handsome

[ han-suhm ]

adjective

, hand·som·er, hand·som·est.

1. having an attractive, well-proportioned, and imposing appearance suggestive of health and strength; good-looking:

   a handsome man;

   a handsome woman.

   Antonyms: ugly

2. having pleasing proportions, relationships, or arrangements, as of shapes, forms, or colors; attractive:

   a handsome house;

   a handsome interior.

3. considerable, ample, or liberal in amount:

   a handsome fortune.

   Synonyms: munificent, generous, large

   Antonyms: scanty, scant, skimpy, meager

4. gracious; generous; flattering:

   a handsome compliment;

   a handsome recommendation.

   Antonyms: miserly, stingy, ungenerous

5. adroit and appealing; graceful:

   a handsome speech.

handsome

/ ˈhændsəm /

adjective

1. (of a man) good-looking, esp in having regular, pleasing, and well-defined features
2. (of a woman) fine-looking in a dignified way
3. well-proportioned, stately, or comely

   a handsome room

4. liberal or ample

   a handsome allowance

5. gracious or generous

   a handsome action

6. pleasant

   handsome weather

noun

1. a term of endearment for a beloved person, esp in my handsome

Derived Forms

• ˈhandsomely, adverb
• ˈhandsomeness, noun

Other Words From

• handsome·ish adjective
• handsome·ness noun
• super·handsome adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of handsome¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of handsome¹

C15: handsom easily handled; compare Dutch handzaam; see hand , -some ¹

Example Sentences

Likewise, in “Mapping the Infinite,” small but handsome Roman bronze figures of Venus, Mercury and Mars are lined up on a shelf, but each one could be replaced by any other Roman bronze figure of Venus, Mercury or Mars, since the goal is merely to stand as a cultural example of cosmological beliefs.

From Los Angeles Times

Many are quite handsome: See Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” series of films or in Netflix’s “The OA”; Rufus Sewell as the jealous knight in a “A Knight’s Tale” or an American Nazi in “The Man in the High Castle”; Samuel West as the traitorous Anthony Blunt in “The Crown” or a corrupt member of Parliament in “Slow Horses.”

From Los Angeles Times

This becomes a problem when she goes on a date with — gasp — a handsome Alabama fan.

From Los Angeles Times

In the latter, a snarky comedy writer forges an unexpected love connection with a handsome musician she meets backstage at a “Saturday Night Live”-style sketch show.

From Los Angeles Times

Director Aaron Schimberg refuses to call it a fable — mainly because there is no moral in his moody, darkly comic tale about a man with a facial disfigurement who gets “reborn” into the conventionally handsome face of Sebastian Stan, only for his new life to take a cosmic nosedive.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• attractive
• beautiful
• clean-cut
• dapper
• elegant
• good-looking
• graceful
• lovely
• personable
• smart
• smooth
• stately
• stylish
• suave