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: ad-lib, extemporaneous, extemporary, extempore, impromptu, offhanded, off-the-cuff, unrehearsed
- Casually thoughtless or inconsiderate.
- usage: "an offhand manner"; "she treated most men with offhand contempt"
- synonyms: offhanded
adverb
- Without previous thought or preparation.
- usage: "couldn't give the figures offhand"; "we decided offhand to go to Canada"; "she had made these remarks offhandedly"
- synonyms: offhanded, offhandedly
- In a casually inconsiderate manner.
- usage: "replied offhand, his mind a million miles away"; "she threw him over offhandedly without even a Dear-John letter"
- synonyms: offhanded, offhandedly
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). offhand. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/offhand/definitions/1179724 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "offhand" http://smartdefine.org/offhand/definitions/1179724 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, offhand, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/offhand/definitions/1179724>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "offhand" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/offhand/definitions/1179724> |