offhand

See also: off-hand

English

Alternative forms

• off-hand

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɔfˈhænd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ænd

Adjective

offhand (comparative more offhand, superlative most offhand)

1. Without planning or thinking ahead.

   She gave an offhand speech.

   • 1976 June 7, Nik Cohn, “Inside the Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night”, in New York Magazine‎^[1]:

     He must also be fluent in obscenity, offhand in sex. Most important of all, he must play tough.

2. Careless; without sufficient thought or consideration.

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

3. Curt, abrupt, unfriendly.

   She was quite offhand with me yesterday.

Synonyms

• (without planning): impromptu, extemporaneous, off-the-cuff; see also Thesaurus:impromptu

Translations

without planning or thinking ahead

• Bulgarian: импровизиран (bg) (improviziran)
• French: spontané (fr), sur-le-champ (fr)
• German: schluderig, unüberlegt (de), spontan (de), unbesonnen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: αὐτοσχέδιος (autoskhédios)

• Portuguese: improviso (pt)
• Spanish: indiferente (es), espontáneo (es), irreflexivo (es), a vuelapluma

careless

• Bulgarian: небрежен (bg) (nebrežen)
• French: négligent (fr)
• German: unvorsichtig (de), nachlässig (de), unüberlegt (de), unbesonnen (de)
• Russian: неосторо́жный (ru) (neostoróžnyj)
• Spanish: descuidado (es), insensato (es)

curt, unfriendly

• Bulgarian: безцеремонен (bg) (bezceremonen)
• German: unfreundlich (de)
• Polish: bezceremonialny (pl)
• Russian: ре́зкий (ru) (rézkij), гру́бый (ru) (grúbyj), недружелю́бный (ru) (nedruželjúbnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: fionnar
• Spanish: frío (es), displicente (es)

See also

• off the top of one's head

Adverb

offhand (comparative more offhand, superlative most offhand)

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

   Offhand, I'd guess that that's a yellow-bellied sapsucker.

   • 1854, William Makepeace Thackeray, The Rose and the Ring:

     We will have no more of this shilly-shallying! Call the Archbishop, and let the Prince and Princess be married offhand!

2. In an abrupt or unfriendly manner.

Translations

without thinking about it

• French: spontanément (fr)
• German: schluderig, unüberlegt (de), spontan (de), unbesonnen (de)
• Spanish: espontáneamente (es), a vuelapluma

Anagrams

• hand off, hand-off, handoff