: without premeditation or preparation : extempore
couldn't give the figures offhand
Synonyms
Examples of offhand in a Sentence
Adverb
I couldn't give them the figures offhand.
Do you happen to know, offhand, when he'll be back?
Adjective
It was just an offhand remark.
She spoke in an offhand manner.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Apr. 2022
The Trolley Problem entails having to make difficult choices, contextually herein in the nature of driving decisions, and is often offhand dismissed by some as a misleading folly in the self-driving realm.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2021
Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2025
Yet the canny level of observation — at once casual, caustic and empathetic — makes for a film that adds up to considerably more than the sum of its seemingly offhand parts.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for offhand 
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.
Adverb
Mara, Lisa and Astrid say bizarre and unsettling things, their cruelty and spite sometimes offhand, sometimes calculated.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Apr. 2022
The Trolley Problem entails having to make difficult choices, contextually herein in the nature of driving decisions, and is often offhand dismissed by some as a misleading folly in the self-driving realm.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2021
Adjective
What may have been an offhand, humorous comment, had garnered more than 32 million views, as of Wednesday.
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2025
Yet the canny level of observation — at once casual, caustic and empathetic — makes for a film that adds up to considerably more than the sum of its seemingly offhand parts.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for offhand
Dictionary Entries Near offhand
Cite this Entry
“Offhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offhand. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share