extemporize
Wing it verbally
Extemporize means to speak, perform, or compose something without preparation or a script.
A politician might extemporize when asked an unexpected question, or a musician might extemporize a solo.
The word carries a sense of improvisation under pressure, creating something coherent on the spot rather than from memory or notes.
She had to extemporize when her teleprompter failed.
Unscripted speech or remark
- impromptuWithout advance preparation
- offhandCasually unrehearsed
- unscriptedNot pre-written
- freestyleWithout prescribed technique
winging · spur-of-the-moment · on-the-spot · unpremeditated · unprepared · makeshift · rough-and-ready · provisional
Improvised vocal jazz
- bebopFast, complex jazz style
- swingSuspended recreational seat
- soloPerformance by one
- riffRepeated musical phrase
jam · syncopation · saxophone · trumpet · Coltrane · Ellington · Miles · Monk
Change to fit better
- modifyChange partially
- pivotPoint of rotation
- flexibilityAbility to adapt easily
- workaroundMakeshift bypass of difficulty
resourcefulness · quick-thinking · problem-solving · MacGyver · ingenuity · inventiveness · adaptability · on-the-fly
Formal eloquent discourse
- rhetoricArt of persuasive language
- fluentSpeaking smoothly, effortlessly
- articulateExpress clearly, or well-spoken
- expressiveShowing feelings outwardly
persuasive · silver-tongued · discourse · diction · declaim · speechmaking · grandiloquent · elocution
ad-lib
Unscripted speech or remark
- impromptuWithout advance preparation
- offhandCasually unrehearsed
- unscriptedNot pre-written
freestyle · winging · spur-of-the-moment · on-the-spot · unpremeditated · unprepared · makeshift · rough-and-ready · provisional · jerry-rig
scat
Improvised vocal jazz
riff · jam · syncopation · saxophone · trumpet · Coltrane · Ellington · Miles · Monk · vamp
adjust
Change to fit better
- modifyChange partially
- pivotPoint of rotation
- flexibilityAbility to adapt easily
workaround · resourcefulness · quick-thinking · problem-solving · MacGyver · ingenuity · inventiveness · adaptability · on-the-fly · situational
oratory
Formal eloquent discourse
- rhetoricArt of persuasive language
- fluentSpeaking smoothly, effortlessly
- articulateExpress clearly, or well-spoken
expressive · persuasive · silver-tongued · discourse · diction · declaim · speechmaking · grandiloquent · elocution · monologue
extemporise, extemporized, extemporization, extemporizing, extemporizes, extemporising