autograph
noun · verb · adjective
Simple meaning
A person's own handwriting.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
awtuhgrafSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɔtəɡɹæf
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A person's own handwriting, especially the signature of a famous or admired person.
by extensioncolloquial
A person's signature used as a mark of formal approval.
A manuscript in the author's handwriting.
verb
Mark with one's signature
transitive
To sign, or write one's name or signature on a book, etc.
transitive
To write something in one's own handwriting.
adjective
Written in the author's own handwriting.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A person's own handwriting, especially the signature of a famous or admired person.
Used this way, autograph is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use autograph
- “I waited in line to get the author's autograph on my new book.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.