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extemporaneous
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-uhs] 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.

[Origin: 1650–60; < LL extemporāneus on the spur of the moment. See extempore, -an, -eous]

ex·tem·po·ra·ne·ous·ly, adverb
ex·tem·po·ra·ne·ous·ness, ex·tem·po·ra·ne·i·ty       [ik-stem-puh-ruh-nee-i-tee] Pronunciation Key, noun

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.
1. memorized.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
ex·tem·po·ra·ne·ous       (ĭk-stěm'pə-rā'nē-əs)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.  
  1. Carried out or performed with little or no preparation; impromptu: an extemporaneous piano recital.
  2. Prepared in advance but delivered without notes or text: an extemporaneous speech.
  3. Skilled at or given to unrehearsed speech or performance: an accomplished extemporaneous speaker.
  4. Provided, made, or adapted as an expedient; makeshift: an extemporaneous policy decision.


[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.
Impromptu even more strongly suggests happening on the spur of the moment: an impromptu dinner.
Offhand implies not only spontaneity but also a casual or even cavalier manner: an offhand remark.
What is unrehearsed is said or done without rehearsal or practice though not necessarily without forethought: a few unrehearsed comments.
Unpremeditated implies impulsiveness prompted by strong feeling: asked an unpremeditated question.
Something that is ad-lib is spontaneous and improvised and therefore not part of a prepared script or score: an ad-lib joke.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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.

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

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.

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