offhand

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˌɒfˈhænd/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈɔfˈhænd, ˈɑf-/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(ôfhand, of-)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
off•hand /ˈɔfˈhænd, ˈɑf-/USA pronunciation   adj. 
  1. without thought beforehand;
    unplanned;
    casual:offhand remarks.
Also, ˈoffˈhand•ed.  off•hand•ed•ly, adv. 
off•hand•ed•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
off•hand  (ôfhand, of-),USA pronunciation adv. 
  1. cavalierly, curtly, or brusquely:to reply offhand.
  2. without previous thought or preparation;
    extempore:to decide offhand to take a trip.

adj. 
  1. informal, casual, curt, or brusque:an offhand manner.
  2. Also, offhanded. done or made offhand.
  3. Ceramics[Glassmaking.]working manually and without the use of molds:offhand blowing.
  • off + hand 1685–95
offhanded•ly, adv. 
offhanded•ness, n. 
    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged short, shortly, abruptly.
    • 3, 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged impromptu, extempore.
    • 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged considered.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
offhand / ˌɒfˈhænd/ ,
also: offhanded
  1. without care, thought, or consideration; sometimes, brusque or ungracious: an offhand manner
  2. without preparation or warning; impromptu
ˌoffˈhandedlyˌoffˈhandedness
'offhand' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Forum discussions with the word(s) "offhand" in the title:


Look up "offhand" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "offhand" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!