handwritten
Britishadjective
Explanation
Something that's handwritten is written with a pen or a pencil — not typed or printed. A handwritten thank-you letter is a pleasant surprise these days. Formal documents are almost always typed or sent electronically, and not handwritten. It's increasingly common for letters, invitations, and birthday greetings to be sent this way as well — which makes handwritten notes and greetings all the more intimate and meaningful. If you send handwritten invitations to a party, you write each one out 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.
As they craft, artisans chant aloud the design code handwritten on a strip of paper known as talim -- shorthand of ancient symbols for numbers and colours -- knotting the threads string by string.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Holographic, or handwritten, wills are legal in about half of the states in the U.S, including Texas, but it’s not worth writing a will on the cheap or downloading one from the internet.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
The dispute began over handwritten notes made as part of an experimental program to increase voter confidence in the county’s election procedures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
She was equally struck by another small detail: handwritten notes left by staff alongside the books.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The handwritten parts of the boarding pass were black.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
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.
