ad libs
Goes off script
Ad libs are words or actions improvised on the spot rather than scripted or planned.
The term comes from Latin *ad libitum* ("at pleasure") and appears most often in performance contexts—actors departing from their scripts, speakers going off-book, musicians improvising passages.
To ad lib is to improvise: She forgot her lines and had to ad lib.
The adjective form describes unscripted material: an ad lib remark.
Without advance preparation
- unscriptedNot pre-written
- extemporaneousDone without advance preparation
- unplannedNot arranged beforehand
- offhandCasually unrehearsed
unrehearsed · off-the-cuff · on-the-spot · spur-of-the-moment · winging it · quick-witted · instinctive · natural
Unscripted comedic performance
- sketchHasty informal drawing
- punchlineHumor's final delivery
- gagMouth restraint or jest
- humorAmusing quality
banter · comedian · funny · jest · laugh · wit · heckler · callback
Unscripted comedic performance
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- actingTemporarily holding position
- monologueUninterrupted solo address
- sceneDramatic unit or locale
lines · cue · ensemble · blocking · character · prompt · flub · cover
impromptu
Without advance preparation
- unscriptedNot pre-written
- extemporaneousDone without advance preparation
- unplannedNot arranged beforehand
offhand · unrehearsed · off-the-cuff · on-the-spot · spur-of-the-moment · winging it · quick-witted · instinctive · natural · unprepared
improv
Unscripted comedic performance
humor · banter · comedian · funny · jest · laugh · wit · heckler · callback · riff
improv
Unscripted comedic performance
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- actingTemporarily holding position
- monologueUninterrupted solo address
scene · lines · cue · ensemble · blocking · character · prompt · flub · cover · recovery
improvisation
Spontaneous, unplanned creation
swing · riff · jam session · phrasing · vocalese · noodling · licks · changes · comping · vamping
improvisation
Spontaneous, unplanned creation
verses · cypher · rap · hip-hop · emcee · spitting · lyricism · wordplay · punchlines · battling
ad libsprepared remarks
Speech composed beforehand
canned responses · talking points · boilerplate · stock phrases · written dialogue
ad libsscript
Written words for performance
screenplay · libretto · score · choreography · stage directions