longhand

noun

long·​hand ˈlȯŋ-ˌhand 

: handwriting: such as

a

: characters or words written out fully by hand

b

: cursive writing

Synonyms

• calligraphy
• handwriting
• manuscript
• penmanship
• script

Examples of longhand in a Sentence

She wrote the book in longhand.

my computer was down for most of the afternoon, so I wrote out my report in longhand

Recent Examples on the Web

Robbins wrote his books in longhand on legal pads, producing only a couple of pages a day and with nothing plotted in advance. —Bill Trott, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025

But this house is flooded with spontaneous snort-laughs; warm, butter-yellow linen curtains flung open on hopeful August mornings; stacks of homemade CDs with Arthur’s eager, all-caps longhand marching down their tiny spines. —Carolyn Figel, Hazlitt, 27 Nov. 2024

DeMille wrote all of his manuscripts in longhand, and 17 of his books have been bestsellers. —CBS News, 18 Sep. 2024

And while other companies began to digitize operations, Samyang’s employees did their books in longhand. —Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1666, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

longhand

noun

long·​hand ˈlȯŋ-ˌhand 

1

: the characters or words written out fully by hand

2

: cursive writing