handwritten

handwritten — adjective

1. created by writing with a pen or pencil on paper, rather than being typed or pro

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

created by writing with a pen or pencil on paper, rather than being typed or produced by a printer

Example

Amihan sent her grandfather a handwritten letter for his birthday.

collocation: handwritten letter

The wedding invitations were handwritten by Reuben's aunt, who had elegant calligraphy.

passive: were handwritten by [person]

Common collocations
  • handwritten letter
  • handwritten note
  • handwritten signature
  • handwritten message
  • handwritten document
Synonyms
  • manuscript

    formal; typically describes old or historical handwritten documents, not everyday notes

  • longhand

    contrasts with shorthand or typing; less common in everyday use

Antonyms
  • typed

    produced using a keyboard

  • printed

    produced by a printer or printing press

  • digital

    existing as electronic data rather than on paper

Grammar Patterns

handwritten + noun (letter, note, signature, message)

Usage Note

Commonly placed directly before a noun, describing the physical form of a document or message rather than its content.

Common Mistakes

His handwritten is very neat.
His handwriting is very neat.
'handwritten' is an adjective; the noun form is 'handwriting.'

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Handwritten is the everyday word for anything written with a pen or pencil on paper — a note, a letter, a signature. Manuscript (as an adjective) is more formal and usually describes historical or literary documents that were written by hand before modern printing existed. Longhand refers to writing full words out by hand, as opposed to using shorthand or typing, but is less common in ordinary conversation. For example: 'The author's handwritten draft was kept in a drawer for years' focuses on the physical fact of being written by hand. 'The museum displayed a medieval manuscript' emphasises age and historical value. 'She wrote the speech in longhand first, then typed it up' contrasts the method with typing.

handwritten ↗manuscript ↗longhand

Common collocations

Nouns

  • handwritten letter
  • handwritten note
  • handwritten signature
  • handwritten message
  • handwritten document

Adverbs

  • beautifully handwritten
  • neatly handwritten
  • loosely handwritten

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed in English by combining the noun 'hand' (from Old English 'hand') with the past participle 'written' (from Old English 'writan', to scratch or inscribe). The compound follows the pattern of other 'hand-' adjectives such as 'handmade' (first recorded 13th century) and 'handpicked' (18th century). The adjective 'handwritten' became common in the 17th–18th centuries as printing grew widespread and people needed a word to distinguish manually produced text from machine-printed text.