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 There is, in fact, a serial killer behind them, a handsome, dead-eyed loner named Arthur (Dacre Montgomery) who, like Margot, is terminally online. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026 Camellias grow slowly but reward patient gardeners with handsome hedges covered in shiny, deep green foliage year-round and incredible winter blooms. Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2026 There’s Noodle, a handsome goldendoodle who was recently found in Miami with his friend Coyote, a hound. Amanda Rosa april 9, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026 Throughout the space, elevated materials are the norm—from seating upholstered in lush velvet to contemporary bed frames wrapped in cozy linen and handsome leather. Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for handsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handsome
Adjective
  • Isolated by its beautiful, rugged mountains, West Virginia sits entirely within Appalachia and has long been listed at the bottom of a laundry list of failings, including poor health and a lack of education.
    ABC News, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • The patio at Bricks and Horses is as beautiful as ever, and now the menu is better than ever.
    Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Instead, this will be remembered as one of the most important victories of the young season if the Red Sox go on a run of graceful baseball.
    Steve Buckley, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Let the graceful creatures live amongst hearts, sparkles, and whatever other designs your heart desires.
    Amanda Le, InStyle, 4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • There's a chance for large hail and damaging winds, with the potential for tornado warnings.
    Joseph Dames, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
  • In America, more than five thousand people are killed each year in accidents involving large trucks, and the victims tend to be occupants of smaller vehicles.
    Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • But Democrats picked up momentum on the issue in 2025 races with messaging centered on cost of living, including sizable wins in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races.
    Mary Ramsey April 9, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Amazon eventually churned out sizable profits and grew to dominate new markets.
    Annie Palmer, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The era of the concert hall was at hand, and the same qualities that had made the mandolin attractive at home now put it at a disadvantage.
    Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Do leave enough of the shoots in bloom to keep attractive plants.
    Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • This elegant opera house hosts numerous events, mostly opera and ballet.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2026
  • The smooth, fluid drape reads elegant, and the fabric has a soft silk sheen that holds up beautifully in a suitcase.
    Paris Wilson, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The largest monthly jump in gas prices in six decades caused a sharp spike in inflation last month, creating major challenges for the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve and heightening already substantial political hurdles for the White House.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Its techniques are still breathtaking today, richer and more substantial than any images that came before and many that followed.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Colman Domingo put his considerable fashion bona fides into a sketch on last night’s Saturday Night Live about FIT students trying to describe the perpetrator of an armed robbery.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
  • The average American of 1925, Bradley noted, citing his team’s considerable research for its new book, lived at a standard of living roughly comparable to South Africa today.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Handsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handsome. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

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