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 penmanship and his notetaking skills are impressive.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2025

The court papers also claimed that the amendment was potentially fraudulent, asserting that Lisa Marie’s signature was “inconsistent” with her usual penmanship.

From New York Times • May 16, 2023

From where he sat, he couldn’t read what she had written, but he could tell it was in fine penmanship.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman