noun
- Remark made spontaneously without prior preparation.
- usage: "his ad-libs got him in trouble with the politicians"
verb
- Perform without preparation.
- usage: "he extemporized a speech at the wedding"
- synonyms: improvise, improvize, extemporize, extemporise
adjective
- With little or no preparation or forethought.
- usage: "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"
- synonyms: extemporaneous, extemporary, extempore, impromptu, offhand, offhanded, off-the-cuff, unrehearsed
- Said or done without having been planned or written in advance.
- usage: "he made a few ad-lib remarks"
- synonyms: spontaneous, unwritten
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). ad-lib. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/ad-lib/definitions/1167294 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "ad-lib" http://smartdefine.org/ad-lib/definitions/1167294 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, ad-lib, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/ad-lib/definitions/1167294>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "ad-lib" 23 October 2010. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/ad-lib/definitions/1167294> |