Definition of handsome adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

handsome

adjective

/ˈhænsəm/

(comparative handsomer, superlative handsomest)

more handsome and most handsome are more common

(of men) attractive synonym good-looking
- He had an interesting and rather handsome face.
- He's the most handsome man I've ever met.
- He was aptly described as ‘tall, dark, and handsome’.
- his ruggedly handsome features
Synonyms beautiful
beautifulpretty ▪ handsome ▪ attractive ▪ lovely ▪ good-looking ▪ gorgeousThese words all describe people who are pleasant to look at.
beautiful (most often used of a woman or girl) very pleasant to look at:
She looked stunningly beautiful that night.
pretty (most often used of a girl or woman) pleasant to look at:
She’s got a very pretty face.
Pretty is used most often to talk about girls. When it is used to talk about a woman, it usually suggests that she is like a girl, with small, delicate features.handsome (of a man) pleasant to look at; (of a woman) pleasant to look at, with large strong features rather than small delicate ones:
He was described as ‘tall, dark and handsome’.
attractive (of a person) pleasant to look at, especially in a sexual way:
She’s a very attractive woman.
lovely (of a person) beautiful; very attractive:
She looked particularly lovely that night.
When you describe somebody as lovely, you are usually showing that you also like them very much.good-looking (of a person) pleasant to look at, often in a sexual way:
She arrived with a very good-looking man.
gorgeous (informal) (of a person) extremely attractive, especially in a sexual way:
You look gorgeous!
attractive or good-looking?If you describe somebody as attractive you often also mean that they have a pleasant personality as well as being pleasant to look at; good-looking only describes somebody’s physical appearance.Patterns
- a(n) beautiful/pretty/handsome/attractive/lovely/good-looking/gorgeous girl/woman
- a(n) beautiful/handsome/attractive/good-looking/gorgeous boy/man
- a(n) beautiful/pretty/handsome/attractive/lovely/good-looking face
Topics Appearancea2
(of women) attractive, with large strong features rather than small light ones
- a tall, handsome woman
Synonyms beautiful
beautifulpretty ▪ handsome ▪ attractive ▪ lovely ▪ good-looking ▪ gorgeousThese words all describe people who are pleasant to look at.
beautiful (most often used of a woman or girl) very pleasant to look at:
She looked stunningly beautiful that night.
pretty (most often used of a girl or woman) pleasant to look at:
She’s got a very pretty face.
Pretty is used most often to talk about girls. When it is used to talk about a woman, it usually suggests that she is like a girl, with small, delicate features.handsome (of a man) pleasant to look at; (of a woman) pleasant to look at, with large strong features rather than small delicate ones:
He was described as ‘tall, dark and handsome’.
attractive (of a person) pleasant to look at, especially in a sexual way:
She’s a very attractive woman.
lovely (of a person) beautiful; very attractive:
She looked particularly lovely that night.
When you describe somebody as lovely, you are usually showing that you also like them very much.good-looking (of a person) pleasant to look at, often in a sexual way:
She arrived with a very good-looking man.
gorgeous (informal) (of a person) extremely attractive, especially in a sexual way:
You look gorgeous!
attractive or good-looking?If you describe somebody as attractive you often also mean that they have a pleasant personality as well as being pleasant to look at; good-looking only describes somebody’s physical appearance.Patterns
- a(n) beautiful/pretty/handsome/attractive/lovely/good-looking/gorgeous girl/woman
- a(n) beautiful/handsome/attractive/good-looking/gorgeous boy/man
- a(n) beautiful/pretty/handsome/attractive/lovely/good-looking face
beautiful to look at
- a handsome horse/house/city
- The bride and groom made a handsome couple.
large in amount or quantity
- They sold the house two years later at a handsome profit.
- He was elected by a handsome majority (= a lot of people voted for him).
- a handsome cheque
- I enjoyed the job, and was paid a handsome salary too.
generous
- She paid him a handsome compliment.
- It was very handsome of him to pay for the meal.

Word OriginMiddle English: from hand + -some. The original sense was ‘easy to handle or use’, hence ‘suitable’ and ‘apt, clever’ (mid 16th cent.), giving rise to the current appreciatory senses (late 16th cent.).

See handsome in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Check pronunciation: handsome

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hopefully

adverb

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