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a handsome face
an attractive face
a pleasing face
a lovely face
a fine face
a pretty face
a handsome profit
a hefty profit
a lovely profit
a generous profit
a healthy profit
a tidy profit
a handsome book
an attractive book
a beautiful book
a gorgeous book
an elegant book
an exquisite book

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 At the height of summer, 18-year-old Cécile (McInerny) is languishing by the French seaside with her handsome father, Raymond (Bang), and his girlfriend, Elsa (Harzoune), when the arrival of her late mother’s friend, Anne (Sevigny), changes everything. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 May 2025 Courtesy of Hotel Paradiso France’s vibrant capital is full of historic streets, grand boulevards, handsome parks, and notable museums. Celeste Moure, AFAR Media, 2 May 2025 Peggy meets a handsome doctor from Newport whose family is less than enthusiastic about her career. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 1 May 2025 The Nest Learning Thermostat is a handsome, effective device, one that arguably kickstarted the smart home revolution with its simple usability and gorgeous design. David Phelan, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for handsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handsome
Adjective
  • Much of the aesthetic was defined by long-slung, horizontal homes that were intended to emulate the graceful expanse of the midwest Prairie.
    Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 8 May 2025
  • Certainly, the words graceful or athletic do not come to mind.
    Ernie Cowan, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The Redditor described living in a large suburban community surrounded by woods, where wildlife like foxes and bears are common.
    Ashley Vega, People.com, 18 May 2025
  • Of the largest companies – those with 20,000 or more employees – 70% cover IVF.
    Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 18 May 2025
Adjective
  • Churches aren’t just beautiful buildings that uplift New York.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 10 May 2025
  • The property has beautiful minimalist, modern design with pops of natural wood accents and stunning views of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.
    Kimberley Mok, Travel + Leisure, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • The property occupies a sizable 5,995-square-foot lot.
    Bay Area Home Report, Mercury News, 1 May 2025
  • For nearly three years the school shunned NIL and refused to adjust the admissions process for potential transfers, digging itself a sizable hole.
    Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • To bring back that upscale aesthetic, the Casino Royal will have a dress code that requires jackets for men and elegant dress for women.
    Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 13 May 2025
  • In 2024, Evangelista made an elegant return to the Met Gala.
    Michelle Lee, People.com, 12 May 2025
Adjective
  • Strong Growth Momentum Expected to Continue After growing at a 76% average rate over the last three years, Hims & Hers is positioned to maintain substantial growth momentum.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
  • Yes, a Knicks team that has been unstoppable in the fourth quarter is a substantial underdog against a Celtics team that is not only A) missing its top scorer but also B) struggling through a poor series by two of its top complementary scorers in Brown and Kristaps Porzingis.
    Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • That has to be an attractive thing to keep players and to acquire players as well.
    The Athletic FC Podcast, New York Times, 15 May 2025
  • With an attractive valuation, strong profitability, and a recent breakout signaling optimal timing for adding bullish exposure in a recovering sector.
    Tony Zhang, CNBC, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • As sophisticated grocery store layouts reveal, considerable thought goes into such placement, including what goes on shelves and where.
    Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
  • Now there is considerable fear that the conflict between India and Pakistan, both of which have nuclear weapons, could escalate.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 9 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Handsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handsome. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on handsome

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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