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

These are in cursive – kids, ask your nana to translate – and include details like home address and make of car. —Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 June 2025

Research from the University of California, Riverside shows that cursive writing enhances brain development, particularly in areas related to language, memory, and fine motor skills. —Chris Morris, Fortune, 26 June 2025

Noun

Countless documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, were originally written in cursive. —Chris Morris, Fortune, 26 June 2025

The personalized dish is made from ceramic and is designed with the school logo of your choice, a name written in cursive, and the graduating class year. —Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 3 June 2025

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