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View synonyms for offhand

offhand

[ awf-hand, of- ]

adverb

  1. cavalierly, curtly, or brusquely:

    to reply offhand.

    Synonyms: abruptly, shortly, short

  2. without previous thought or preparation; extempore:

    to decide offhand to take a trip.



adjective

  1. informal, casual, curt, or brusque:

    an offhand manner.

    Synonyms: extempore, impromptu

  2. Also offhanded. done or made offhand.

    Synonyms: extempore, impromptu

    Antonyms: considered

  3. Glassmaking. working manually and without the use of molds:

    offhand blowing.

offhand

/ ˌɒfˈhænd /

adjective

  1. without care, thought, or consideration; sometimes, brusque or ungracious

    an offhand manner

  2. without preparation or warning; impromptu
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˌoffˈhandedness, noun
  • ˌoffˈhandedly, adverb
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Other Words From

  • offhanded·ly adverb
  • offhanded·ness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of offhand1

First recorded in 1685–95; off + hand
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Example Sentences

A decade and a half later, the only rule I remember offhand is the one I always broke.

The 70-year-old humorist, commentator, chronically blocked writer, sometime actor and Manhattan fixture—a master of the short sentence as well as the offhand dismissal—was the subject of his HBO documentary Public Speaking, from 2010.

From Time

I don’t think I really am that noisy, but offhand comments from the future in-laws have made me self-conscious.

From Ozy

Offhand, I can think of two Jacks—Jack of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and Jack the Ripper, who cut quite a figure in his day.

One aide monitoring the speech gave it the kind of offhand tweet it deserves.

Everyone should watch what they say lest their offhand remarks be twisted and damage the company.

The guy who was president when New Orleans drowned—I can't recall his name offhand—froze our government in icy indifference.

C-SPAN Negotiations An offhand promise in a debate ended up coming back to haunt Democrats during the health-care debate.

I didn't much like his offhand way of asking; not that it wasn't a perfectly legitimate query.

Offhand, I would say that the train passed over his body some several hours after his death.

But he meets only with an offhand denial, couched in words of scant courtesy.

It may strike the reader that an offhand statement like the foregoing relates to a proceeding of no special difficulty or peril.

She could hardly be a woman if she did not; and in her airy, elusive, offhand demeanour she was very much of a woman indeed.

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