Extemporaneous
[ik-stem-pə-RAY-nee-əs]
Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, late 17th century
1.
Spoken or done without preparation.
Examples of Extemporaneous in a sentence
"I was surprised to be asked to give an extemporaneous speech at the wedding."
"The director stood up to give a few extemporaneous remarks at the end of the day."
About Extemporaneous
Impromptu, spur of the moment, off the cuff — all casual ways to describe an extemporaneous speech. "Extemporaneous" comes from the Latin "ex tempore," meaning "out of time." There's no time to prepare, but you'll improvise.
Did you Know?
Members of the high school speech and debate team probably know this word. In an extemporaneous challenge, participants square off in a one-to-one debate on a given topic, with limited time to prepare. "Extemporaneous" means "done without preparation" — the participants don't know the topic ahead of time, so it's a test of their ability to think on their feet.
