Definition

Offhand means without prior thought or preparation; casual or spontaneous.

Pronunciation

US English

UK English


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Excerpts from News Articles

1

Rodríguez’s offhand charisma turns Will – originally created by novelist Karin Slaughter for a series of her bestsellers – into a character where the lack of a defining characteristic is a plus. He’s quirky as hell but not in a way that stops him being a relatable human, as evidenced by his second believable relationship with a woman: Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen), a fellow survivor of children’s homes and a recovering addict who enjoys going undercover with drug dealers a little too much.

Logo 2023-04-18 The Guardian

2

And then she felt out of touch for having Googled. And then she made an offhand joke to her wife about officially being an auntie. And then it hit her: “OMG, AM I ACTUALLY NOW AN AUNTIE?”.

Logo 2023-04-28 The New Yorker

3

I will say that for me — there are very few actual villainous people. There are people who make decisions that feel villainous, who do terrible things to people. But I don't know if there's a person who's all the way bad. Like, we can name a few offhand , but I think most of us are somewhere in the gray. And so I like that the binary is always complicated for me when it comes to writing the hero in the villain story.

Logo 2023-05-02 NPR

4

He’s energetic, and during his monologues clearly enjoying himself. His delivery is skilful, especially when dismissing Democratic pieties with offhand understatement. He has a keen eye for small stories that tell big stories.

Logo 2023-05-03 The Spectator

5

The sense that shoppers were among fashion icons — fulfilling a fantasy of running amok in their closets — permeated. One shopper bought a white vest and matching trousers because Sevigny mentioned offhand that she’d worn it to dinner with Nicolas.

Logo 2023-05-15 The Washington Post