handwriting

noun

ˈhand-ˌrī-tiŋ How to pronounce handwriting (audio)
Definition of handwritingnext
1
as in scribble
the form or style of a particular person's writing she immediately recognized the handwriting on the envelope as that of her old college roommate

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in calligraphy
writing done by hand the columnist laments the decline of fine handwriting, as so few people write letters by hand anymore

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of handwriting The teachers scanned their work and used AI to analyze how their handwriting could improve. — Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026 Her handwriting and symbol were briefly rendered at football-field scale. — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 Decades later, Denise Epstein opened a leather case of her mother’s and discovered a manuscript set forth in tiny handwriting. — David Denby, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 Little is more magical than opening the mailbox and seeing the handwriting of a loved one. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for handwriting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handwriting
  1. scribble
  2. calligraphy
  3. hand
  4. lettering
  5. script
  6. penmanship
  7. signature
  8. print
Noun
  • The scribble-scratch of a notepad pushed against the silence.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • But autos were precarious contraptions at the start of the 20th century, and America’s national system of roads was little more than a faint scribble on the map.
    — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of scribble
Noun
  • Buly is hosting free calligraphy courses in its Central boutique in Hong Kong and in Hong Kong, The Louis is updating two galleries to explore the houses’ love of Art Deco and its ties with China.
    — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Inspired by a Miró retrospective from earlier that year, and having learned about Matisse via Krasner, Pollock trials a variety of marks, from broad, clean planes of blue, orange, and black to jazzy calligraphy.
    — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of calligraphy
Noun
  • At the time, Rastinejad and her colleagues wondered whether a black hole’s gravity had ripped up a companion neutron star, as if unseen godly hands had pulled it apart like dough.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Employee was observed rinsing vegetables in the hand wash sink.
    — NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of hand
Noun
  • The upgrades include digital kiosks, a new monument sign and more prominent lettering across the main gate.
    — James Taylor, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • After someone speaks or texts words into its app, the small plastic device quickly converts them into Braille lettering on durable metal labels for anything from bleach to bus stop signs.
    — Richard Eisenberg, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of lettering
Noun
  • Harris accepted, then asked to co-write the screenplay despite never having tackled a feature script.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Aldis Hodge and Wunmi Mosaku were previously announced to star in the movie that has a script from Nelson Greaves, with revisions by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo.
    — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of script
Noun
  • The messages, scribbled on whatever scrap of paper a sender could find, often featured misspellings and shaky penmanship; many older residents of rural areas did not know how to read or write well, if at all.
    — Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Some handwriting experts wondered whether a lack of panache in penmanship was generational.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of penmanship
Noun
  • An analysis of data from two previous clinical trials also showed that patients whose tumors showed stronger gamma delta T cell signatures tended to have better overall survival when treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors during chemotherapy.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
  • It was deemed Biden’s signature climate law, providing hundreds of billions of dollars for tax credits and programs to bolster the clean energy sector (much of that funding was repealed by the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act).
    — Maydeen Merino, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of signature
Noun
  • Depending on the machine and settings, that material ends up in a purge tower built alongside the print, or in a collection of little plastic doll's-house-looking spaghetti balls, affectionately known as printer poop.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
  • As for footwear, an animal print or colorful shoe is sure to turn heads—as would a simple black slingback that leaves the heel exposed.
    — Michel Mejía, Glamour, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of print

Phrases Containing handwriting

Browse Nearby Words

hand-wringing
handwriting
handwriting on the wall
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Cite this Entry

“Handwriting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handwriting. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on handwriting

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about handwriting

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