cursive

1 of 2

adjective

cur·​sive ˈkər-siv 

: running, coursing: such as

a

of writing : flowing often with the strokes of successive characters joined and the angles rounded

b

: having a flowing, easy, impromptu character

cursively adverb

cursiveness noun

cursive

2 of 2

noun

1

: a manuscript written in cursive writing

also : cursive writing

2

: a style of printed letter resembling handwriting

Examples of cursive in a Sentence

Noun

He writes in cursive when he takes notes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The letter ends with Twain’s cursive signature, and the whole post is attributed to the pen name Herbert Foster. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 30 Mar. 2026

Envelopes inscribed with cursive text, luggage cart run-ups at London’s King’s Cross Station and sweeping landscape shots glimpsed through a train window are also likely to get the hearts of diehard fans pounding. —Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026

Noun

For an educator who firmly believes that quotes deserve to be written in cursive, and has a new one on her board each month, Kenerson wanted to give students a chance to understand the magic of the loopy writing. —Ava Berger, NPR, 19 Mar. 2026

More than three dozen kids responded; some just drew pictures, others wrote in perfect cursive. —Mica Rosenberg, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Medieval Latin cursīvus, from Latin cursus, past participle of currere "to run" + -īvus -ive — more at current entry 1

Note: The word cursīva (scrīptūra "writing" presumably understood) is used for scripts by the German Benedictine monk and scribe Leonhard Wagner (Leonardus Wirchlin, 1453-1522) in Proba centum scripturarum una manu exaratarum (1507), which named and exemplified a hundred different hands from the 11th century to the author's own day. It is unclear if the word was used earlier. (There is no lemma for cursīvus in the Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch.) For Latin cursus as the past participle of currere—for expected *co(r)stus—see note at course entry 1.

Noun

derivative of cursive entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1784, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cursive

• aversive
• coercive
• discursive
• dispersive
• immersive
• recursive
• subversive

Kids Definition

cursive

adjective

cur·​sive

ˈkər-siv

: written or formed with the strokes of the letters joined together and the angles rounded

cursive handwriting

cursive noun

cursively adverb