handsome
adjective
hand·some
ˈhan(t)-səm 
handsomer; handsomest
1
: having a pleasing and usually impressive or dignified appearance
2
: moderately large : sizable
a painting that commanded a handsome price
3
: marked by skill or cleverness : adroit
4
: marked by graciousness or generosity : liberal
handsome contributions to charity
5
chiefly dialectal
: appropriate, suitable
handsomely
adverb
handsomeness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of handsome in a Sentence
He was a handsome man, in a big-screen way, with the deep-set eyes and boyish smile and even the lumpy, interesting complexion of a Harrison Ford or a Robert Redford.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 10 May 2004
An Alexandrian statue of a ruggedly handsome man with gaunt features like Caesar's exploits the translucent glow of large-grained marble from the distant Greek island of Thasos, combining Roman attention to the texture of aging skin with the abstract elegance of Egyptian-style almond eyes and chiseled cheekbones.
—Ingrid D. Rowland, New Republic, 1 & 8 Apr. 2002
The Galaxy's first stop, St. Lucia's capital city of Castries, has been destroyed by so many fires that travel writers dismiss it as holding little interest. There I came upon a handsome three-story brick building that had clearly withstood the city's century of conflagrations. It was, of all things, a Carnegie Library, built by that American millionaire's beneficence in 1916.
—Carla Davidson, American Heritage, November 1999
With bonds and utility stocks under seige, many people who depend on these traditional income investments are taking a new look at real estate investment trusts. What they're finding is that "REITs" generate handsome dividend yields of 6% or more while offering the possibility of capital gains. That's not bad at a time when 10-year Treasury notes, which currently yield about 7%, come with the worry that rising interest rates will cause their value to plummet.
—Lynn Asinof, Wall Street Journal, 3 June 1994
It was a handsome house situated on a large lot.
The book includes many handsome illustrations.
I predict that someone tall, dark, and handsome is going to come into your life.
He inherited a handsome fortune.
He made a handsome profit on the sale of the house.
The book is a handsome tribute to a great poet.
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 10 May 2004
An Alexandrian statue of a ruggedly handsome man with gaunt features like Caesar's exploits the translucent glow of large-grained marble from the distant Greek island of Thasos, combining Roman attention to the texture of aging skin with the abstract elegance of Egyptian-style almond eyes and chiseled cheekbones.
—Ingrid D. Rowland, New Republic, 1 & 8 Apr. 2002
The Galaxy's first stop, St. Lucia's capital city of Castries, has been destroyed by so many fires that travel writers dismiss it as holding little interest. There I came upon a handsome three-story brick building that had clearly withstood the city's century of conflagrations. It was, of all things, a Carnegie Library, built by that American millionaire's beneficence in 1916.
—Carla Davidson, American Heritage, November 1999
With bonds and utility stocks under seige, many people who depend on these traditional income investments are taking a new look at real estate investment trusts. What they're finding is that "REITs" generate handsome dividend yields of 6% or more while offering the possibility of capital gains. That's not bad at a time when 10-year Treasury notes, which currently yield about 7%, come with the worry that rising interest rates will cause their value to plummet.
—Lynn Asinof, Wall Street Journal, 3 June 1994
It was a handsome house situated on a large lot.
The book includes many handsome illustrations.
I predict that someone tall, dark, and handsome is going to come into your life.
He inherited a handsome fortune.
He made a handsome profit on the sale of the house.
The book is a handsome tribute to a great poet.
Recent Examples on the Web
Square in Ali’s sights is Knuck (Chris Lee), a handsome dude in his early 20s who drums on buckets outside her building.
—Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
There are training montages woven in and around it, as well as some intimate time between Boutella’s angsty ex-soldier-turned-savior and Michiel Huisman’s handsome farmboy.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2024
Cute Chapo is a handsome one-year-old Rottweiler who came to AHS in March of this year after his family had to move and could not bring him with them.
—The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024
Selena Ceja, who has a large and lovely operatic voice and endearing stage presence, leads the cast as 19-year-old Natasha, who forsakes her absent fiancé Andrey for the handsome but deceptive womanizer Anatole, played with oozing wolfish charm by Michael Louis Cusimano.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2024
Nonetheless, Central Casting could not have delivered a more cinematic and handsome stylist to capture the dark comedy, the sunshine noir, of Tinseltown.
—Michael Slenske, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
The handsome and menacing 2020 V60 wagon eschews pure combustion and melds in electric motors, batteries and EV technology to assist its stalwart twin-induction 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
In 1985, when Andrew was young and handsome, and when the objectification of women on and off television was so routine as to go unremarked, his louche, obvious appraisal provoked applause from the audience, and laughter from Scott.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2024
Races are held in opulent locales among pretty and handsome faces and bling.
—James Raia, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
There are training montages woven in and around it, as well as some intimate time between Boutella’s angsty ex-soldier-turned-savior and Michiel Huisman’s handsome farmboy.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2024
Cute Chapo is a handsome one-year-old Rottweiler who came to AHS in March of this year after his family had to move and could not bring him with them.
—The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024
Selena Ceja, who has a large and lovely operatic voice and endearing stage presence, leads the cast as 19-year-old Natasha, who forsakes her absent fiancé Andrey for the handsome but deceptive womanizer Anatole, played with oozing wolfish charm by Michael Louis Cusimano.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2024
Nonetheless, Central Casting could not have delivered a more cinematic and handsome stylist to capture the dark comedy, the sunshine noir, of Tinseltown.
—Michael Slenske, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
The handsome and menacing 2020 V60 wagon eschews pure combustion and melds in electric motors, batteries and EV technology to assist its stalwart twin-induction 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
In 1985, when Andrew was young and handsome, and when the objectification of women on and off television was so routine as to go unremarked, his louche, obvious appraisal provoked applause from the audience, and laughter from Scott.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2024
Races are held in opulent locales among pretty and handsome faces and bling.
—James Raia, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'handsome.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near handsome
Cite this Entry
“Handsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handsome. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
handsome
adjective
hand·some
ˈhan(t)-səm
1
: fairly large : sizable
a handsome fortune
2
: marked by generosity or graciousness
a handsome contribution
3
: having a pleasing and usually impressive or dignified appearance
a handsome young lad
handsome old buildings
handsomely
adverb
handsomeness
noun
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