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Synonyms

writing

American  
[rahy-ting] / ˈraɪ tɪŋ /

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.

idioms

  1. writing on the wall. handwriting.

writing British  
/ 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • self-writing adjective
  • unwriting adjective

Etymology

Origin of writing

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

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.

Jankovec urged the EU to intervene, writing that "relying on market forces and adaptation alone is not an option".

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

According to Plutarch, writing nearly five centuries later: “The sun was eclipsed and as darkness descended, everyone was struck with terror, thinking it a portent.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The court is not writing on a blank slate.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

She holds a PhD in creative writing and literature from USC.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Theo finishes copying down the list, and I see he’s writing them in alphabetical order.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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.