extemporaneous

adjective

ex·​tem·​po·​ra·​ne·​ous (ˌ)ek-ˌstem-pə-ˈrā-nē-əs 

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

Examples of extemporaneous in a Sentence

caught by surprise, I had to make an extemporaneous speech at the awards banquet

Recent Examples on the Web

If extemporaneous speaking is challenging, consider an improv class. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024

Trump spoke for 1 hour and 32 minutes, the longest acceptance speech in modern American history, reportedly about half of it extemporaneous. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 18 July 2024

And the president’s capacity to lead the executive branch is, by most accounts, far greater than his capacity to speak in coherent, extemporaneous sentences on CNN. —Vox Staff, Vox, 28 June 2024

The show lovingly conveys all the details of court society: the Noh performance by torchlight, the extemporaneous verse, the calligraphic stroke falling on a blank sheet of paper. —Ryu Spaeth, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin extemporāneus "done on the spur of the moment" (from Latin ex tempore "on the spur of the moment, extempore" + -āneus, suffix forming adjectives from temporal adverbs) + -ous

Note: Regarding the suffix -āneus see the etymology and note at spontaneous.

First Known Use

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

extemporaneous

adjective

ex·​tem·​po·​ra·​ne·​ous (ˌ)ek-ˌstem-pə-ˈrā-nē-əs 

: made up or done on the spur of the moment : impromptu

extemporaneously adverb

extemporaneousness noun