with little or no preparation or forethought; "his ad-lib comments showed poor judgment"; "an extemporaneous piano recital"; "an extemporary lecture"; "an extempore skit"; "an impromptu speech"; "offhand excuses"; "trying to sound offhanded and reassuring"; "an off-the-cuff toast"; "a few unrehearsed comments"
Used in a Sentence
offhanded
How to use offhanded in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for offhanded.
Editorial note
So I don't know - that offhanded downvote irks me.
Examples6
Definitions4
Parts of speech2
Quick take
with little or no preparation or forethought; "his ad-lib comments showed poor judgment"; "an extemporaneous piano recital"; "an extemporary lecture"; "an extempore skit"; "an impromptu speech"; "offhand excuses"; "trying to sound offhanded and reassuring"; "an off-the-cuff toast"; "a few unrehearsed comments"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of offhanded gathered in one view.
casually thoughtless or inconsiderate; "an offhand manner"; "she treated most men with offhand contempt"
without previous thought or preparation; "couldn't give the figures offhand"; "we decided offhand to go to Canada"; "she had made these remarks offhandedly"
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for offhanded.
adjective
with little or no preparation or forethought; "his ad-lib comments showed poor judgment"; "an extemporaneous piano recital"; "an extemporary lecture"; "an extempore skit"; "an impromptu speech"; "offhand excuses"; "trying to sound offhanded and reassuring"; "an off-the-cuff toast"; "a few unrehearsed comments"
See also: ad-lib, extemporaneous, extemporary, extempore, impromptu, offhand, off-the-cuff, unrehearsed
adjective
casually thoughtless or inconsiderate; "an offhand manner"; "she treated most men with offhand contempt"
See also: offhand
adverb
without previous thought or preparation; "couldn't give the figures offhand"; "we decided offhand to go to Canada"; "she had made these remarks offhandedly"
See also: offhand, offhandedly
adverb
in a casually inconsiderate manner; "replied offhand, his mind a million miles away"; "she threw him over offhandedly without even a Dear-John letter"
See also: offhand, offhandedly
Example sentences
So I don't know - that offhanded downvote irks me.
But I'd assume that remark is more an offhanded joke than anything.
Why would you assume this and judge the company on it, based entirely on an offhanded comment?
I would not take some offhanded remark from an outsourced, minimum wage, offshore worker as confirmation of anything.
I'm not sure I want to work in an industry where some offhanded quip can lead to the kind witchhunt and character assassination like we saw over the last few days.
For example, some people's opinion of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre has shifted for the worse since their correspondence was published, since much of it is more like a sordid chatroom log, full of offhanded gossip about other people and such, than like the philosophical works they intended for public consumption.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use offhanded in a sentence?
So I don't know - that offhanded downvote irks me.
What does offhanded mean?
with little or no preparation or forethought; "his ad-lib comments showed poor judgment"; "an extemporaneous piano recital"; "an extemporary lecture"; "an extempore skit"; "an impromptu speech"; "offhand excuses"; "trying to sound offhanded and reassuring"; "an off-the-cuff toast"; "a few unrehearsed comments"
What part of speech is offhanded?
offhanded is commonly used as adjective, adverb.