offhand

Meaning

Adj

1. Without planning or thinking ahead.
2. Careless; without sufficient thought or consideration.
3. Curt, abrupt, unfriendly.

Adv

1. Right away, immediately, without thinking about it.
2. In an abrupt or unfriendly manner.

Synonyms

offhanded

abrupt

extempore

casual

extemporaneous

extemporary

brusque

offhandedly

extemporaneously

impromptu

unrehearsed

off-the-cuff

steep

easy

improvised

blunt

ad hoc

ad-lib

careless

cavalier

simple

sudden

impromtu

curt

cursory

cheap

cavalierly

carefree

flippant

forthwith

glib

gruff

happy-go-lucky

immaterial

immediately

brusquely

bluff

in addition to

indifferent

informal

insouciant

jerky

negligent

off-hand

blithesome

off-handed

blithe

off the cuff

automatic

on the spot

pat

perfunctory

plump

rigid

rugged

self-acting

in a free and easy manner

slipshod

auto

stiff

stringent

on top of

tense

tight

unconstrained

unencumbered

unexpected

at once

untroubled

self-actuating

curtly

devil-may-care

dismissive

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌɔfˈhænd/

Etymology

Cognate with Icelandic: afhendur

In summary

From Middle English *ofhande, *ofhende, from Old English ofhende (“absent, lost”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *abahandijaz. Equivalent to (and re-formed as) off- + hand. Cognate with Icelandic afhendur. Compare onhand.