as in impromptu
made or done without previous thought or preparation
a quick, offhanded suggestion that was actually much better than any of the prepared proposals
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Recent Examples of offhanded
An offhanded comment from Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker at the Sept. 30 council meeting is generating controversy online.
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Amanda McCoy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025
Its language, instead, is a chilly French chicness: spiky, refined, offhanded, exuding effortlessness through extraordinary effort.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 27 July 2025
Mistress constantly has her wheels turning looking for avenues to rattle the queens, but Nicole does so with a single offhanded comment that cuts to the quick.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 23 May 2025
During last week's postgame media availability, Jalen Hurts made a seemingly offhanded comment about Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.
—Chantz Martin, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025
In a recent interview, the former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy made an offhanded comment that connected a few dots for me.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024
That isn’t to say that Le Gros, a true indie O.G. who seems to get better with age, and McCarthy don’t give equally nuanced turns, or that Donaldson’s deft way of embedding deep, complicated back stories in offhanded conversational details don’t add to the film immensely.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2024
With his offhanded singsong delivery, spare instrumentation and arsenal of songs that manage to be simultaneously downcast and extravagant, Drake has wielded an outsized influence on the sound of mainstream hip-hop and even R&B the past decade.
—Brian McCollum, USA TODAY, 9 July 2023
But an earlier vérité shot, where Curry drops a seemingly offhanded comment after chatting with former teammate Kevin Durant, should titillate the SportsCenter crowd.
—Bill Edelstein, Variety, 29 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offhanded
Adjective
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The next morning, Kirschenheiter and Mullen had an impromptu photo shoot to commemorate their engagement.—
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Guests conducted impromptu interviews, cracked inside jokes, and left messages that felt far more personal than anything staged.—
Adjective
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Davis is a master of jazz, improvised music and both traditional and contemporary classical traditions.—
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Mochrie then performs an improvised comedy act with the semi-conscious volunteers.—
Adjective
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Black Midi were known for their wild live shows, improvisational but generally aggressive riffs and devil-may-care attitude.—
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The group’s improvisational performances, relentless touring and fiercely loyal fan base — the Deadheads — transformed live music into a cultural movement.—
Cite this Entry
“Offhanded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offhanded. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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