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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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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Within the hour, conservation scientist Lauren Eckert, who is on the board of the Alaska Whale Foundation, had come aboard to give an impromptu talk connecting the ocean’s largest creatures, baleen whales, with its smallest, the tiny floating zooplankton that whales consume in vast quantities.Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 4 Jan. 2025
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Pedestrians strolled in bright sunshine past the bars where the attacker struck, and an impromptu brass band struck up a tune.Adam Nossiter, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
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There’s virtually no improvisation on camera, despite the mythology.Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
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Marie-Reine, who had stayed at the Palmyra during the festival’s heyday, took my hand and walked me through the hotel of her memories, the dances in the cavernous dining hall, the all-night lyrical improvisations of the poet Talal Haidar in the courtyard.Youmna Melhem Chamieh, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Top 10 Center Fielders Ranking the top 10 catchers in MLB must account for not only a player's hitting prowess and defensive ability, but their ability to communicate with pitchers, develop a game plan, and improvise when the plan doesn't work.Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
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Their comprehensive expertise enabled them to foresee challenges, improvise solutions and harmonize the diverse elements of a structure into cohesive, enduring masterpieces.Francesco Iorio, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Plans are devised to miss an hour of work to catch the second half of an unexpectedly tight game between a ranked power conference team and a frisky mid-major.Mark Schindler, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
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The grant money will initially go to the state of North Carolina, and the governor’s office will devise a plan for how to distribute it, HUD spokesperson Zachary Nosanchuk said.Ames Alexander, Charlotte Observer, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In what may well be a spy movie for actual adults, director Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp concoct a moody drama steeped in espionage, marital trust issues and, one hopes, prime opportunities for playing the pause, the side-eye and the steely glare along with the words.Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2025
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Years later, both young women said under oath that police pressured them, using aggressive interrogation tactics that led them to concoct stories about Cox that were not true.Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 30 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 belief here is that Darnold was not faking anything when the Vikings won 14 of their first 16 games.Steve Silverman, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
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As for those backing the conspiratorial faking of Apollo moon landings, Platoff is adamant about the matter.Leonard David, Space.com, 13 Jan. 2025
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 20 Jan. 2025.
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