handwriting

American  

[hand-rahy-ting] / ˈhændˌraɪ tɪŋ /

noun

1. writing done with a pen or pencil in the hand; script.

2. a style or manner of writing by hand, especially that which characterizes a particular person; penmanship.

   an eccentric handwriting.

3. a handwritten document; manuscript.

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idioms

1. handwriting on the wall, a premonition, portent, or clear indication, especially of failure or disaster: Also writing on the wall.

   The company had ignored the handwriting on the wall and was plunged into bankruptcy.

handwriting British  

/ ˈhændˌraɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. writing by hand rather than by typing or printing

2. a person's characteristic writing style

   that signature is in my handwriting

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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.

Example Sentences

At the time she didn’t know what was causing pain in her right leg and the intense itching on her arms, legs and torso — or why her handwriting had “gone funky.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Every detail of her Olympic visit was closely scrutinised, from the clothes she wore to the bag she was carrying and even her handwriting.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

The day after Pretti was killed, Zielinski started handwriting letters to members of Congress about Pretti.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

In the request, the New York FBI asks for a handwriting analysis of the letter, though the results are unknown.

From Salon • Dec. 23, 2025

The stories Eddie had jotted down in his goofy, blocky handwriting, from his own silly creations to the fables Nana used to tell us when we were younger, when she’d come up to visit.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Related Words

• calligraphy
• longhand
• manuscript
• scrawl
• script
• writing