Synonyms of handsome

handsome

adjective

ˈhan(t)-səm 

1

as in beautiful

very pleasing to look at

a handsome man with finely chiseled features

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beautiful
• attractive
• lovely
• cute
• gorgeous
• pretty
• charming
• stunning
• good
• elegant
• good-looking
• delightful
• sexy
• likely
• comely
• ravishing
• beauteous
• drop-dead
• glorious
• magnificent
• goodly
• perfect
• aesthetic
• fascinating
• fetching
• seemly
• hot
• knockout
• fair
• flawless
• superb
• exquisite
• taking
• desirable
• pleasant
• bonny
• well-favored
• sightly
• alluring
• appealing
• glamorous
• lovesome
• splendid
• cunning
• delicate
• statuesque
• radiant
• prepossessing
• engaging
• resplendent
• seductive
• personable
• sublime
• dainty
• presentable
• hunky
• foxy
• striking
• glossy
• luscious
• flamboyant
• showy
• toothsome
• snazzy
• photogenic
• nubile
• studly
• slick
• flashy
• dishy
• Junoesque
• pulchritudinous
• prettyish
• arresting
• splashy
• chocolate-box
• dollish
• eye-catching
• telegenic
• zingy
• showstopping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ugly
• unattractive
• plain
• homely
• hideous
• grotesque
• unsightly
• unlovely
• bad
• repulsive
• terrible
• unpleasing
• disagreeable
• loathsome
• horrible
• objectionable
• disgusting
• unhandsome
• dreadful
• ghastly
• frightful
• vile
• offensive
• repugnant
• shocking
• abominable
• revolting
• unbeautiful
• nasty
• repellent
• abhorrent
• sickening
• uncomely
• ill-favored
• unpleasant
• uncute
• foul
• unpretty
• nauseating
• unaesthetic
• unprepossessing
• unappealing
• unappetizing
• unbecoming
• unimposing
• frumpy
• frumpish
• unshapely

2

as in graceful

having or showing elegance

the glass-topped table was a handsome addition to the room

Synonyms & Similar Words

• graceful
• elegant
• fine
• magnificent
• majestic
• proud
• luxurious
• glorious
• stylish
• rich
• gallant
• royal
• classy
• tasteful
• superb
• noble
• regal
• simple
• aristocratic
• refined
• courtly
• sophisticated
• stately
• grand
• quiet
• fashionable
• lavish
• sleek
• exquisite
• heroic
• ornate
• splendid
• polished
• imposing
• monumental
• classic
• conservative
• artful
• restrained
• baronial
• chic
• smart
• understated
• genteel
• posh
• patrician
• august
• swank
• pretentious
• grandiose
• ostentatious
• sharp
• modish
• snappy
• in
• affected
• swagger
• recherché
• à la mode

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unfashionable
• dowdy
• tasteless
• inelegant
• flamboyant
• loud
• graceless
• coarse
• grotesque
• crude
• flashy
• gaudy
• unhandsome
• raffish
• tawdry
• garish
• cheesy
• tacky
• glitzy
• unstylish
• splashy
• styleless
• vulgar
• uncouth
• rude
• unpolished
• trashy
• unrefined
• uncultivated
• uncultured
• ticky-tacky
• rough-hewn
• rough-edged

3

as in large

of a size greater than average of its kind

earns a handsome salary as senior vice president of the firm

Synonyms & Similar Words

• large
• sizable
• substantial
• considerable
• big
• great
• oversize
• tidy
• huge
• vast
• bulky
• colossal
• gigantic
• husky
• voluminous
• staggering
• enormous
• excessive
• tremendous
• hefty
• goodly
• massive
• spacious
• extravagant
• outsize
• grand
• hulking
• boxcar
• super
• largish
• stupendous
• biggish
• mammoth
• ample
• immense
• astronomical
• mountainous
• heroic
• prodigious
• plentiful
• humongous
• gargantuan
• monumental
• monstrous
• monolithic
• major
• thick
• cavernous
• titanic
• exorbitant
• abundant
• whopping
• jumbo
• copious
• cyclopean
• gross
• herculean
• cosmic
• appreciable
• elephantine
• galactic
• commodious
• inordinate
• super-duper
• extreme
• Himalayan
• roomy
• immoderate
• supersized
• pharaonic
• bumper
• vasty
• Bunyanesque
• capacious
• king-size
• Brobdingnagian
• hellacious
• whacking
• leviathan
• fat
• walloping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• small
• little
• puny
• dwarf
• smallish
• undersized
• dinky
• dwarfish
• tiny
• diminutive
• miniature
• microscopic
• mini
• minuscule
• slender
• infinitesimal
• wee
• little bitty
• pocket-size
• shrimpy
• pygmy
• teeny
• half-pint
• thin
• petite
• bantam
• teensy
• slim
• minute
• Lilliputian
• slight
• pint-size
• microminiature
• teeny-weeny
• teensy-weensy

4

as in sizable

sufficiently large in size, amount, or number to merit attention

real estate developers realized a handsome profit on that deal

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sizable
• substantial
• considerable
• significant
• good
• respectable
• huge
• healthy
• tremendous
• big
• great
• tidy
• major
• goodly
• substantive
• massive
• largish
• bulky
• biggish
• voluminous
• hefty
• gigantic
• oversize
• enormous
• colossal
• prodigious
• hulking
• monstrous
• immense
• mammoth
• monumental
• outsize
• astronomical
• titanic
• herculean
• whopping
• jumbo
• elephantine
• king-size
• bumper

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• nominal
• insignificant
• inconsiderable
• negligible
• insubstantial
• inconsequential
• puny
• unimportant
• petty
• trivial
• trifling
• marginal
• small
• meager
• paltry
• tiny
• little
• minute
• slight
• undersized
• diminutive
• miniature
• piddling
• smallish
• measly
• picayunish
• picayune
• pocket
• bitty
• pocket-size
• pygmy
• pint-size

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

Recent Examples of handsome

The handsome brick masonry, a substantial chimney on the left side of the home, along with the large windows and an inviting front door, are impressive and welcoming. — James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026

Behind them came a strikingly handsome Captain Hook and, right on his heels, a passable seventies-era Elton John. — Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026

No-brainer options included handsome denims with a curving leg and neo-suiting playing on mixing rather than matching sets. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026

This handsome specimen produces large white flowers from mid-summer until the first frost. — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Oct. 2026