handmade

American  

[hand-meyd] / ˈhændˈmeɪd /

adjective

1. made by hand, rather than by machine.

   the luxury of handmade shoes.

---

handmade British  

/ ˌhændˈmeɪd /

adjective

1. made by hand, not by machine, esp with care or craftsmanship

---

Etymology

Origin of handmade

First recorded in 1605–15; hand + made

Explanation

Something that's handmade wasn't made by a machine, but formed, built, or constructed by an actual person. A handmade sweater from your grandma is one she knit herself. Handmade items can look awkward and inexpertly constructed, but just as often they're more beautiful and special than their machine-made counterparts. Handmade pottery is unique, each bowl or mug looking slightly different since they're made and glazed individually, by hand. A handmade birthday card from a young relative is charming in a way its Hallmark equivalent could never be. Handmade comes from the sense of "made by hand."

Example Sentences

The Kerns are doubling down on the company’s handmade products—and the crafts workers behind them—at an especially challenging moment for luxury retailers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

The threads in the suit were handmade to be 10 times bigger than normal with oversized yarn.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

The trust added that more than 7,000 handmade bricks had been used to stabilise the ruins so far.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

No U.S. factory can meet my specifications for handmade products in the small quantities I need.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

And her warm leather shoes, while everybody else wore handmade straw slippers, or even nothing covering their feet at all.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

Related Words

• homemade