handwriting
Americannoun
-
writing done with a pen or pencil in the hand; script.
-
a style or manner of writing by hand, especially that which characterizes a particular person; penmanship.
an eccentric handwriting.
-
a handwritten document; manuscript.
idioms
noun
-
writing by hand rather than by typing or printing
-
a person's characteristic writing style
that signature is in my handwriting
Etymology
Origin of handwriting
1375–1425; late Middle English hand writyng; see hand + writing
Explanation
The process of writing something with a pen or pencil is handwriting. And you can call the way you write your handwriting too. By the time you finish the handwriting of a hundred Christmas cards, your handwriting will probably be illegible. When you're taking notes or working on your novel, your process can involve typing, dictating, or handwriting — scrawling on a piece of paper with a pen. Your typical style of scrawl is also called your handwriting — it's the script in which you write. Doctors are kind of famous for having terrible handwriting, while elementary school teachers tend to have very tidy, legible handwriting.
Vocabulary lists containing handwriting
List 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 4
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
Handwriting, the argument goes, reinforces reading skills such as visual tracking, reading left to right, as well as capitalization and punctuation rules, spelling and vocabulary.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2024
Kate Gladstone, 60, started Handwriting Repair, a handwriting coaching business based in Albany, New York, in 1987.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 26, 2023
The Handwriting app is actually impressive, and the device interpreted my terrible handwriting perfectly.
From The Verge • Dec. 22, 2021
She was excited by Handwriting Without Tears for a day, and then rushed through the letters purposefully, with the letters progressively getting worse and worse.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2021
Handwriting and document analysis were emerging tools in the field of criminal investigation.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
