writing

[rahy-ting]

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that writes.

2. written written form.

   to commit one's thoughts to writing.

3. that which is written; written; characters or matter written written with a pen or the like.

   His writing is illegible.

4. such characters or matter with respect to style, kind, quality, etc.

5. an inscription.

6. a letter.

7. any written written or printed paper, as a document or deed.

8. literary or musical style, form, quality, technique, etc..

   Her writing is stilted.

9. a literary composition or production.

10. the profession of a writer.

    He turned to writing at an early age.

11. the Writings, Hagiographa.

writing

/ ˈraɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. a group of letters or symbols written or marked on a surface as a means of communicating ideas by making each symbol stand for an idea, concept, or thing, by using each symbol to represent a set of sounds grouped into syllables ( syllabic writing ), or by regarding each symbol as corresponding roughly or exactly to each of the sounds in the language ( alphabetic writing ) See also ideogram

2. short for handwriting

3. anything expressed in letters, esp a literary composition

4. the work of a writer

5. literary style, art, or practice

6. written form

   give it to me in writing

7. (modifier) related to or used in writing

   writing ink

8. a sign or signs of approaching disaster

Other Word Forms

• self-writing adjective
• unwriting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of writing¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; write + -ing ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of writing¹

sense 8: allusion to Daniel 5:5

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. writing on the wall. handwriting.

Example Sentences

The writing was on the wall for the Eagles as early as the fifth minute when Dylan Richardson went over from close range.

Read more on Barron's

His writing shows the strengths and also the self-deceiving limitations of his class when he writes about subjects that intersect with politics.

Read more on Salon

Great writing, even when an author sets a story in early 20th century Maine or during ancient uprisings, often sheds light on our own era.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Dinner parties, love letters and secret recipes - perhaps not the first things that come to mind when you think about writing a will.

Read more on BBC

Diaz was making money writing songs — Connie Britton sang one of her tunes on the soapy ABC series “Nashville” — but she struggled to achieve the kind of liftoff she was looking for as an artist.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• article 
• book 
• document 
• essay 
• letter 
• literature 
• manuscript 
• novel 
• paper 
• piece 
• poem 
• prose 
• publication 
• review 
• theme 
• work