offhand

Meanings

Adjective

• Without planning or thinking ahead.
• Careless; without sufficient thought or consideration.
• Curt, abrupt, unfriendly.

Adverb

• Right away, immediately, without thinking about it.
• In an offhand manner.

Origin

• From Middle English, from Old English ofhende ("absent, lost"), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *abahandijaz. Equivalent to off- + hand. Cognate with Icelandic afhendur. Compare onhand.