longhand

noun

long·​hand ˈlȯŋ-ˌhand 

: handwriting: such as

a

: characters or words written out fully by hand

b

: cursive writing

Synonyms

• handwriting
• calligraphy
• manuscript

Examples of longhand in a Sentence

She wrote the book in longhand.

my computer was down for most of the afternoon, so I wrote out my report in longhand

Recent Examples on the Web

The manuscript fills three notebooks, 708 pages of meticulous longhand. —Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025

There is even research evidence that the act of writing in longhand has benefits over typing. —Rebecca Fraser-Thill, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025

Quentin Tarantino writes the first drafts of his screenplays longhand; Neal Stephenson wrote The Baroque Cycle, a series of eight books set in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with a fountain pen. —Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2024

Robbins wrote his books in longhand on legal pads, producing only a couple of pages a day and with nothing plotted in advance. —Bill Trott, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1666, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for longhand

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand

Kids Definition

longhand

noun

long·​hand ˈlȯŋ-ˌhand 

1

: the characters or words written out fully by hand

2

: cursive writing