Definition of penmanshipnext
1
as in handwriting
the form or style of a particular person's writing doctors are famous for their illegible penmanship

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2
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 The boy had an army of private tutors, for Latin, Italian, French, Yiddish, Hebrew, English, ancient philosophy, history, geography, drawing, penmanship, and music. Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025 Isaiah Falls, Karri, kwn, Destin Conrad and Nippa are each pushing the sound in their own lane, building momentum through personality and penmanship. Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025 His first full-length album, Illmatic, was an evolution in hip-hop lyricism, and his top-tier penmanship has powered a catalog of 17 solo albums. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025 The company provided side-by-side comparisons of GPT-5’s penmanship versus GPT-4o for things like wedding toasts and poems. Alexandra Sternlicht, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for penmanship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penmanship
Noun
  • Police said handwriting analysis revealed it was most likely written by a teenager.
    Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 28 Feb. 2026
  • In the latter city, the Le Marais boutique will see Lélu join Autry’s customers on Saturday for a meet and greet, handwriting personalized postcards.
    Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 14 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • This holiday celebration, returning to NorthPark Center for the eighth year, will feature lion and dragon dances, special crafts and activities, book giveaways, a mini ponies meet-and-greet, Chinese calligraphy lessons, a musical performance, and more.
    Travis Pinson, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
  • The family-friendly event will feature a traditional lion dance, a kung fu demonstration by the Golden Leopard Martial Arts Center, interactive cultural stations like dumpling-making, calligraphy bookmarks, lantern and opera mask crafts, zodiac activities, chopstick lessons and more.
    Ashley Opina, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Penmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penmanship. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.

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