penmanship

American  

[pen-muhn-ship] / ˈpɛn mənˌʃɪp /

noun

1. the art of handwriting; the use of the pen in writing.

2. a person's style or manner of handwriting.

   clear penmanship; poor penmanship.

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penmanship British  

/ ˈpɛnmənʃɪp /

noun

1. Also called: calligraphy.  style or technique of writing by hand

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Etymology

Origin of penmanship

First recorded in 1685–95; penman + -ship

Explanation

Penmanship is the technique of writing something by hand. If your penmanship is terrible, you might want to type your book report instead. Penmanship is a somewhat old-fashioned way to say "handwriting." Before typewriters and then computer keyboards were commonly used, teaching students tidy penmanship was considered to be extremely important. If you attended school in the 19th century, you would have spent hours practicing your penmanship in copy books, writing and rewriting the same sentences. Penmanship comes from the now-obsolete penman or "clerk."

Example Sentences

If interpreting the economy now hinges on fine differences between upper and lowercases, sloppy penmanship could lead to financial ruin.

From Barron's • Dec. 4, 2025

This isn’t to say everyone needs to brush up on penmanship and stop using AI calendars.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025

The process might have felt impersonal to an adult, but as a child, receiving dozens of little envelopes that were addressed to me, in the individual penmanship of each of my classmates, felt heavenly.

From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2024

Lousy penmanship didn’t stop me from becoming someone whose profession depends on shaping letters.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2024

Master Nkrumah, the author of the journal, had written it with beautiful penmanship, notably making the first and last letters of the word slightly larger.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray