handicraft
Americannoun
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handicrafts
plural
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manual skill.
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an art, craft, or trade in which the skilled use of one's hands is required.
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the articles made by handicraft.
a shop offering the handicraft of various South American nations.
noun
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skill or dexterity in working with the hands
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a particular skill or art performed with the hands, such as weaving, pottery, etc
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Also called: handcraft. the work produced by such a skill or art
local handicraft is on sale
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of handicraft
1225–75; Middle English hendi craft dexterous skill. See handy, craft
Explanation
Something you make with your own hands, especially an ornament or decoration, is a handicraft. You might buy some local handicrafts on your trip to Mexico, like woven bags or handmade toys, as gifts for your family. Things that are made with machines or on a large scale aren't considered handicrafts. Instead, items made by artisans like pottery, handwoven blankets, handmade jewelry, and quilts stitched by hand are all examples of handicrafts. The word comes from the Old English handcræft, "skill of the hand," and was probably modeled after handiwork.
Vocabulary lists containing handicraft
"A Suitcase of Seaweed" and "Immigrants Today"
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Content Summary 3.7: Postclassical Americas
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In ancient Greece, Athena was the goddess of war, handicraft and wisdom.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2025
That threat is existential and highly documented: namely, the digital revolution has done to the analog world of art, media and communication what the industrial revolution did to agrarian and handicraft economies a century before.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2024
Throughout the old town, kitschy souvenir shops have replaced handicraft stalls and bookstores.
From New York Times ● Feb. 4, 2024
The museum showed an immersive installation about climate change by the Icelandic artist Jónsi this year and is currently exhibiting contemporary art and handicraft by Indigenous artists from Sápmi, Canada and Alaska.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2023
She may rely too long on Athena’s gifts— talent in handicraft and a clever mind; so cunning—history cannot show the like among the ringleted ladies of Akhaia, Mykene with her coronet, Alkmene, Tyro.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
The Taliban authorities rule by a strict interpretation of Islamic law, barring women from the majority of professions while permitting some to work in industries such as handicrafts.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
Again, Kabawat throws it back to them, asking who would like to be taught to make handicrafts to be sold internationally.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026
Brazil Potash has invested in a local school and soccer team, and has promised to help the Mura expand income from fish farming, small-scale agriculture and handicrafts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025
They hold a bazaar to display handicrafts made by Christian and Muslim women, including food, textiles, and holiday decorations.
From Slate ● Dec. 24, 2024
The two were the patrons of handicrafts, the arts which along with agriculture are the support of civilization; he the protector of the smiths as she of the weavers.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
