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:
And one commenter, referencing the classic hot firemen calendars used as fundraisers, wrote: “Someone should make a calendar of handsome men rescuing cats and dogs!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Ann Keen was 17 and working in a toilet roll factory in Ewloe, Flintshire, when she was asked out by a handsome salesman.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
As the sole writer of “I Will Always Love You,” Parton earned a handsome sum in songwriting royalties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
Bankers and management alike will be hoping that the message being sent to investors, that the massive spending on AI capex will generate handsome returns, will persuade them to participate in the equity offering.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
“My handsome men. You sure you can’t stay for a meal?”
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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
“I’ve got to get him before he goes or else my chances are ruined. And there’s no one handsomer in Egypt Town.”
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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
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
One of the men, the handsomest among them, kept reaching out to touch the woman’s earring.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2019
Any customers who recognized the handsomest, best-dressed man in Washington kept it to themselves and did not disturb him.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
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.
