Standard Lemma guide

graphology

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ɡɹæˈfɒ.lə.d͡ʒi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ɡɹæˈfɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/
  • rhymes with -ɒlədʒi
  • CMU ARPABET: G R AH0 F AA1 L AH0 JH IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The study of handwriting, especially as a means of analyzing a person's character.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Examples

  • Near-synonym: psychographology (sometimes synonymous)

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: psychographology

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A system of handwriting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the study of handwriting (especially as an indicator of the writer's character or disposition)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: discipline, subject, subject area, subject field, field, field of study, study, bailiwick

History

Etymology

From French graphologie, coined by Jean-Hippolyte Michon from Ancient Greek γραφή (graphḗ, “writing”) + French -logie (“study of”). By surface analysis, grapho- + -logy.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: графалогія (hrafalóhija) — study of handwriting
  • Belarusian: почырказнаўства (póčyrkaznawstva) — study of handwriting
  • Catalan: grafologia — study of handwriting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 笔迹学 (bǐjìxué) — study of handwriting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 筆跡學 /笔迹学 (bǐjīxué) — study of handwriting
  • Czech: grafologie — study of handwriting
  • Finnish: grafologia — study of handwriting
  • Finnish: käsialantutkimus — study of handwriting
  • French: graphologie — study of handwriting
  • Hungarian: grafológia — study of handwriting
  • Italian: grafologia — study of handwriting
  • Japanese: 筆跡学 (hissekigaku) — study of handwriting
  • Korean: 필적학 (piljeokhak) — study of handwriting
  • Polish: grafologia — study of handwriting
  • Portuguese: grafologia — study of handwriting
  • Romanian: grafologie — study of handwriting
  • Russian: графоло́гия (grafológija) — study of handwriting
  • Russian: почеркове́дение (počerkovédenije) — study of handwriting
  • Spanish: grafología — study of handwriting
  • Swedish: grafologi — study of handwriting
  • Vietnamese: bút tích học — study of handwriting
  • Volapük: penätav — study of handwriting