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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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 5
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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:
A handsome plumber was as likely to get in as a couture-clad socialite; once inside, he might find himself chatting up Mick Jagger or dancing with Liza Minnelli.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The museum’s panorama of ageless ambience is this summer enhanced by increased yet snappy security and a handsome “John Williams Stage” plaque honoring L.A.’s beloved composer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
Next to them, Sheepstealer boasts no glorious lineage or handsome metallic scales.
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
I dressed up, wore far too much make-up, and imagined the stadium would be full of handsome foreign fans rather than legendary players.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
But there would be no handsome scholar or clever merchant to whisk her away, to give her wings and a place to land.
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
Even Ress, one of the handsomer guards posted outside her rooms, had said so.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
Sitting in the middle of the sorting floor is a lone basket reserved for Grade AA durians, the handsomest of the lot.
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026
The Ethiopians are said to be the tallest and handsomest men in the whole world.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
One of the men, the handsomest among them, kept reaching out to touch the woman’s earring.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2019
Randy Kreiling was from Peoria, Illinois, and one of the handsomest guys ever, just a stud.
From Salon ● Nov. 10, 2018
“From Gilbert? Why? He’s the handsomest boy in church.”
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Definitions 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.
