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
An offhanded comment from Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker at the Sept. 30 council meeting is generating controversy online.
—
Amanda McCoy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025
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
Amanda McCoy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offhanded
Adjective
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Organized by a slew of leading Japanese menswear companies, the event — now in its seventh iteration — is a city stroll-cum-impromptu-runway show of men decked out in full sartorial looks that has already taken place in Tokyo, Osaka and Seoul, among other cities.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
5 Nov. 2025
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Dreyer learned of the award on Friday, when SDFC’s players and staff surprised him with the trophy in an impromptu ceremony.—
Ryan Finley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Provide your input and be part of creating improvised scenes, games and musicals that come with tons of fun and laughter!—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
27 Oct. 2025
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Deep shots, screens, improvised plays, even a flea-flicker touchdown to Luther Burden III.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps those types of fluid, improvisational melodies could only be born from literally not being strapped in.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
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The band’s concerts have become a hallmark of improvisational energy that has attracted a devoted and eclectic fanbase.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offhanded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offhanded. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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