extemporaneous

extemporaneous
adjective
ex·;tem·;po·;ra·;ne·;ous (;)ek-;stem-p;-;r;-n;-;s
Synonyms of extemporaneous
1 a (1): composed, performed, or uttered on the spur of the moment : impromptu
an extemporaneous comment
(2): carefully prepared but delivered without notes or text
b: skilled at or given to extemporaneous utterance
c : happening suddenly and often unexpectedly and usually without clearly known causes or relationships

a great deal of criminal and delinquent behavior is … extemporaneous
—W. C. Reckless
2 : provided, made, or put to use as an expedient : makeshift
an extemporaneous shelter
extemporaneously adverb
extemporaneousness noun


Did you know?
Extemporaneous, which comes from the Latin phrase ex tempore ("on the spur of the moment"), joined the English language sometime in the mid-17th century. The word impromptu, also from a Latin phrase (in promptu, meaning "in readiness") soon followed. In general usage, extemporaneous and impromptu are used interchangeably to describe off-the-cuff remarks or speeches, but this is not the case when they are used in reference to the learned art of public speaking. Teachers of speech will tell you that an extemporaneous speech is one that has been thoroughly prepared and planned but not memorized, whereas an impromptu speech is one for which absolutely no preparations have been made.

Synonyms
ad hoc
ad-lib
down and dirty
extemporary
extempore
impromptu
improvisational
improvised
offhand
offhanded
off-the-cuff
snap
spur-of-the-moment
unconsidered
unplanned
unpremeditated
unprepared
unrehearsed
unstudied