handsome

[han-suh m] /ˈhæn səm/
adjective, handsomer, handsomest.
1.
having an attractive, well-proportioned, and imposing appearance suggestive of health and strength; good-looking:
a handsome man; a handsome woman.
2.
having pleasing proportions, relationships, or arrangements, as of shapes, forms, or colors; attractive:
a handsome house; a handsome interior.
3.
exhibiting skill, taste, and refinement; well-made:
a handsome story; handsome furniture.
4.
considerable, ample, or liberal in amount:
a handsome fortune.
5.
gracious; generous; flattering:
a handsome compliment; a handsome recommendation.
6.
adroit and appealing; graceful:
a handsome speech.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English handsom easy to handle (see hand, -some1); cognate with Dutch handzaam tractable
Related forms
handsomeish, adjective
handsomeness, noun
superhandsome, adjective
Synonyms
1. See beautiful. 4. large, generous, munificent.
Antonyms
1. ugly. 4, 5. small, miserly.
Examples from the web for handsome
  • My son is smart, handsome and destined to put me in an early grave.
  • Readers will be educated, inspired, and enthralled by this handsome book.
  • What man can refuse a beautiful woman, what woman can refuse a handsome man.
  • He was handsome, with pale blue eyes and a gentle, gap-toothed smile.
  • He came across as a lanky, handsome hipster doing an impression of a 13-year-old skater.
  • He was a handsome gentleman, and the ladies liked him.
  • He is a handsome 32-year-old with a dimpled chin and close-cropped hair.
  • The book comes with a handsome poster.
  • Jack is a fading actor with the indestructible optimism of the formerly handsome.
  • I'll be the handsome one on crutches.
British Dictionary definitions for handsome

handsome

/ˈhændsəm/
adjective
1.
(of a man) good-looking, esp in having regular, pleasing, and well-defined features
2.
(of a woman) fine-looking in a dignified way
3.
well-proportioned, stately, or comely: a handsome room
4.
liberal or ample: a handsome allowance
5.
gracious or generous: a handsome action
6.
(Southwest English) pleasant: handsome weather
noun
7.
(Southwest English) a term of endearment for a beloved person, esp in my handsome
Derived Forms
handsomely, adverb
handsomeness, noun
Word Origin
C15: handsom easily handled; compare Dutch handzaam; see hand, -some1
Word Origin and History for handsome
adj.

c.1400, handsom "easy to handle, ready at hand," from hand (n.) + -some (1). Sense extended to "fair size, considerable" (1570s), then "having fine form, good-looking" (1580s). Meaning "generous" (in handsome reward, etc.) first recorded 1680s.

[Americans] use the word "handsome" much more extensively than we do: saying that Webster made a handsome speech in the Senate: that a lady talks handsomely, (eloquently:) that a book sells handsomely. A gentleman asked me on the Catskill Mountain, whether I thought the sun handsomer there than at New York. [Harriet Martineau, "Society in America," 1837]
Related: Handsomeness.

Slang definitions & phrases for handsome

handsome

Related Terms

high* wide* and handsome