as in impromptu
made or done without previous thought or preparation
stumbled through an improvised reply to an unexpected question at the press conference
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in concocted
to perform, make, or do without preparation
since the award was a complete surprise, I improvised an acceptance speech
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of improvised
Rosa Escandon, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The improvised nature of the production was born in part out of practical necessity.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
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
His signature moment was the improvised pass to Johnson on the right sideline.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
The suspect also had a smoke bomb, or a firework that would produce smoke, but no bomb or improvised explosives were found on the scene, according to O'Hara.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
But this shift was not an improvised experiment.
—Martín Toro, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2025
Some interventions can seem more improvised than others.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
For years, the no-budget film with improvised dialogue was a lodestar for aspiring filmmakers with indie dreams.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2025
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Apatow likes to point out, swelling with pride, that then-8-year-old Maude completely improvised her character’s hilarious explanation of where babies come from in Knocked Up.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
There are a number of live shows in this, the dialogue is heavily improvised, each character is sympathetic, and the band gets to reclaim their fame in Japan at the end.
—Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
It was basically all improvised.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
She, whose life would end in the last year of this leaden, sick, suffocating century, in a noose improvised with the rope of a gymnastics ring.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
The men did not have proper equipment for a badminton match but improvised.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2025
On the opening drive, Dart improvised and hit wide receiver Gunner Olszewski for a 50-yard catch and run down to the Patriots’ 11-yard line.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 22 Aug. 2025
Was anything improvised at any point?
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
After Rogen gave a short and seemingly improvised speech, Bargatze returned for a brief monologue.
—Rosa Escandon, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The improvised nature of the production was born in part out of practical necessity.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
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
His signature moment was the improvised pass to Johnson on the right sideline.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
The suspect also had a smoke bomb, or a firework that would produce smoke, but no bomb or improvised explosives were found on the scene, according to O'Hara.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
But this shift was not an improvised experiment.
—Martín Toro, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2025
Some interventions can seem more improvised than others.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
For years, the no-budget film with improvised dialogue was a lodestar for aspiring filmmakers with indie dreams.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
The works of Rower’s grandfather, taken together, have an accidental, artisanal air—more like toys improvised and reassembled than objects weighed down by deliberation.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Apatow likes to point out, swelling with pride, that then-8-year-old Maude completely improvised her character’s hilarious explanation of where babies come from in Knocked Up.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
There are a number of live shows in this, the dialogue is heavily improvised, each character is sympathetic, and the band gets to reclaim their fame in Japan at the end.
—Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
It was basically all improvised.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
She, whose life would end in the last year of this leaden, sick, suffocating century, in a noose improvised with the rope of a gymnastics ring.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
The men did not have proper equipment for a badminton match but improvised.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2025
On the opening drive, Dart improvised and hit wide receiver Gunner Olszewski for a 50-yard catch and run down to the Patriots’ 11-yard line.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 22 Aug. 2025
Was anything improvised at any point?
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improvised
Adjective
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One of Mark Consuelos' medical appointments turned into an impromptu celebrity meet-and-greet — all while the Live With Kelly & Mark cohost and All My Children actor was in his underwear.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Sep. 2025
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What begins as a series of transactions between two consenting adults blossoms into a romance that ends with them tying the knot on an impromptu trip to Las Vegas.—
Zach Dennis,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement Advertisement Synthetic dyes are generally made from petroleum and concocted in labs.—
Alice Park,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
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To solve this problem, materials scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have concocted a new sunscreen recipe that spares the ocean’s vital microorganisms.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Lucian’s financial provisions were sporadic, and Coverley’s life became improvisational.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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But the Grateful Dead were an improvisational band.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Originally devised in the mid-1990s by financial adviser Bill Bengen, the rule suggested retirees could safely withdraw 4 percent of their portfolio in the first year of retirement and then continue withdrawing the same amount, adjusted for inflation, each year after.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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That theorem, devised by Stephen Hawking way back in 1971, has profound implications.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jury selection began on Monday in a rape trial for a man who allegedly faked his death and used aliases to evade capture.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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The identification could be faked.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Improvised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improvised. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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