IMPROVISED Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

improvised 1 of 2

adjective

as in impromptu

made or done without previous thought or preparation stumbled through an improvised reply to an unexpected question at the press conference

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improvised

2 of 2

verb

past tense of improvise

as in devised

to perform, make, or do without preparation since the award was a complete surprise, I improvised an acceptance speech

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of improvised

Adjective

That's enough to loosen steep slopes where some of the 210,000 islanders live off the grid in improvised housing. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026 Forecasters warn that up to 25 inches of rain and powerful winds could trigger life-threatening flooding, mudslides and even wildfires, especially in remote communities where many residents live off the grid in improvised housing. — Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026 The idea of full abolition—beloved by both leaders but not part of the Reykjavik agenda—was an improvised moment, almost an accident, and not some premeditated masterstroke (as the movie implies) by Reagan. — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026 It is supposed to almost feel improvised and documentary-like. — Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2026 Likewise, the respite afforded by the twin hydration breaks has also reduced the need for improvised periods of gentlemanly repose, which in turn has lessened the demand for the chilly spray. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026 Outside hospitals, temporary shelters and improvised morgues, relatives continue posting photographs and names of missing family members on social media, hoping someone might recognize them or provide information about their fate. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026 An improvised rescue operation is searching for survivors after Venezuela’s historic earthquakes. — Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 1 July 2026 The idea was that the actors would sign on and visit a chat room to solicit suggestions for the cast to create improvised comedy scenes. — Kelly Leonard, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Verb

The crew also improvised wedding attire and accessories using items from the plane. — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Caught unprepared for chemical warfare and lacking standard-issue gas masks, Allied soldiers improvised by covering their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs or pieces of cloth drenched in water or urine. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026 The father improvised by moving the baby’s crib into the living room and using cardboard and tape to seal the gap in the window. — Destenie Nock, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026 A lot of what’s in the film between Cameron and Tova, between Lewis and me, is improvised. — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026 Often unfurling over the course of entire afternoons and evenings, González’s knotty, hypnotic works typically test the expectations (and patience) of viewers, who are left to figure out what’s improvised and what isn’t. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Disaster recovery finally becomes a real program For decades, the federal government’s response to providing long-term rebuilding funds in the wake of a disaster has been improvised. — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026 Growing up in rural Malawi, the Chawingas played with the boys in village pick up matches, using balls improvised from wadded up paper and plastic. — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2026 That improvised wartime barrier has outlasted the conflict itself. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for improvised

Adjective

Harley walked into an impromptu interview to become the Huskies interim coach, and less than 48 hours later, NIU announced Hammock’s resignation and Harley’s promotion.

— Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Segovia, a percussionist, has always filled his home with music – playing impromptu concerts for the neighborhood out of open garage doors or inviting friends and fellow musicians over to jam.

— Marissa J. Lang, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of impromptu

Verb

To create objects with collapsibility as a core feature, Toyonaga’s team devised an analytic design algorithm allowing incremental construction of complex scissored surfaces.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2026
Then, in a famous 1937 paper, the mathematician Alan Turing devised a model based on hypothetical machines that could read and write symbols printed on an infinite tape according to a set of simple rules.

— Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of devised

Adjective

Fans of the popular comedy podcast were greeted with a generic British woman’s voice stating the episode number today instead of Watts’ improvisational beatboxing riff that served as the show’s intro since 2011.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2026
The interactivity and reliance on improvisational actors limits audience size to around seven people at a time, Lyons said.

— David Bloom, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of improvisational

Verb

In it, Bugliosi lays out the prosecutorial theory — one concocted to put away a man for murder who didn’t actually commit the crimes — that Manson was trying to jump-start a race war, called Helter Skelter.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2026
The removal of Maelor, however, snowballed into this moment where that character’s absence didn’t allow for that horrific book moment to be realized, so another set of reasons was concocted.

— Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of concocted

Verb

The article proposes storytelling as a vital solution, asserting its unique human quality inspires engagement and cannot be faked.

— Esther K. Choy, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Oviedo faked the punt and picked up a first down in Lake Mary territory but the ball was coughed up and the Rams came up with the recovery.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of faked

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“Improvised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improvised. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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adjective

verb

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