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adlib
| Main Entry: |
ad-lib
|
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | at one's pleasure |
| Synonyms: | according to pleasure, ad libitum, as one thinks best, as one wishes, at will, extemporaneous, extempore, extemporize, extemporized, impromptu, improvise, improvised, made-up, off-the-cuff, off-the-cuff, spontaneous, unprepared, unrehearsed, without restraint |
| Antonyms: | deliberate, planned, prepared, rehearsed, written |
| Main Entry: | ad-lib |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | improvise speech |
| Synonyms: | extemporize, invent, make up, speak extemporaneously, speak impromptu, speak off the cuff |
| Antonyms: | plan, prepare, rehearse, write |
| Main Entry: | devise |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | conceive, dream up |
| Synonyms: | ad-lib, arrange, blueprint*, brainstorm*, cast, chart, cogitate, come up with, concoct, construct, contrive, cook up, craft, create, design, discover, dope out, fake it, forge, form, formulate, frame*, get off, hatch, head trip, imagine, improvise, intrigue, invent, machinate, make up, mastermind*, plan, play it by ear, plot, prepare, project, scheme, shape, spark, think up, throw together, trump up, vamp, whip up, work out |
| Antonyms: | borrow |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | extemporize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | improvise |
| Synonyms: | ad-lib, dash out, devise, do offhand, improvisate, invent, knock off, make up, play by ear, toss off |
| Antonyms: | plan, prepare, read, rehearse |
| Main Entry: | impromptu |
| Part of Speech: | adjective, adverb |
| Definition: | unrehearsed, improvised |
| Synonyms: | ad-lib, dashed off, extemporaneous, extempore, extemporized, fake, faked, improv, improviso, off the cuff, offhand, played by ear, shot from the hip, spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment, thrown off, tossed off, unpremeditated, unprepared, unscripted, unstudied, vamped, whipped up, winged* |
| Notes: | extemporaneous means 'prepared in advance and carried out with few or no notes' while impromptu means 'totally unprepared, performed on the spur of the moment' - but this distinction has been all but lost impromptu conveys unrehearsed remarks or performance with an element of surprise, while extempore only suggests that this is done without notes or props |
| Antonyms: | deliberate, designed, planned, premeditated, rehearsed |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | improvise |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make up |
| Synonyms: | ad-lib, brainstorm, coin, concoct, contrive, dash off, devise, do off top of head, do offhand, dream up, extemporize, fake, fake it, improv, improvisate, invent, jam*, knock off, make do, slapdash, spark, speak off the cuff, throw together, wing it |
| Antonyms: | design, devise, plan, premeditate |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | improvised |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | made-up |
| Synonyms: | Band-Aid, ad-lib, autoschediastic, extemporaneous, extempore, extemporized, fly-by-night, hit-or-miss, impromptu, improviso, makeshift, offhand, spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment, unprepared, unrehearsed, unstudied |
| Antonyms: | designed, planned, premediated, rehearsed |
| Main Entry: | impulsive |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | tending to act without thought |
| Synonyms: | abrupt, ad-lib, automatic, careless, devil-may-care, emotional, extemporaneous, flaky*, gone off deep end, hasty, headlong, hot-and-cold, impetuous, instinctive, intuitive, involuntary, jumping the gun, mad, offhand, passionate, precipitate, quick, rash, spontaneous, sudden, swift, unconsidered, unexpected, unmeditated, unpredictable, unpremeditated, unprompted, up-and-down, violent, winging it |
| Notes: | a compulsive eater is compelled by an exterior force to eat and eats constantly; an impulsive eater is impelled (has an impulse) to eat, occurring sporadically, and eats only from time to time |
| Antonyms: | cautious, considering, heedful, premeditative, thoughtful, wise |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | invent |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | create, think up |
| Synonyms: | ad-lib, author, bear, bring into being, coin, come up with, come upon, compose, conceive, contrive, cook up, design, devise, discover, dream up, envision, execute, fake, fashion, find, forge, form, formulate, frame, hatch, imagine, improve, improvise, inaugurate, initiate, jam*, knock off, make, make up, mint, off-the-cuff, originate, plan, produce, project, toss off, turn out, wing* |
| Notes: | The word discover goes back to Latin dis- and cooperire, meaning 'to remove the covering; completely uncover.' By 1553, it was used to mean 'seeing or gaining knowledge of something previously unknown' and 'finding out; bringing to light.' You discover ('uncover') something that is already there, something that has existed but is generally unknown - but you invent something that has never existed before. |
| Antonyms: | steal |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
