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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of offhand
Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
Founders start rewriting decks based on one offhand comment.
—Holden Bruce, Forbes.com, 5 Mar. 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
And, playing a detective and his secretary attempting to ascertain the Bride’s whereabouts, Peter Sarsgaard and Penelope Cruz have just the right note of offhand oddness that suggests neither is taking the movie too seriously.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
Founders start rewriting decks based on one offhand comment.
—Holden Bruce, Forbes.com, 5 Mar. 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 impromptu choir, alongside dozens of others in the audience, was advocating for cuts to the Sacramento Police Department in favor of funding youth violence intervention, a community ambassador program, homelessness services and fee waivers for underserved residents.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
-
Cole spent February driving around the country for impromptu fan meets, peddling CDs from the trunk of his pre-stardom Honda Civic.—
John Kennedy,
VIBE.com,
9 June 2026
Adverb
-
In another, some $8,000 in high ticket merchandise was casually wheeled out.—
Carolyn Gusoff,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
-
He was dressed casually, in a green suède jacket and black sweats, but his watch was heavily iced with diamonds, as was a chain around his neck.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
Garbage piles now choke nearly every Havana street corner, filling neighborhoods with stench, flies and rats as residents navigate improvised dumps outside homes, hospitals and busy thoroughfares.—
Andrea Rodríguez,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
All-Stars will perform an improvised version of the award-winning podcast.—
Caroline Ritzie,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
31 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
-
Director Josh Rowland describes the new improvisational show as set in a place where bounty hunters with empty pockets chase high-stakes outlaws through a gritty solar system trying to make a big score.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2026
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All of those skills are especially important on clay and grass, surfaces where players have to be more creative and improvisational.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Adverb
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Right now New York City’s system arbitrarily denies rent regulation to millions of tenants — like only covering buildings with six or more units built before 1974 that weren’t deregulated before 2019.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
2 June 2026
-
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
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
-
By her side sits her companion, Penelope Jardine, dressed comparatively informally in a loose-fitting shirt, trousers and a pair of scuffed espadrilles.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
The list of athletes who have a rule named in their honor, however informally, is brief and prestigious.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Offhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offhand. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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