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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 Single guests were too busy gawking at the handsome emergency responders to process the severity of the situation. Maggie MacIntosh, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025 At a tour of a member’s garden, another attendee commented on a handsome, silvery Sansevieria growing there. The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2025 Suhaib, a handsome young man who worked as a wedding photographer, was the only member of his immediate family to survive an October, 2024, air strike in northern Gaza. Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025 Back at Studio Animal Services, Rocco and Porter, a handsome golden retriever, are eventually coaxed away from their favorite toys. Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for handsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handsome
Adjective
  • Just ask the folks who’ve made the college basketball committee which is currently pondering expanding its beautiful bracket to 76 teams.
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Later, from the top of a steep and very beautiful hill where he is buried, everyone came down to the road except my mother and a friend of my father’s named Arnie.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Characterized by graceful, winding arms that spiral out from a bright central bulge, these systems are rich with both young and old stars, swirling gas and cosmic dust.
    Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2025
  • After winning over America with his epic one-liners and graceful skates, Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon tackled the dance floor alongside partner Jenna Johnson.
    Diana Pearl, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • In March 2025, Vice President Vance even led a high-profile US delegation to the American military base in Greenland to advocate for annexation, despite polling data indicating that a large majority of Greenlanders have expressed no enthusiasm for an American takeover.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
  • But even when Carr smashes a model boat to smithereens after a professional rejection or Allura imagines herself going full Lemonade on Chase’s sidepiece, their actions feel divorced from any larger context.
    Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Despite being one of three teams to make the playoffs from the NL Central division, the gap between the Cubs and Brewers is sizable.
    Drew VonScio, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Disney’s 20th Century Studios spent a sizable $105 million to produce the film, not including marketing expenses.
    Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Passive funds are attractive because, with their investment fees typically running ~80% lower than active funds, they’re viewed as a cheaper way to own a diverse assortment of stocks.
    Mark Dent, HubSpot, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Additionally, its attractive exterior design and simple, modern cabin are welcoming.
    Charles Singh, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Produced from 1996 to 2005, the Neptune is an elegant take on the classic sports watch featuring a slim case and an integrated bracelet with fish scale-like links in honor of the god of the sea.
    Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Paris Hilton looks elegant in a black gown with her signature sparkly touch at the Waldorf Astoria's grand reopening in New York City.
    Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Climate scientists have repeatedly warned that a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use will be necessary to curb global heating, with the burning of coal, oil and gas identified as the chief driver of the climate crisis.
    Sam Meredith,Dan Murphy, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Sapp debunked the rumor and mentioned that WWE is paying Knight a substantial amount of money.
    Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Colorado football's third season with Deion Sanders at the helm has been met with considerable headwinds.
    Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
  • The pleasant, polished drama provides a compassionate take on a high schooler undergoing considerable change, its only debit being the arguably too-neat depiction of that transitional circumstance.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Handsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handsome. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

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