handwriting
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /hˈændraɪtɪŋ/
US
- /ˈhænˌdraɪtɪŋ/
Description
- writing by hand
- personal style of writing
- pen or pencil writing
- written letters on paper
Handwriting is the way someone writes letters and words by hand with a pen, pencil, or similar tool. It can mean the act of writing by hand, but it also often means a person's own style of writing. Some people have neat, clear writing, while others have messy writing that is hard to read. Even though people type a lot now, handwriting is still common in notes, schoolwork, forms, cards, and signatures. It often feels more personal than typed text because you can see the writer's own touch in it.
Handwriting is writing that is produced by hand rather than typed or printed by a machine. The word can refer both to the act of writing by hand and to the particular way a person forms letters and words. When people talk about someone's handwriting, they usually mean that person's writing style, including whether it is neat, messy, large, small, careful, or hard to read.
In daily life, handwriting appears in many ordinary places: classroom notes, shopping lists, birthday cards, forms, labels, diaries, and signatures. It can be written in print or cursive, and it often shows something personal about the writer. Because each person's letter shapes and rhythm are a little different, handwriting can feel warm, direct, and human in a way that typed text often does not.
Handwriting also matters for practical reasons. Clear handwriting can make instructions, records, and messages easier to understand, while poor handwriting can cause mistakes or confusion. People may practice it to make it neater, faster, or easier to read. So whether you are talking about a child's first careful letters, a doctor's hard-to-read notes, or a heartfelt note in a card, handwriting is the written form people make with their own hand.
Examples
- 1
Legibility
Her handwriting is neat and easy to read.
- 2
Personal notes
I recognized the note by my mother's handwriting.
- 3
Contact information
Please write your phone number in clear handwriting.
- 4
Doctors
Doctors are famous for having terrible handwriting.
- 5
Typing habits
My handwriting has gotten worse since I started typing all day.
- 6
Warning signs
Even before the layoffs began, the handwriting was on the wall.
Phrase
the handwriting was on the wall
there were clear signs that something bad was going to happen
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- handwritingnounverb
Forms
- handwritingspluralnounverb