calligraphy

noun

cal·​lig·​ra·​phy kə-ˈli-grə-fē 

1

a

: artistic, stylized, or elegant handwriting or lettering

b

: the art of producing such writing

2

: penmanship

3

: an ornamental line in drawing or painting

calligraphic

ˌka-lə-ˈgra-fik 

adjective

calligraphically

ˌka-lə-ˈgra-fi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Kalli- is a Greek root meaning "beautiful", and "beautiful" in the case of calligraphy means artistic, stylized, and elegant. Calligraphy has existed in many cultures, including Indian, Persian, and Islamic cultures; Arabic puts a particularly high value on beautiful script, and in East Asia calligraphy has long been considered a major art. Calligraphers in the West use pens with wide nibs, with which they produce strokes of widely differing width within a single letter.

Synonyms of calligraphy

• handwriting

Examples of calligraphy in a Sentence

she specializes in scrollwork with beautiful calligraphy

Recent Examples on the Web

My eyes were then drawn to the striking artworks, including Kim Jong Gu’s Water, Rock, Pine, Bamboo, Moon—a towering steel powder painting inspired by calligraphy. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Attendees explored hands-on stations offering activities like Yutnori games, Korean calligraphy, Hanbok fittings, traditional tea ceremonies, K-Beauty demonstrations and martial arts workshops. — Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

The kingdom’s painters gave their canvases to palm trees and dates, dhows and calligraphy, while crude merely paid for the paint. — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Even Koguchi, who grew up in Japan, said watching such a large-scale live calligraphy performance was a rare experience for her. — Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French or Greek; French calligraphie, from Greek kalligraphia, from kalli- beautiful (from kallos beauty) + -graphia -graphy

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

calligraphy

noun

cal·​lig·​ra·​phy kə-ˈlig-rə-fē 

1

a

: beautiful handwriting

b

: the art of producing such handwriting

2

: penmanship sense 2

calligrapher

-rə-fər

noun