handwriting
Americannoun
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writing done with a pen or pencil in the hand; script.
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a style or manner of writing by hand, especially that which characterizes a particular person; penmanship.
an eccentric handwriting.
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a handwritten document; manuscript.
idioms
noun
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writing by hand rather than by typing or printing
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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
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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.
We also want to get an auto pen so we can write handwritten cards for guests because it’s kind of hard to write perfect handwriting in different languages and in cursive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
A 2009 report by the National Academy of Sciences examining the state of forensic sciences found, “The scientific basis for handwriting comparisons needs to be strengthened.”
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
Other tests that could eventually be conducted on the purported will include handwriting analysis of the signatures as well as fingerprints and DNA scans of the document.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Ms. Allen traces pen names, decodes handwriting and deciphers marginalia in Richmond’s correspondence and books.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Firsthand accounts of history were the bread and butter of the Glitching world, and I was lucky this one wasn’t in someone’s scrawling handwriting or in a crusty old journal that smelled like mouse poop.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
