offhand

• off-hand

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.

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɔfˈhænd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ænd

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.

   • 2025 April 21, Jason Horowitz, Jim Yardley, “Francis, the First Latin American Pope, Dies at 88”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:

     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.”

3. Curt, abrupt, unfriendly.

   She was quite offhand with me yesterday.

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

• off the top of one's head

offhand (comparative more offhand, superlative most offhand)

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

   Synonym: out of hand

   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.

• hand off, hand-off, handoff