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.
They added that most threats now emerge online, replacing handwritten letters and other traditional forms of communication as the primary source.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Instead, he found handwritten signs taped to the restaurant’s door: “Rebuild it. This is our home. Don’t change a thing,” recounts Katerina.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
“I told him I didn’t remember if we had already discussed, but that she couldn’t accompany him on trips,” Manuel wrote in a previously unreported note on Aug. 29, 2024, handwritten on Michigan letterhead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Others held handwritten banners reading: "You made us proud, men."
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
That morning, Barack had made a last visit to the Oval Office, leaving a handwritten note for his successor.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
