handsome

adjective hand·some \ ˈhan(t)-səm \

Updated on: 16 Nov 2017

Definition of handsome

handsomer; handsomest

1 chiefly dialectal : appropriate, suitable

2 : moderately large : sizable

a painting that commanded a handsome price

3 : marked by skill or cleverness : adroit

4 : marked by graciousness or generosity : liberal

handsome contributions to charity

5 : having a pleasing and usually impressive or dignified appearance

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handsomely

adverb

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handsomeness

noun

See handsome defined for English-language learners

See handsome defined for kids

Examples of handsome in a Sentence

He was a handsome man, in a big-screen way, with the deep-set eyes and boyish smile and even the lumpy, interesting complexion of a Harrison Ford or a Robert Redford. —Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 10 May 2004
An Alexandrian statue of a ruggedly handsome man with gaunt features like Caesar's exploits the translucent glow of large-grained marble from the distant Greek island of Thasos, combining Roman attention to the texture of aging skin with the abstract elegance of Egyptian-style almond eyes and chiseled cheekbones. —Ingrid D. Rowland, New Republic, 1 & 8 Apr. 2002
The Galaxy's first stop, St. Lucia's capital city of Castries, has been destroyed by so many fires that travel writers dismiss it as holding little interest. There I came upon a handsome three-story brick building that had clearly withstood the city's century of conflagrations. It was, of all things, a Carnegie Library, built by that American millionaire's beneficence in 1916. —Carla Davidson, American Heritage, November 1999
With bonds and utility stocks under seige, many people who depend on these traditional income investments are taking a new look at real estate investment trusts. What they're finding is that "REITs" generate handsome dividend yields of 6% or more while offering the possibility of capital gains. That's not bad at a time when 10-year Treasury notes, which currently yield about 7%, come with the worry that rising interest rates will cause their value to plummet. —Lynn Asinof, Wall Street Journal, 3 June 1994
It was a handsome house situated on a large lot.
The book includes many handsome illustrations.
I predict that someone tall, dark, and handsome is going to come into your life.
He inherited a handsome fortune.
He made a handsome profit on the sale of the house.
The book is a handsome tribute to a great poet.

Recent Examples of handsome from the Web

Not just a handsome hedge or fragrant flower, other regions of the world cultivate Osmanthus for use as tea, wine, or medicine.

— jefferson county cooperative extension, AL.com, "Awesome Osmanthus (Garden Talk)," 23 Oct. 2017
Farhad: There’s no way a cyber-Farhad could be as handsome and charismatic as the real thing.

— farhad manjoo and mike isaac, New York Times, "Farhad and Mike’s Week in Tech: Regulation Is Looming," 20 Oct. 2017
The production is handsome, harrowing and wonderfully erotic.

— david lyman, Cincinnati.com, "The stage is alive ... It's alive!," 17 Oct. 2017
The handsome, young Rissman does not at all match the portly, balding, cowardly Harry Strickland of the books.

— joanna robinson, vanityfair.com, "New Game of Thrones Casting News Blows a Hole in an Especially Fun Fan Theory," 16 Oct. 2017
Tall, dark, handsome, funny, kind, great with kids, six-figure salary, a harsh but fair critic of my creative output ... the list of things people want from their spouses and partners has grown substantially in recent decades.

— olga khazan, The Atlantic, "We Expect Too Much From Our Romantic Partners," 29 Sep. 2017
Hammer, who has toned down his bulky, matinee idol build to reveal a tall and lanky frame, is almost too handsome to be a student of antiquity.

— tyler coates, Esquire, "Call Me by Your Name Will Seduce You. Then It Will Break Your Heart.," 26 Jan. 2017
Nicholas II, the last czar, a Romanov out of his depth, looked handsome in his white naval officer’s uniform.

— olga ingurazova, Smithsonian, "What Ever Happened to the Russian Revolution?," 29 Sep. 2017
Facebook users were quick to notice how handsome the officers were, and as women everywhere swooned over the hunky cops, the likes and thirsty comments poured in.

— Southern Living, "Hot Cops in Viral Hurricane Irma Photo Plan to Release Hunky Police Calendar," 14 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'handsome.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of handsome

Middle English handsom easy to manipulate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1530

See Words from the same year

handsome Synonyms

Synonyms

classy, courtly, fine, graceful, elegant, majestic, refined, stately, tasteful

Synonym Discussion of handsome

beautiful, lovely, handsome, pretty, comely, fair mean exciting sensuous or aesthetic pleasure. beautiful applies to whatever excites the keenest of pleasure to the senses and stirs emotion through the senses.

- beautiful mountain scenery

lovely is close to beautiful but applies to a narrower range of emotional excitation in suggesting the graceful, delicate, or exquisite.

- a lovely melody

handsome suggests aesthetic pleasure due to proportion, symmetry, or elegance.

- a handsome Georgian mansion

pretty often applies to superficial or insubstantial attractiveness.

- a painter of conventionally pretty scenes

comely is like handsome in suggesting what is coolly approved rather than emotionally responded to.

- the comely grace of a dancer

fair suggests beauty because of purity, flawlessness, or freshness.

- fair of face

HANDSOME Defined for English Language Learners

handsome

adjective

Definition of handsome for English Language Learners

: pleasing to look at; especially of a person : having a pleasing appearance that causes romantic or sexual feelings in someone
: large in size or amount
: done or achieved in an impressive way