Handwriting

//ˈhændɹaɪtɪŋ// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act or process of writing done with the hand, rather than typed or word-processed. uncountable, usually
  2. 2
    the activity of writing by hand wordnet
  3. 3
    Text that was written by hand. uncountable, usually
  4. 4
    something written by hand wordnet
  5. 5
    The characteristic writing of a particular person. uncountable, usually

    "He took up the letter: well did he know the delicate and graceful handwriting; but he saw that the characters were tremulous, and it had obviously been written at different times."

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    A characteristic trait or hallmark by which somebody may be recognised. broadly, uncountable, usually

    "And, my friend believes, Armedov is getting paid by...? Yes, our friends at Langley! CIA handwriting all over it, he reckons!"

Verb
  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of handwrite form-of, gerund, participle, present

Synonyms

All synonyms
handlonghandmanuscriptautographautographycalligraphy

Antonyms

All antonyms
print

Example

More examples

"There is need for improvement in your handwriting."

Etymology

From hand + writing, equal to handwrite + -ing.

Related phrases

handwriting on the wallthe handwriting is on the wall

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.