off-the-cuff

adjective
UK: /ˌɒf.ðəˈkʌf/
US: /ˌɑːf.ðəˈkʌf/

  1. Spoken or done without preparation or planning.

    1. He gave an off-the-cuff speech.
    2. I hadn't prepared anything so I just made a few off-the-cuff remarks about their work.

Synonyms

spontaneous unprepared impromptu unrehearsed extemporaneous
off-the-cuff adverb

  1. Without previous thought or preparation.

    1. She answered off-the-cuff.
    2. The candidate responded to the question off-the-cuff, revealing his lack of policy knowledge.
off-the-cuff idiom

  1. Speaking without preparation.

    1. I often have to speak off-the-cuff.
    2. Politicians are good at speaking off-the-cuff on any subject you throw at them.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "off-the-cuff" is /ˌɒf.ðəˈkʌf/ in British English and /ˌɑːf.ðəˈkʌf/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "off-the-cuff": spontaneous, unprepared, impromptu, unrehearsed, extemporaneous.

Example usage of "off-the-cuff": "He gave an off-the-cuff speech.". More examples on the page.