Definition of handsomenext
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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 And of course, the handsome scion, before he’s fully formed. Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026 There are several handsome layering options to get him through the fall and winter chill, along with some cooking upgrades that will please even the man who struggles with paint-by-numbers meal kit recipes (ahem, a pizza oven might change his life). Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 23 Mar. 2026 The handsome Kennedy heir was seen chatting up several girls. Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026 Claflin’s got the right kind of handsome face for it, all angles and sneers. Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for handsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handsome
Adjective
  • One is beautiful and famous the world over; the other is even more beautiful yet content not to have to put up with all the fuss and attention.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Mar. 2026
  • What happens when you are forced to choose between a beautiful, vulnerable tradition and your own self-actualization?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Your next house could be this graceful French mansion, previously owned by both the late German designer and by European royalty.
    Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Offer graceful leadership and listen to quieter voices, because shared success grows when everyone feels included and heard.
    Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The school year in West Ada will come to a close in a couple of months, but Idaho’s largest school district is gearing up for a big change.
    Noah Daly, Idaho Statesman, 30 Mar. 2026
  • It was hung roughly a year after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, to express solidarity with the twelve hundred people who were murdered—in the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust—and with the two hundred and fifty-one people Hamas had abducted.
    Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • But Trump’s election proved that a sizable contingent of the population had no problem imposing their values on others—and even hoped that the government might do so for them.
    Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • In North Texas, there were more than a dozen rallies, each drawing a sizable crowd.
    Briseida Holguin, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Buddhavarapu has a price target of $6 per share and says the stock is too attractive to ignore at current prices.
    Michael Bloom, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Considering that this metal was priced over $100 in January, around the same time the price of gold was surging, today's price serves as an attractive, cost-effective opportunity to get started with the metal.
    Matt Richardson, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Depending on the combination, this creates either a clean, almost futuristic appeal or a soft, elegant look.
    Jana Ackermann, Glamour, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Van Beirendonck gravitates toward loud prints in bright colors and allusions to BDSM, whereas Van Saene makes elegant cocktail dresses for women with bow details and shrunken cardigans.
    Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Taxpayers generally foot a substantial portion of the bill, and owners reap the revenue from ticket sales, concessions, and stadium naming rights.
    Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Gontang notes that walking on an incline can make a substantial difference because walking uphill requires more muscle activation and greater energy expenditure than walking on a flat surface.
    Daryl Austin, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Some of these trades were so large, Khouw said, that whoever placed them would have needed tens of millions of dollars in margin reserves, indicating a considerable level of financial sophistication and wealth.
    John Cassidy, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • The Torrey Pines High School and San Diego Surf alum’s local pedigree may also boost the fifth-year Wave, who through no fault of the club’s current leaders, lost considerable star power in recent years, contributing to an attendance decline.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Handsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handsome. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.

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