handmade
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of handmade
Explanation
Something that's handmade wasn't made by a machine, but formed, built, or constructed by an actual person. A handmade sweater from your grandma is one she knit herself. Handmade items can look awkward and inexpertly constructed, but just as often they're more beautiful and special than their machine-made counterparts. Handmade pottery is unique, each bowl or mug looking slightly different since they're made and glazed individually, by hand. A handmade birthday card from a young relative is charming in a way its Hallmark equivalent could never be. Handmade comes from the sense of "made 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 Oldroyd puts it: "There will always be customers that want something handmade and something that has history."
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
I might want a handmade basket from Etsy even though there’s a machine-made one on Amazon that costs a 10th as much.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Starting with his 2019 breakthrough “Bait,” he fashions handmade movies that eschew modern filmmaking techniques.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
His muddy room contains a wooden bed under a mosquito net and a simple handmade table.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Two years ago, Godiva introduced its most expensive line ever, “G,” handmade chocolates selling for $100 a pound.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
