as in impromptu
made or done without previous thought or preparation
a quick, offhanded suggestion that was actually much better than any of the prepared proposals
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Recent Examples of offhanded
Its language, instead, is a chilly French chicness: spiky, refined, offhanded, exuding effortlessness through extraordinary effort.
—
Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 27 July 2025
Mistress constantly has her wheels turning looking for avenues to rattle the queens, but Nicole does so with a single offhanded comment that cuts to the quick.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 23 May 2025
During last week's postgame media availability, Jalen Hurts made a seemingly offhanded comment about Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.
—Chantz Martin, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025
In a recent interview, the former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy made an offhanded comment that connected a few dots for me.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024
That isn’t to say that Le Gros, a true indie O.G. who seems to get better with age, and McCarthy don’t give equally nuanced turns, or that Donaldson’s deft way of embedding deep, complicated back stories in offhanded conversational details don’t add to the film immensely.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2024
With his offhanded singsong delivery, spare instrumentation and arsenal of songs that manage to be simultaneously downcast and extravagant, Drake has wielded an outsized influence on the sound of mainstream hip-hop and even R&B the past decade.
—Brian McCollum, USA TODAY, 9 July 2023
But an earlier vérité shot, where Curry drops a seemingly offhanded comment after chatting with former teammate Kevin Durant, should titillate the SportsCenter crowd.
—Bill Edelstein, Variety, 29 Apr. 2023
Journalist David Sirota floated the idea of his friend Adam McKay (an Oscar winner for The Big Short) directing a film about the climate crisis and made an offhanded comment about how the situation feels like an asteroid is headed toward Earth and nobody cares.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2022
Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 27 July 2025
Mistress constantly has her wheels turning looking for avenues to rattle the queens, but Nicole does so with a single offhanded comment that cuts to the quick.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 23 May 2025
During last week's postgame media availability, Jalen Hurts made a seemingly offhanded comment about Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.
—Chantz Martin, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025
In a recent interview, the former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy made an offhanded comment that connected a few dots for me.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024
That isn’t to say that Le Gros, a true indie O.G. who seems to get better with age, and McCarthy don’t give equally nuanced turns, or that Donaldson’s deft way of embedding deep, complicated back stories in offhanded conversational details don’t add to the film immensely.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2024
With his offhanded singsong delivery, spare instrumentation and arsenal of songs that manage to be simultaneously downcast and extravagant, Drake has wielded an outsized influence on the sound of mainstream hip-hop and even R&B the past decade.
—Brian McCollum, USA TODAY, 9 July 2023
But an earlier vérité shot, where Curry drops a seemingly offhanded comment after chatting with former teammate Kevin Durant, should titillate the SportsCenter crowd.
—Bill Edelstein, Variety, 29 Apr. 2023
Journalist David Sirota floated the idea of his friend Adam McKay (an Oscar winner for The Big Short) directing a film about the climate crisis and made an offhanded comment about how the situation feels like an asteroid is headed toward Earth and nobody cares.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offhanded
Adjective
-
Christmas Eve is her favorite day of the year, but she’s just been informed that her adult children won’t be coming over tonight because her ex-husband has decided to throw an impromptu wedding reception after his impromptu courthouse wedding with his second wife.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
4 Sep. 2025
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No longer do white picket fences divide neighbors and security gates enclose neighborhoods, but walking trails zig zag throughout the homes with lush landscaping to give access to impromptu social intersections alongside nature.—
Jennifer Castenson,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The improvised nature of the production was born in part out of practical necessity.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
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One person lies in the street, his head cracked open in a pool of blood, while a boy is carried away on an improvised stretcher.—
Mahmoud Atef,
CNN Money,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Ohs has described his method as collaborative and as calculatedly improvisational, a mix of composition in advance and real-time discovery.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Sep. 2025
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But the Grateful Dead were an improvisational band.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offhanded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offhanded. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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