ad lib

Speech parts

1. ad lib - Noun

2. ad lib - Adjective

3. ad lib - Verb

4. ad lib - Adverb

5. ad lib - Adjective Satellite

Meaning

without advance preparation

remark made spontaneously without prior preparation

perform without preparation

with little or no preparation or forethought

said or done without having been planned or written in advance

Source: WordNet

Alternative names

ad-lib

Synonyms

spontaneous improvise unwritten impromptu offhand spontaneously extemporaneous extempore off-the-cuff extemporize extemporary unrehearsed ad libitum extemporise offhanded
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Antonyms

design provide written allow project plan
Show all antonyms

Hypernyms

perform comment execute do input remark

Examples

You have to grab moments when they happen. I like to improvise and ad lib. Denzel Washington

Each jazz musician when he takes a horn in his hand - trumpet, bass, saxophone, drums - whatever instrument he plays - each soloist, that is, when he begins to ad lib on a given composition with a title and improvise a new creative melody, this man is taking the place of a composer. Charles Mingus

No one could ad lib like Peter. You would think that it was all scripted, he was so poetic, but it wasn't. Barbara Walters

In the year and a half I was on SNL, I never saw anybody ad lib anything. For a very good reason - the director cut according to the script. So, if you ad libbed, you'd be off mike and off camera. Harry Shearer

I ad lib. I've gotta bring my own into it. Terrence Howard

Legal dialogue is awesome, but you can't ad lib. It's much more fun to be looser and say things like, 'Can I work in a Han Solo reference?' I'm a 'Star Wars' freak. Diane Neal

Close letter words and terms

ad interim ad inventory ad kalendas graecas ad libitem ad libitum ad litem