penmanship

American  

[pen-muhn-ship] / ˈpɛn mənˌʃɪp /

noun

1. the art of handwriting; the use of the pen in writing.

2. a person's style or manner of handwriting.

   clear penmanship; poor penmanship.

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penmanship British  

/ ˈpɛnmənʃɪp /

noun

1. Also called: calligraphy.  style or technique of writing by hand

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Etymology

Origin of penmanship

First recorded in 1685–95; penman + -ship

Explanation

Penmanship is the technique of writing something by hand. If your penmanship is terrible, you might want to type your book report instead. Penmanship is a somewhat old-fashioned way to say "handwriting." Before typewriters and then computer keyboards were commonly used, teaching students tidy penmanship was considered to be extremely important. If you attended school in the 19th century, you would have spent hours practicing your penmanship in copy books, writing and rewriting the same sentences. Penmanship comes from the now-obsolete penman or "clerk."

Example Sentences

If interpreting the economy now hinges on fine differences between upper and lowercases, sloppy penmanship could lead to financial ruin.

From Barron's • Dec. 4, 2025

To Evans’s surprise, Patchett wrote back, thanking her for commenting on something that meant a lot to her and praising Evans’s penmanship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 8, 2025

His collection became a private conceit, scrupulously named and dated in the penmanship of a monk, stored in boxes and metal bins like a man in a film hiding riches in the shadows.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2023

Isaac believed that William would write in cursive, so he took a penmanship course.

From New York Times • May 21, 2023

She held the pencil like a butter knife and her penmanship was as bad as Clever’s.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer