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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective handsome differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of handsome are beautiful, comely, fair, lovely, and pretty. While all these words mean "exciting sensuous or aesthetic pleasure," handsome suggests aesthetic pleasure due to proportion, symmetry, or elegance.

a handsome Georgian mansion

When is it sensible to use beautiful instead of handsome?

While the synonyms beautiful and handsome are close in meaning, beautiful applies to whatever excites the keenest of pleasure to the senses and stirs emotion through the senses.

beautiful mountain scenery

How are the words comely and handsome related?

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

the comely grace of a dancer

When could fair be used to replace handsome?

The synonyms fair and handsome are sometimes interchangeable, but fair suggests beauty because of purity, flawlessness, or freshness.

fair of face

How do lovely and beautiful relate to one another, in the sense of handsome?

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

a lovely melody

When would pretty be a good substitute for handsome?

The words pretty and handsome can be used in similar contexts, but pretty often applies to superficial or insubstantial attractiveness.

a painter of conventionally pretty scenes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of handsome If your space allows, two of them side by side could make a handsome console table for your entertainment set up. Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025 Both are ruggedly handsome, gruff and not short on ego. Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025 The hotel’s seven rooms, arranged around the central patio, have terra-cotta tile floors, handsome dark wooden furniture, and a variety of unique wall art. Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 8 Oct. 2025 Compare that to sweet, handsome Greg, who has never strayed from his anti-Vought ideals and who has never been cruel to Emma. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for handsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handsome
Adjective
  • SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.
    Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
  • An enemy may have invaded your beautiful, green lawn, leaving it ugly and brown.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Don’t miss the moment, grabbing these Demarson Odell Hoop Earrings, whose 12-karat gold and rhodium twist around each other in a graceful harmony.
    Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2025
  • During a visit here, travelers can swim with these large, graceful creatures and also see schools of fish and other sea life.
    Taylor McIntyre, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Doorman highlights more recent scholarship that argues that this is an oversimplification of what were larger theoretical differences between the movement’s two founders.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Decades of mismanagement, underinvestment and corruption have strained the power grid of Iraq, which is OPEC's second-largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia.
    Emma Graham, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • That’s not a real sizable business for us.
    Evan Clark, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Other models, such as the flagship of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, also featured sizable errors, the official said.
    Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • This development made Long Island, particularly after the end of World War II, a hugely attractive location for manufacturing, retail, and, later, the service economy.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Nineteen miles west of town, Drew’s client Mike and his wife, Carol, summered in a neighborhood of attractive homes along the meandering Bluebird Creek, formerly Bog Creek.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • And while the color itself is a mix of almond milk and espresso, Steinfeld also opted for an elegant mid-length almond shape, adding a second meaning to the moniker.
    Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 18 Oct. 2025
  • This gorgeous 55x21x100-inch arbor is a West Elm best-seller thanks to its elegant design and sturdy wrought iron frame.
    Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Netflix, which has invested heavily in sports through NFL, boxing and docuseries agreements, will gain access to Simmons’ substantial audience in the athletics genre.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2025
  • This was a substantial boost for a team that held odds of around +850 to +1100 before Sunday’s kickoff.
    Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Charismatic and successful military leaders like Douglas MacArthur, who refused to follow President Harry Truman’s orders during the Korean War, will always hold considerable power due to the prestige and dominance that militaries bring.
    Big Think, Big Think, 18 Oct. 2025
  • In addition, New York City and Philadelphia also faced tornado watches and considerable rainfall, creating risks of flash flooding and travel delays.
    Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Handsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handsome. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on handsome

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