handsome
adjective /ˈhænsəm/
/ˈhænsəm/
(comparative handsomer, superlative handsomest)
more handsome and most handsome are more common- (of men) attractive synonym good-looking
- He had an interesting and rather handsome face.
- He's the most handsome man I've ever met.
- He was aptly described as ‘tall, dark, and handsome’.
- his ruggedly handsome features
Synonyms beautifulbeautifulTopics Appearancea2- pretty
- handsome
- attractive
- lovely
- good-looking
- gorgeous
- beautiful (especially of a woman or girl) very pleasant to look at:
- She looked stunningly beautiful that night.
- pretty (especially of a girl or woman) pleasant to look at:
- She’s got a very pretty face.
- handsome (of a man) pleasant to look at; (of a woman) pleasant to look at, with large strong features rather than small delicate ones:
- He was described as ‘tall, dark and handsome’.
- attractive (of a person) pleasant to look at, especially in a sexual way:
- She’s a very attractive woman.
- lovely (of a person) beautiful; very attractive:
- She looked particularly lovely that night.
- good-looking (of a person) pleasant to look at, often in a sexual way:
- She arrived with a very good-looking man.
- gorgeous (informal) (of a person) extremely attractive, especially in a sexual way:
- You look gorgeous!
- a(n) beautiful/pretty/handsome/attractive/lovely/good-looking/gorgeous girl/woman
- a(n) beautiful/handsome/attractive/good-looking/gorgeous boy/man
- a(n) beautiful/pretty/handsome/attractive/lovely/good-looking face
- (of women) attractive, with large strong features rather than small light ones
- a tall, handsome woman
Synonyms beautifulbeautiful- pretty
- handsome
- attractive
- lovely
- good-looking
- gorgeous
- beautiful (especially of a woman or girl) very pleasant to look at:
- She looked stunningly beautiful that night.
- pretty (especially of a girl or woman) pleasant to look at:
- She’s got a very pretty face.
- handsome (of a man) pleasant to look at; (of a woman) pleasant to look at, with large strong features rather than small delicate ones:
- He was described as ‘tall, dark and handsome’.
- attractive (of a person) pleasant to look at, especially in a sexual way:
- She’s a very attractive woman.
- lovely (of a person) beautiful; very attractive:
- She looked particularly lovely that night.
- good-looking (of a person) pleasant to look at, often in a sexual way:
- She arrived with a very good-looking man.
- gorgeous (informal) (of a person) extremely attractive, especially in a sexual way:
- You look gorgeous!
- a(n) beautiful/pretty/handsome/attractive/lovely/good-looking/gorgeous girl/woman
- a(n) beautiful/handsome/attractive/good-looking/gorgeous boy/man
- a(n) beautiful/pretty/handsome/attractive/lovely/good-looking face
- beautiful to look at
- a handsome horse/house/city
- The bride and groom made a handsome couple.
- large in amount or quantity
- They sold the house two years later at a handsome profit.
- He was elected by a handsome majority (= a lot of people voted for him).
- a handsome cheque
- I enjoyed the job, and was paid a handsome salary too.
- generous
- She paid him a handsome compliment.
- It was very handsome of him to pay for the meal.
Word OriginMiddle English: from hand + -some. The original sense was ‘easy to handle or use’, hence ‘suitable’ and ‘apt, clever’ (mid 16th cent.), giving rise to the current appreciatory senses (late 16th cent.).