Offhand

Photo of author

Grammarist

Offhand is the standard spelling of the adjective describing things that are (1) improvised, or (2) performed without preparation. It is a single word with no hyphen. Offhanded, off-hand, and off-handed all appear fairly often, but each can be replaced with the shorter, simpler offhand. And while offhanded is a superfluous form, offhandedly is the adverb corresponding to offhand—though offhand often functions adverbially  on its own.

Examples

As an adjective

Even his heavy political statements are delivered with an offhand charm. [Arizona Republic]

Such an offhand comment has made royal watchers fear for the health of the bride-to-be. [Scottish Daily Record]

It was an offhand hyperbolic comment on Twitter from Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein. [Sydney Morning Herald]

Offhand and offhandedly as adverbs

I offhandedly mentioned this, and his eyes widened. [Wall Street Journal]

Tollett didn’t say offhand how many checkpoints there would be. [Los Angeles Times]

By 1939, a New York restaurant guide recommended, rather offhandedly, a “Mixed Fish Soup Marinara Sauce.” [Independent]