as in impromptu
made or done without previous thought or preparation
not bad for an ad-lib comedy routine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in improvisation
something that is performed, made, or done without preparation
you would never suspect that that stirring speech was an ad-lib
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to improvise
to perform, make, or do without preparation
had to ad-lib constructing a piñata because she'd never actually seen it being done
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Recent Examples of ad-lib
Devan Coggan, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2023
At the same time, more ad-lib moments are often expected onstage, bound to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
—Sabrina Park, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 Mar. 2023
Kimmel had to ad-lib when introducing the editing award.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 Mar. 2023
Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
According to Patton Oswalt, the cast would ad-lib jokes for Reynolds to say to Blade in Snipes’s absence.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2024
But little did Pearson know, Key would one-up these references with an ad-lib.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2024
McCall’s ad-lib joke about beetles (as in the insect) got them the biggest laugh.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2024
Once, the teleprompter unexpectedly rebooted toward the end of a speech, forcing Biden to ad-lib while his speechwriter at the time, Dylan Loewe, frantically retyped the ending in real time.
—Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, 4 July 2024
Hand over a prepared text to lawmakers, then ad-lib.
—George Skelton, The Mercury News, 29 June 2024
After Carpenter sang her cheeky ad-lib lyrics, which included a reference to the famous indoor waterfall inside Singapore's Jewel Changi shopping mall, Keoghan smiled and immediately raised his hands above his head in applause.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
The theater erupted in laughter, but Stewart encouraged him to keep talking about his process after the ad-lib.
—Variety, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2024
Adjective
He's given me a lot of leeway and a lot of leash to go improv and ad-lib and create the character, which is always really fun.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2023
At the same time, more ad-lib moments are often expected onstage, bound to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
—Sabrina Park, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 Mar. 2023
Kimmel had to ad-lib when introducing the editing award.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 Mar. 2023
Verb
First of all, Megan gets to ad-lib every night and comes up with really funny lines every single night.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
According to Patton Oswalt, the cast would ad-lib jokes for Reynolds to say to Blade in Snipes’s absence.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2024
But little did Pearson know, Key would one-up these references with an ad-lib.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2024
McCall’s ad-lib joke about beetles (as in the insect) got them the biggest laugh.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2024
Once, the teleprompter unexpectedly rebooted toward the end of a speech, forcing Biden to ad-lib while his speechwriter at the time, Dylan Loewe, frantically retyped the ending in real time.
—Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, 4 July 2024
Hand over a prepared text to lawmakers, then ad-lib.
—George Skelton, The Mercury News, 29 June 2024
After Carpenter sang her cheeky ad-lib lyrics, which included a reference to the famous indoor waterfall inside Singapore's Jewel Changi shopping mall, Keoghan smiled and immediately raised his hands above his head in applause.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
The theater erupted in laughter, but Stewart encouraged him to keep talking about his process after the ad-lib.
—Variety, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ad-lib
Adjective
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Here, alongside the plush retro decor, jazz-tinged and sultry blues, singers, broadway performers and burlesque artists perform impromptu, with pop-up live performances every night between 9-11 (for a later date).Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Dec. 2024
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The reopening celebration evolved into an unexpected diplomatic summit when Macron arranged an impromptu three-way meeting with Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Élysée Palace before the cathedral ceremony.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
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It was choreographed, but there was improvisation inside the choreography.Tomris Laffly, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024
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There were improvisations, installations, adaptations and novel collaborations among musicians and artists and media, with Mother Nature ever in the picture.Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
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So a lot of his material is improvised, that comes out of the moment.Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 10 Dec. 2024
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There’s plenty of ways to fight, but in true Indiana Jones fashion, situations will often go south quickly, leaving the player — and the everyman protagonist — improvising a way out.Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Campus police had no effective plan to work with external law enforcement and failed to take command on the night of the melee — leading the LAPD and the California Highway Patrol to devise an ad hoc response.Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
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Following the previous example, the team that devised the solution did not start with that change in mind.Hunter McMahon, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
Verb
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While serving in Joe Biden’s Justice Department, the special counsel concocted a novel legal case against Biden’s foremost political opponent and would have been happy to try Donald Trump in the midst of the presidential election campaign.Rich Lowry, National Review, 10 Dec. 2024
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Reminiscent of the classic strawberry frosted sprinkle donut, Dunkin' concocted a sugar cookie iced to perfection with vibrant pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles.Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The future, instead, seems to belong to the teams and coaches who are willing to be a little more flexible and see their role as providing a platform on which their players might extemporize.Rory Smith, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2023
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Friends said he was talented and could extemporize about anything.Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2023
Verb
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The case has raised questions about the motivations and consequences of faking one's death, as well as the financial and emotional toll such incidents can place on law enforcement and loved ones.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
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That year, the Allstate Insurance Co. sued Nassiri in federal court, accusing him of running a fraudulent scheme to fake medical records and bill the company for unnecessary tests and treatments provided to more than 150 people who’d been involved in car accidents.Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News, 11 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near ad-lib
Cite this Entry
“Ad-lib.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ad-lib. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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