Definition of improvisationnext
as in impromptu
something that is performed, made, or done without preparation that comedy skit was a totally unrehearsed improvisation

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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 improvisation Apart from the setting, and some idea of a forward time shift, Nunez began writing the piece and left the rest to improvisation. Literary Hub, 14 July 2026 Some movement patterns are well-rehearsed on the training ground; others feel more instinctive — the product of improvisation and, in the case of Olise and Mbappe here, a meeting of minds. Stuart James, New York Times, 14 July 2026 Cady had injected some narcotic into a Georgia peach to knock Natalie out ahead of his confrontation with Crystal on the houseboat, but Ray snooping around on the Bowdens’s behalf led to this deadly improvisation. Scott Tobias, Vulture, 10 July 2026 Hanks attempted to put in improvisation, which Howard was not always on board with. Rance Collins, Entertainment Weekly, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for improvisation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improvisation
improv
Noun
  • Despite the project’s associations with jazz, improv, and post-punk, Durutti Column transcendence rarely arises from a guys-in-the-room mentality; Reilly seems to compose in profound isolation, letting ambered reverb pool out from his fingers.
    Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026
  • In an interview with Porter published on July 6, Cruz discussed another scene that involved improv.
    Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 17 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Improvisation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improvisation. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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