offhand

CEFRB2

/ˌɔfˈhænd/

adjective · adverb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Done or said without preparation or much thought.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Careless; without sufficient thought or consideration.

Examples

  • I am unable to say anything offhand.

  • Now don't get upset. It was just an offhand remark.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
3
Synonyms
4

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Curt, abrupt, unfriendly.

  2. Without planning or thinking ahead.

adverb

Extra meaning

  1. Right away, immediately, without thinking about it.

More examples

In context

  • I cannot answer your request offhand.

  • He doesn't realise how hurtful his offhand remarks can be.

  • She was quite offhand with me yesterday.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

His blank remark made without any thought hurt his friend's feelings deeply.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

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.