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
- handsomeish adjective
- handsomely adverb
- handsomeness noun
- superhandsome adjective
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”; hand, -some 1
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.
The format typically featured a handsome photograph of an empty, book-lined study, under which ran an explanatory account by the absent author identifying those elements particularly conducive to his or her creative process.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
The first thing I noticed was a British group who weren’t known for being very beautiful, very handsome, and their roadies were definitely not.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
Viewers were promised handsome returns if they heeded his advice.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
It is accompanied by a handsome catalog, more comprehensive than the exhibition, with biographies and a chronology.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026
“It does look handsome on you,” Ma says, fluffing the dashiki around me.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
