Extemporaneous: meaning, example and synonyms
Extemporaneousadj. Spoken or done without preparation; improvised.
Example
Though the moderator had prepared no remarks, her extemporaneous summary of the debate was so precise that several panelists asked for a transcript.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Synonyms
- improvised, impromptu, unrehearsed, spontaneous
- Antonyms
- rehearsed, scripted, prepared, planned
- Memory tip
- ex tempore = out of the moment: made up on the spot.
Extemporaneous is in batch 18. Study it with the rest of the batch, then pass the batch quiz to learn it. No account needed; progress is saved on this device.
Check yourself: Extemporaneous in context
When the keynote speaker's flight was delayed, the organizer stepped in with a brief, ______ talk that she composed on the spot from a few ideas jotted on a napkin.
Answer: extemporaneous. A talk composed on the spot is improvised, so extemporaneous fits. deleterious (harmful), bellicose (eager to fight) and reminiscent (suggestive of something else) don't fit this context.
Jazz musicians prize ______ solos, in which a player invents melodies in the moment rather than reproducing passages memorized in advance.
Answer: extemporaneous. Melodies invented in the moment are improvised, so extemporaneous fits. abstruse (hard to understand), insolent (rudely disrespectful) and deleterious (harmful) don't fit this context.