handsome
Americanadjective
-
having an attractive, well-proportioned, and imposing appearance suggestive of health and strength; good-looking.
a handsome man;
a handsome woman.
- Antonyms:
- ugly
-
having pleasing proportions, relationships, or arrangements, as of shapes, forms, or colors; attractive.
a handsome house;
a handsome interior.
-
considerable, ample, or liberal in amount.
a handsome fortune.
- Synonyms:
- munificent, generous, large
-
gracious; generous; flattering.
a handsome compliment;
a handsome recommendation.
- Antonyms:
- miserly, stingy, ungenerous
-
adroit and appealing; graceful.
a handsome speech.
adjective
-
(of a man) good-looking, esp in having regular, pleasing, and well-defined features
-
(of a woman) fine-looking in a dignified way
-
well-proportioned, stately, or comely
a handsome room
-
liberal or ample
a handsome allowance
-
gracious or generous
a handsome action
-
pleasant
handsome weather
noun
Usage
What are other ways to say handsome?
Someone who is handsome is attractive with a well-proportioned appearance that is suggestive of health and strength. How does handsome compare with lovely, beautiful, and pretty? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of handsome
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English hondsom, handsum “easy to control, handy”; cognate with West Frisian hānsum “easy to control, convenient,” Dutch handzaam “easy to manage”; see hand, -some 1
Explanation
If your father is described as handsome, it means he is good-looking, attractive in a classically masculine way. If your mother is also called handsome, it means while she's striking, if not exactly pretty. Handsome is always a compliment, an admiring way of describing someone, although it's sometimes used as a way to describe a woman who's not conventionally attractive but is still interesting-looking. You can use it to describe an object as well as a person, in which case you are most likely talking about something that's really well-made, or of an obviously high quality, like a particularly handsome oak dining-room table. Occasionally, people talk about a handsome amount of money or a handsome number of votes; this is a generally admiring way of describing almost anything.
Vocabulary lists containing handsome
Call of Beauty: Synonyms for "Beautiful"
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"The Frog-Prince" by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
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-some
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Her next love object, courtesy of Tinder, is even less promising—a brainy, handsome factory worker on the cusp of 30, 14 years her junior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Paxton is nobody’s idea of a handsome man, but it’s simply not true that he dresses poorly.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
It’s got handsome, well-drawn songs about long-lost loves and teenage indiscretions, not to mention one tune about some of the colorful Osbornes who don’t play in the band.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
He’s movie-star handsome, and was married to the supermodel Gisele Bündchen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Even if her scholar was not quite so handsome, or her merchant not quite so clever, at least the winds would still turn her way.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Whatever the reasons, the local chapter of the Danish Brotherhood constructed a big, sturdy, multiuse building with handsome parapets outside and handsomer parquet flooring inside.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 12, 2024
Now, however, he’s finally getting the cinematic recognition he deserves: Chris Pine, who is definitely handsomer than Robert ever was, will star in a new Netflix movie, Outlaw King, to be released Nov. 9.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2018
The 2008 revival of “South Pacific” on Broadway gave the baritone Paulo Szot, who reimagined the role of Emile de Becque in a younger and handsomer vein, an entree to a significant international opera career.
From Washington Post ● May 26, 2017
There’s even a revisionist version of “Roots” that isn’t more than serviceable but is remarkably more handsome handsomer and better acted than the original.
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2016
How is it you’ve grown handsomer and handsomer as you’ve aged?
From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling
This may be the handsomest yet, and a very fine excuse to wander into the deep, dark woods of “Rubber Soul” yet again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The Ethiopians are said to be the tallest and handsomest men in the whole world.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
Best bit: “You just never know how love will end / But never ever introduce her to your handsomest friend” from the song Father and Son.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 22, 2020
Randy Kreiling was from Peoria, Illinois, and one of the handsomest guys ever, just a stud.
From Salon ● Nov. 10, 2018
“Isn’t he the handsomest creature in the whole world?”
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
