improvised
Done without preparation
Improvised describes something created spontaneously without advance preparation, often from whatever materials happen to be available.
An improvised speech is delivered off-the-cuff.
An improvised weapon is fashioned from ordinary objects.
An improvised explosive device (IED) is a homemade bomb.
Jazz musicians improvise solos; comedians improvise scenes.
The word suggests resourcefulness born of necessity or creative freedom.
Done without advance preparation
- unrehearsedNot practiced beforehand
- unscriptedNot pre-written
- off-the-cuffUnplanned, unrehearsed
- ad-libUnscripted speech or remark
on-the-spot · spur-of-the-moment · offhand · unpremeditated · freestyle · stream-of-consciousness · candid · instinctive
Temporarily fixed with scraps
- cobbled-togetherAssembled from random parts
- thrown-togetherAssembled hastily, without care
- MacGyveredImprovised resourcefully from scraps
- jerry-builtPoorly and hastily constructed
kludge · bodged · patchwork · stopgap · DIY · homebrew · crude · ramshackle
Clever, original thinking
- inventivenessCapacity for original creation
- adaptabilityAbility to adjust readily
- clevernessMental quickness and skill
- problem-solvingAddressing challenges methodically
cunning · versatility · quick-thinking · scrappy · savvy · practicality · initiative · resourcefulness
Improvisational American music genre
- riffingImprovising musical phrases
- soloingPerforming without accompaniment
- freestyleWithout prescribed technique
- bebopFast, complex jazz style
scatting · noodling · comping · freeform · cadenza · variation · embellishment · vamping
Italian masked theatrical tradition
- improvUnscripted comedic performance
- sketchHasty informal drawing
- short-formCondensed media format
- long-formUnabridged in presentation
extemporaneous
Done without advance preparation
- unrehearsedNot practiced beforehand
- unscriptedNot pre-written
- off-the-cuffUnplanned, unrehearsed
ad-lib · on-the-spot · spur-of-the-moment · offhand · unpremeditated · freestyle · stream-of-consciousness · candid · instinctive · natural
jury-rigged
Temporarily fixed with scraps
- cobbled-togetherAssembled from random parts
- thrown-togetherAssembled hastily, without care
- MacGyveredImprovised resourcefully from scraps
jerry-built · kludge · bodged · patchwork · stopgap · DIY · homebrew · crude · ramshackle · rudimentary
ingenuity
Clever, original thinking
- inventivenessCapacity for original creation
- adaptabilityAbility to adjust readily
- clevernessMental quickness and skill
problem-solving · cunning · versatility · quick-thinking · scrappy · savvy · practicality · initiative · resourcefulness · repurposing
jazz
Improvisational American music genre
- riffingImprovising musical phrases
- soloingPerforming without accompaniment
- freestyleWithout prescribed technique
bebop · scatting · noodling · comping · freeform · cadenza · variation · embellishment · vamping · call-and-response
commedia
Italian masked theatrical tradition
- improvUnscripted comedic performance
- sketchHasty informal drawing
- short-formCondensed media format
shiv
Makeshift stabbing tool
bludgeon · projectile · slingshot · explosive · booby-trap
- improvisationad lib, freestyle, ad-lib, improv, extemporaneous
- dance qualitiesfluidity, graceful, musicality, rhythmic, grace
- actedportrayed, performed, pretended, mimicked, impersonated
- playstylesaggressive, defensive, passive, casual, competitive
- rough-and-readymakeshift, crude, rough, provisional, stopgap
- playplay, free play, games, played, toys
improvisedrehearsed
Prepared by repetition
prepared · planned · scripted · premeditated · choreographed
improvisedpermanent
Fixed without end
purpose-built · custom-built · lasting · engineered · manufactured
improvisedpremeditated
Planned before acting
intended · deliberate · calculated · planned · purposeful
- jazz improvisationSpontaneous musical composition during performance
- improvisational comedyUnscripted comedic performance
- musical improvisationSpontaneous live music creation
- improvisational theaterSpontaneous dramatic performance
- improvised comedyUnplanned comedic performance
- improvised explosive deviceCrude weapon from everyday materials
improvise, improvisation, improvising, improvises, improvisational, improviser, improvisations, improvisers, improvisor