calligraphy
noun
cal·lig·ra·phy
kə-ˈli-grə-fē 
1
a
: artistic, stylized, or elegant handwriting or lettering
b
: the art of producing such writing
2
3
: an ornamental line in drawing or painting
Did you know?
Kalli- is a Greek root meaning "beautiful", and "beautiful" in the case of calligraphy means artistic, stylized, and elegant. Calligraphy has existed in many cultures, including Indian, Persian, and Islamic cultures; Arabic puts a particularly high value on beautiful script, and in East Asia calligraphy has long been considered a major art. Calligraphers in the West use pens with wide nibs, with which they produce strokes of widely differing width within a single letter.
Examples of calligraphy in a Sentence
she specializes in scrollwork with beautiful calligraphy
Recent Examples on the Web
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Sultanahmet Square was the first of its kind to display both Turkish and Islamic works of art together and is well worth a visit, especially if you’re fascinated by calligraphy, tilework, and carpets.
—
Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Visitors will get the opportunity to dabble in traditional Japanese arts such as calligraphy and try on garb like kimonos and yukata.
—John Tuohy, IndyStar, 30 Apr. 2025
Besides the koi competition and related exhibits, the weekend event will feature Tuan Vo, a calligraphy master, and members of the California Calligraphy Association doing calligraphy to raise funds for ZNA NorCal scholarships for students around the world.
—Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
There are other snafus: The calligraphy on the place-setting cards is unreadable, and someone described as an energy medium has tried to muck around with the dining room’s musty feng shui.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for calligraphy
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Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Visitors will get the opportunity to dabble in traditional Japanese arts such as calligraphy and try on garb like kimonos and yukata.
—John Tuohy, IndyStar, 30 Apr. 2025
Besides the koi competition and related exhibits, the weekend event will feature Tuan Vo, a calligraphy master, and members of the California Calligraphy Association doing calligraphy to raise funds for ZNA NorCal scholarships for students around the world.
—Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
There are other snafus: The calligraphy on the place-setting cards is unreadable, and someone described as an energy medium has tried to muck around with the dining room’s musty feng shui.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for calligraphy
Cite this Entry
“Calligraphy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calligraphy. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
calligraphy
noun
cal·lig·ra·phy
kə-ˈlig-rə-fē
1
a
: beautiful handwriting
b
: the art of producing such handwriting
calligrapher
noun
-rə-fər
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