ad-lib

Examples

• All

• On the night of the disastrous experiment, you then ad-lib by removing all the control rods in order to generate enough power for your experiment.

  Blog text (20)

• It had to be live ad Lib and very very fluid and organic.

  WIRED

• Gladys, near shock, ad-libs commands to Phillip.

  Fiction book (1993)

• I stand here for my sins, lecturing in a kind of an ad Lib way, and that makes it even more pronounced in what I say.

• The comedian decided to ad-lib some jokes during the show to keep the audience engaged.

• During the rehearsal, the actress needed to ad-lib her lines when she forgot the script.

• His ability to ad-lib made the presentation more enjoyable and spontaneous.

Synonyms

S

spontaneous

vsad-lib

187 4.2

Happening naturally without planning or outside cause

is used for any act without preparation rather than for natural origin

I

impromptu

vsad-lib

37 6.3

Done or said without preparation

refers more generally to acting without preparation rather than only sudden speech

U

unscripted

vsad-lib

13 5.3

Not planned in writing and done while people speak or act

applies to any unprepared action, not only absence of written script

I

improvisational

vsad-lib

10 7.2

Made or done without planning, using what is on hand

is the broad idea of doing something without preparation rather than art focus

O

offhand

vsad-lib

7 6.3

Said or done immediately without careful thought

covers doing things without preparation generally, not only careless responses

U

unrehearsed

vsad-lib

7 5.3

Not planned or practiced before

is the general idea of doing something without preparation rather than rehearsal focus

O

off-the-cuff

vsad-lib

3 7.2

Said or done without planning beforehand

describes the general lack of preparation without necessarily casual tone

E

extemporaneous

vsad-lib

2 9.1

Said or done without preparation on the spot

covers any unprepared action, not only brief formal speaking situations

I

improvised

vsad-lib

1 4.6

Made quickly using what is available

is the general act of doing something without preparation rather than material focus

U

unwritten

vsad-lib

1 3.9

Not planned or put on paper in advance

is the general concept of acting without preparation rather than script absence

U

unstudied

vsad-lib

1 6.4

Not planned or practiced and seeming natural

is the broader absence of preparation rather than emphasizing natural look

E

extemporary

vsad-lib

8.8

Happening without much planning

is the general label for absence of preparation across situations

E

ex tempore

vsad-lib

• Formal

9.9

Done or said without planning at the moment

is the broader phrase for doing something without preparation in many contexts

How Spontaneous

spontaneous

187 4.2

ad-lib

1 7.4

improvised

1 4.6

offhand

7 6.3

scripted

3.7

Surface Forms

Etymology