenzie,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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What never occurred to me was the need to explicitly ban vaping until my date casually produced a crackling Juul mid-screening.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Five minutes after half-time, Dominic Calvert-Lewin had the space to guide an improvised finish home with his chest, after Gruev was allowed far too much room to cross from the edge of the box.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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The film’s director and lead actor, Christopher Guest, had shown her scenes of their co-stars already seeming comfortable in their heavily improvised roles.—
Paula Mejía,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 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
-
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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During various interviews last week, Minter talked about wanting to make things easier on Jackson, playing on schedule more and relying less on the quarterback’s improvisational skills to bail out the Ravens.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Thompson has explored visual art since moving to New Zealand, as well as starting an improvisational guitar-drums duo called Tondo.—
Simon Vozick-Levinson,
Rolling Stone,
30 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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Due in large part to his father’s background, Treutelaar began long snapping informally as a young child.—
Steve Reaven,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Offhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offhand. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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