adj, noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Alternative form of ad lib. alt-of, alternative
2. 2
   remark made spontaneously without prior preparation wordnet

Verb

1. 1
   Alternative form of ad lib. alt-of, alternative

   "Hope’s onstage ad-libbing generated more humor and attention than the show’s lacklustre libretto."

2. 2
   perform without preparation wordnet

Adjective

1. 1
   Alternative form of ad lib. alt-of, alternative

Adjective

1. 1
   with little or no preparation or forethought wordnet
2. 2
   said or done without having been planned or written in advance wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

caught shortcook updash offextemporaneousextemporaryextempore

Example

More examples

"He forgot part of his speech and had to ad-lib for a while."

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.