extemporary

8.8

Happening without much planning

adjective
/ɪkˈstɛmpəˌrɛri/

: improvisado

And then they talk about extemporary preaching.

Examples

Her extemporary remarks during the meeting demonstrated her quick thinking and creativity.
The speaker gave an extemporary speech that impressed everyone in the audience.
During the debate, he often resorted to extemporary responses instead of prepared remarks.

Synonyms

spontaneous

vsextemporary

187 4.2

Happening naturally without planning or outside cause

shares spontaneity but can also mean improvised by choice rather than natural cause

impromptu

vsextemporary

37 6.3

Done or said without preparation

is similar but can refer to planned improvisation as well as quick responses

unplanned

vsextemporary

25 3.5

Happening by chance without getting ready first

is similar but can include deliberate improvisation rather than mere chance

improvisational

vsextemporary

10 7.2

Made or done without planning, using what is on hand

is used more broadly for any action done with little or no preparation

offhand

vsextemporary

7 6.3

Said or done immediately without careful thought

implies spontaneous action but may allow brief informal planning

unrehearsed

vsextemporary

7 5.3

Not planned or practiced before

focuses on short notice creation rather than performance preparation specifically

off-the-cuff

vsextemporary

3 7.2

Said or done without planning beforehand

is similar but can be used in both formal and informal contexts

unpremeditated

vsextemporary

2 7.5

Happening without being planned or thought about first

matches spontaneous origin but can also include quick deliberate choices

extemporaneous

vsextemporary

2 9.1

Said or done without preparation on the spot

is broader, applying to any spontaneous or improvised action beyond speech

improvised

vsextemporary

1 4.6

Made quickly using what is available

focuses on lack of preparation rather than on available materials

improvisatory

vsextemporary

1 7.7

Happens without planning, often on the spot

covers the same lack of preparation but applies to general spontaneous acts

unwritten

vsextemporary

1 3.9

Not planned or put on paper in advance

is broader, covering improvised acts beyond only spontaneous speech

ad lib

vsextemporary

1 7.7

Says or does something without planning

covers the same spontaneous quality across speech and action

seat-of-the-pants

vsextemporary

Informal

1 8.5

Acting on instinct rather than careful planning

means the same lack of planning but not only relying on instinct

unstudied

vsextemporary

1 6.4

Not planned or practiced and seeming natural

is about acting with little preparation rather than appearing purely natural

ex tempore

vsextemporary

Formal

9.9

Done or said without planning at the moment

is the general idea of acting with very little or no planning

unconstructed

vsextemporary

6.0

Speech or action that feels natural and not planned

is similar but often emphasizes lack of artificial arrangement rather than improvisation

Antonyms

planned

26 1.0

Arranged before it happens on purpose

structured

1 3.9

Arranged in a clear, planned way with regular parts or routines

How Prepared

prepared

103 1.3

extemporary

8.8

spontaneous

187 4.2

Surface Forms

extemporary positive

Morphology

extemporary = extempore (semi-transparent) = extempore + ary

Formed by adding the adjective-forming suffix '-ary' to 'extempore'; the derivation is regular but the base 'extempore' is uncommon and historically idiomatic, so learners may not reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

Extemporary comes from Latin parts ex- 'out' and tempus 'time', the same root you see in tempo and temporary. So extemporary is like doing something 'on the spot' or 'out of time', which is why it means 'done without preparation'.