Improvisationally

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. The manner of engaging in spontaneous creation or performance without premeditation showcases a reliance on instinct and creativity for expressiveness
2. Acting or composing in an unstructured way, often in artistic venues, highlights the freedom and innovation involved in unscripted endeavors
3. The approach to performing or creating art without prior planning encourages spontaneity and emphasizes inventive expression

Etymology: The adverb "improvisationally" is simply "improvisational" with the suffix "-ly" added, and that suffix has a long pedigree. It descends from a Proto-Germanic form, "*-līkaz", built on a root meaning "body" or "form" (the same root that gives English "like" and "lich" in "lychgate"). Over the centuries that element passed through Old English "-līce", became Middle English "-ly", and today turns adjectives into adverbs of manner: "in the manner of" the adjective. The base word, "improvisational", is the adjective from "improvise", so the adverb describes doing something in the spirit of improvising, that is, on the spur of the moment and without a prepared script. The "-al" in the adjective is a separate suffix added to "improvise", and the whole chain sits on the same "-ly" ending that English has used since Old English times.

Synonyms: spontaneously, extemporaneously, ad-lib, on-the-spot, without preparation