handsome

adjective

hand·​some ˈhan(t)-səm 

handsomer; handsomest

1

: having a pleasing and usually impressive or dignified appearance

a handsome man

a handsome house

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 of handsome

• beautiful
• attractive
• lovely
• cute
• gorgeous
• pretty
• charming
• stunning
• good

Choose the Right Synonym for handsome

beautiful, lovely, handsome, pretty, comely, fair mean exciting sensuous or aesthetic pleasure.

beautiful applies to whatever excites the keenest of pleasure to the senses and stirs emotion through the senses.

beautiful mountain scenery

lovely is close to beautiful but applies to a narrower range of emotional excitation in suggesting the graceful, delicate, or exquisite.

a lovely melody

handsome suggests aesthetic pleasure due to proportion, symmetry, or elegance.

a handsome Georgian mansion

pretty often applies to superficial or insubstantial attractiveness.

a painter of conventionally pretty scenes

comely is like handsome in suggesting what is coolly approved rather than emotionally responded to.

the comely grace of a dancer

fair suggests beauty because of purity, flawlessness, or freshness.

fair of face

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ideally located at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in the Taskers Pond neighborhood, a handsome colonial has just come on the market. — James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026

Later on, Bret wanders away from his friends and runs into Debbie’s father, Terry Schaffer (Wes Bentley), entertaining handsome young men in the hot tub. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026

Another thing worth mentioning about #1 Aspinall Street is that there is handsome photograph of Ted placed in the upstairs bathroom, which was once the bedroom that Ted and Olwyn, Ted’s sister, shared. — Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026

Athletic and traditionally handsome, Thom is destined to become the Homecoming King. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English handsom easy to manipulate

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Rhymes for handsome

• hansom
• transom

Kids 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 man

handsome old buildings

handsomely adverb

handsomeness noun