ex tempore
- idiom
- /ɛks tɛmˈpɔri/
- Formal
:
ex tempore
- He delivered an ex tempore speech at the conference.
Examples
-
She delivered an ex tempore speech that impressed everyone with its clarity.
-
He often plays piano ex tempore, composing music as he goes.
-
The judge asked the lawyer to answer the question ex tempore during the hearing.
-
Can you give an ex tempore performance tonight?
-
She delivered an ex tempore speech that impressed everyone with its clarity.
-
The judge asked the lawyer to answer the question ex tempore during the hearing.
-
He often plays piano ex tempore, composing music as he goes.
Synonyms
37
6.3
Done or said without preparation
11
6.3
Said or done without planning first
3
7.2
Said or done without planning beforehand
2
9.9
Said or done without planning beforehand
2
9.1
Said or done without preparation on the spot
1
7.4
Said or done without preparation
1
7.2
To say or do something without thinking and planning
In a way that is said or done without preparation
Happening without much planning
In a way that is not planned beforehand
Antonyms
How Prepared
Surface Forms
Morphology
ex + tempore
This is a Latin borrowing (ex tempore) whose constituents are non‑English and not accessible to an average B1 learner, so the meaning 'impromptu' cannot be derived from English word knowledge. Even if a learner recognizes elements like 'ex' or 'temp-' as relating to 'out' or 'time', the phrase functions as an idiomatic foreignism in English and is not transparently compositional.
Etymology
Ex tempore comes from Latin words ex ('from') and tempore ('time'), which gives the image of doing something 'from the moment'. Musicians and speakers used the phrase when they made music or a speech on the spot, so ex tempore means 'without preparation'.