Related Searches
on Ask.com
5 dictionary results for: extemporaneous
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
ex·tem·po·ra·ne·ous
[ik-stem-puh-rey-nee-uh
s] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[ik-stem-puh-rey-nee-uh
s] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| 1. | done, spoken, performed, etc., without special advance preparation; impromptu: an extemporaneous speech. |
| 2. | previously planned but delivered with the help of few or no notes: extemporaneous lectures. |
| 3. | speaking or performing with little or no advance preparation: extemporaneous actors. |
| 4. | made for the occasion, as a shelter. |
—Related forms
ex·tem·po·ra·ne·ous·ly, adverb
—Synonyms 1, 2. Extemporaneous (extempore), impromptu, improvised are used of expression given without preparation or only partial preparation. Extemporaneous and impromptu may both refer to speeches given without any preparation: an extemporaneous (impromptu) speech. Extemporaneous may also refer to a speech given from notes or an outline: extemporaneous lectures. Impromptu also refers to poems, songs, etc., delivered without preparation and at a moment's notice. Improvised is applied to something composed (recited, sung, acted), at least in part, as one goes along: an improvised piano accompaniment.
—Antonyms 1. memorized.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| ex·tem·po·ra·ne·ous
(ĭk-stěm'pə-rā'nē-əs) Pronunciation Key
adj.
[From Late Latin extemporāneus, from Latin ex tempore; see extempore.] ex·tem'po·ra·ne'i·ty (-pər-ə-nē'ĭ-tē) n., ex·tem'po·ra'ne·ous·ly adv., ex·tem'po·ra'ne·ous·ness n. Synonyms: These adjectives mean spoken, performed, done, or composed with little or no preparation or forethought. Extemporaneous, extemporary, and extempore most often apply to discourse that is delivered without the assistance of a written text, though it may have been planned in advance: an extemporaneous address; an extemporary lecture; an extempore skit. |
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
extemporaneous
extemporaneous
1656 (earlier extemporal, 1570), from L.L. extemporaneus, from L. ex tempore "offhand, in accordance with (the needs of) the moment," from ex- "out of" + tempore, abl. of tempus (gen. temporis) "time." The L. form extempore had been in use in Eng. since c.1553.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| extemporaneous | |
adjective | |
| with little or no preparation or forethought; "his ad-lib comments showed poor judgment"; "an extemporaneous piano recital"; "an extemporary lecture"; "an extempore skit"; "an impromptu speech"; "offhand excuses"; "trying to sound offhanded and reassuring"; "an off-the-cuff toast"; "a few unrehearsed comments" [syn: ad-lib] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Extemporaneous
Ex*tem`po*ra"ne*ous\, a. [See Extempore.] Composed, performed, or uttered on the spur of the moment, or without previous study; unpremeditated; off-hand; extempore; extemporary; as, an extemporaneous address or production. -- Ex*tem`po*ra"ne*ous*ly, adv. -- Ex*tem`po*ra"ne*ous*ness,n.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Copyright © 2008, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.











