offhand
adverb
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L195993 on Wikidata ↗adjective
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L338880 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˌɔfˈhænd/
adj
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.
- Without planning or thinking ahead.
“She gave an offhand speech.”
“He must also be fluent in obscenity, offhand in sex. Most important of all, he must play tough.”
- Careless; without sufficient thought or consideration.
“He doesn't realise how hurtful his offhand remarks can be.”
“In September 2019, on the papal plane en route to Mozambique, Francis acknowledged the sharp opposition he faced from conservative detractors in the United States in an offhand remark. He said, it was “an honor that the Americans attack me.””
- Curt, abrupt, unfriendly.
“She was quite offhand with me yesterday.”
adv
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.
- Right away, immediately, without thinking about it.
“Offhand, I'd guess that that's a yellow-bellied sapsucker.”
“We will have no more of this shilly-shallying! Call the Archbishop, and let the Prince and Princess be married offhand!”
- In an abrupt or unfriendly manner.