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as in handwriting
the form or style of a particular person's writing doctors are famous for their illegible penmanship

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as in calligraphy
writing done by hand the students spend far more time honing their computer skills than they do improving their penmanship

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of penmanship Mathurin, competitive as ever, wants to be the best at everything, even penmanship. Tony East, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025 Beautiful penmanship, without necessarily writing skills to match. Bob Mondello, NPR, 8 May 2025 Jeff Probst commented on this penmanship misdirection on the latest episode of his On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025 Who doesn’t dream of making beeswax candles, topping naked cakes with berries and writing on labels with picture-perfect penmanship? Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for penmanship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penmanship
Noun
  • Underpinning the experience is NOTE OS, which integrates recording, transcription, handwriting, text editing, and AI tools into a single workspace.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Simon managed to keep scribbling on his yellow legal pad but his handwriting, illegible on a good day, quickly deteriorated into nothing more than chicken scratch.
    Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • My kindergarten classmates tended to gravitate towards calligraphy, swimming, ballet and English conversation classes, but I would rather be caught dead than do anything that involved ‘learning together’.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
  • According to her, calligraphy is a great fall hobby for the hardworking Capricorn.
    Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Penmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penmanship. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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