handmade
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of handmade
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And today, even in its shuttered and bruised state, it stands defiantly — a testament to handmade art at a time the world is spinning toward all-digital everything.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
The opposite of slop isn’t necessarily handmade, independent, expensive or even particularly beautiful.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Not long after their meeting, Roberts received a handmade card from Pike, thanking her for how she treated her.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
There are cabins decorated with handmade posters and pictures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
As soon as Grandpa Ed hears the word Bambino's, he starts rubbing his hands together, expecting cannelloni and handmade pasta, ravioli; cannoli for dessert.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
