graphology

American  

[gra-fol-uh-jee] / græˈfɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. the study of handwriting, especially when regarded as an expression of the writer's character, personality, abilities, etc.

2. Linguistics. the study of systems of writing; grammatology.

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graphology British  

/ ɡræˈfɒlədʒɪ, ˌɡræfəˈlɒdʒɪk /

noun

1. the study of handwriting, esp to analyse the writer's character

2. linguistics the study of writing systems

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Other Word Forms

• graphologic adjective
• graphological adjective
• graphologist noun

Etymology

Origin of graphology

First recorded in 1875–80; grapho- + -logy

Example Sentences

It’s handwriting analyst Beverley East, owner of Strokes & Slants, who profiles people through their penmanship — a field known as graphology.

From Washington Post

"In my experience of 40 years of graphology, I would say without any hesitation that this writing is done by the same person," she said.

From BBC

Some people think we can do personality evaluations from a person’s handwriting, which is graphology, but it’s not a valid science.

From New York Times

Taking that into account, Ms. Brayer gave her view of each writer, offering lighthearted lessons in graphology, or “the scientific study of handwriting as a projection of personality traits,” as she called it.

From New York Times

The pseudoscience of graphology may be largely discredited now but for years it was the stuff of drama - court cases calling on expert witnesses: "This is definitely in the hand of the accused."

From BBC