What does "pencil" mean?
A paintbrush.
Pencil
/ˈpɛnsəl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A paintbrush.
- Grammar: pencil is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: actinic ray, actinism, air brush, art paper.
- Useful contrasts: material marker pen, ballpoint, ballpoints.
- Usage evidence: You nearly poked me in the eye with your pencil.
How to use "pencil"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pencil" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pencil" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pencil" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pencil" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pencil" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "actinic ray" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pencil", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A paintbrush. historical
"But living art may not least part expresse, / Nor life-resembling pencill it can paynt[…]."
- 2 a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood wordnet
- 3 A writing utensil with a graphite (commonly referred to as lead) shaft, usually blended with clay, clad in wood, and sharpened to a taper.
- 4 a cosmetic in a long thin stick; designed to be applied to a particular part of the face wordnet
- 5 An aggregate or collection of rays of light, especially when diverging from, or converging to, a point.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a figure formed by a set of straight lines or light rays meeting at a point wordnet
- 7 A family of geometric objects with a common property, such as the set of lines that pass through a given point in a projective plane.
"When, by the pencil becoming oblique to the surface, the vergency produced on the pencil becomes changed, the primary and secondary focal points, V and H, separate […]"
- 8 graphite (or a similar substance) used in such a way as to be a medium of communication wordnet
- 9 A small medicated bougie. obsolete, rare
- 10 Ellipsis of power of the pencil. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"And most important of all, Cully now had 'The Pencil', that most coveted of Las Vegas powers."
Verb
- 1 To write (something) using a pencil. transitive
"I penciled (BrE: pencilled) a brief reminder in my notebook."
- 2 write, draw, or trace with a pencil wordnet
- 3 To mark with, or as if with, a pencil. transitive
"It pencilled each flower with rich and variegated hues, and threw over its exuberant foliage a vesture of emerald green."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"You nearly poked me in the eye with your pencil."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pencil"?
Common synonyms include: actinic ray, actinism, air brush, art paper, atomic beam, atomic ray.
How do you use "pencil" in a sentence?
You nearly poked me in the eye with your pencil.
How do you pronounce "pencil"?
Pronounced /ˈpɛnsəl/.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman and Old French pincil (see the variant pincel, which gave rise to Modern French pinceau (“paintbrush”)), from Latin pēnicillum, diminutive of pēniculus (“brush”), itself a diminutive of pēnis (“tail; penis”). Not related to pen.