improvise

Improvise refers to the act of creating or performing something spontaneously, without prepared rehearsal or scripted material. In arts and everyday life, improvisation involves adapting ideas, actions, or words to changing circumstances, often by drawing on available resources and prior experience. The verb derives from Middle French improviser and Italian improvvisare, from Latin improvisus “unforeseen”—literally not foreplanned.

In the performing arts, improvisation is a core practice in theatre, music, and dance. In theatre, performers enact scenes from prompts, developing character and plot in the moment. In music, improvisation involves generating melodies or accompaniment within given harmonies or rhythms; jazz is a prominent tradition, but improvisation also occurs in classical and world music. In many forms of performance, practitioners balance spontaneity with structure through techniques like “yes, and”—accepting an offered idea and expanding on it—and through established rules, cues, or musical frameworks.

In science, engineering, and everyday life, improvisation means solving problems with limited information or resources. This can include making do during equipment failure, post-disaster responses, or cooking with what’s on hand. Training for improvised action emphasizes observation, listening, adaptability, and rapid decision-making, though formal improvisation instruction is less common outside the arts.

Improvise is often contrasted with planned composition or rehearsal; while improvisation benefits from skill and practice, it remains uniquely contingent on the moment’s constraints and opportunities.