impromptu

1 of 2

adjective

im·​promp·​tu im-ˈpräm(p)-(ˌ)tü 

-(ˌ)tyü

1

: made, done, or formed on or as if on the spur of the moment : improvised

2

: composed or uttered without previous preparation : extemporaneous

impromptu adverb

impromptu

2 of 2

noun

1

: something that is impromptu

2

: a musical composition suggesting improvisation

Did you know?

Impromptu most often describes things, such as speeches or gatherings, that are not prepared ahead of time but that instead happen spontaneously. An impromptu concert or photoshoot, for example, is conceived and executed in the moment. Impromptu was borrowed—spelling, meaning, and all—from French in the mid-18th century. The French had gotten the word from Latin, from the phrase in promptu, meaning “in readiness.” But the presence of prompt in there is no coincidence: both impromptu and prompt are ultimately derived from the Latin promere, meaning “to bring forth, take out.”

Synonyms

Adjective

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

Noun

• ad-lib
• extemporization
• improv
• improvisation

Examples of impromptu in a Sentence

Adjective

Two of my friends came by unexpectedly, and we had an impromptu little party in my kitchen.

He made an impromptu speech about honor and responsibility.

Noun

although five different lines had been written, the best choice turned out to be an impromptu from the tired actor himself

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Jeff Goldblum shocked passersby with an impromptu piano performance at London’s St. Pancras International train station on Wednesday, in celebration of the release of Wicked. —Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024

But that simply meant more creative family vacations to his filming locations, and even an impromptu family vacation to Venice. —Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2024

That’s how her grandparents found themselves at one of many impromptu parking lot markets that had popped up, only to be cheated by a West German salesman into paying three times the going rate for cutlery. —Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Nov. 2024

In an impromptu onstage demo at the TEDAI conference in San Francisco Tuesday, Mollick showed what that might look like. —Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from impromptu extemporaneously, from Latin in promptu in readiness

First Known Use

Adjective

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1683, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

impromptu

adjective

im·​promp·​tu

im-ˈpräm(p)-t(y)ü

: not prepared ahead of time : extemporaneous

an impromptu speech

impromptu adverb or noun