hand ‧ some /ˈhæns ə m/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: handsome 'easy to handle' (15-17 centuries) , from hand ]
1 .
a) a man who is handsome looks attractive SYN good-looking :
an extremely handsome young man
Sam was tall, dark, and handsome.
his handsome face
b) a woman who is handsome looks attractive in a strong healthy way
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say good-looking rather than handsome :
▪
Her new boyfriend is really good-looking.
2 . an animal, object, or building that is handsome looks attractive in an impressive way:
a row of handsome Georgian houses
3 . [only before noun] a handsome amount of money is large:
He managed to make a handsome profit out of the deal.
a handsome fee
4 . [only before noun] a handsome gift or prize is worth a lot of money:
There are some handsome prizes to be won.
5 . [only before noun] a handsome victory is important and impressive:
They won a handsome victory in the elections.
—handsomely adverb :
He was handsomely rewarded by the king.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ person
▪ beautiful a beautiful woman or child has perfect good looks:
Grace Kelly was a very beautiful woman.
|
a beautiful baby
▪ good-looking a good-looking person looks nice. Good-looking is very common in spoken English:
He’s a good-looking guy, but he’s a bit boring.
|
Do you think she’s good-looking?
▪ attractive an attractive person looks nice, especially in a way that makes you feel sexually interested in them:
She’s a very attractive woman.
|
A lot of women find him attractive.
▪ pretty a pretty girl or woman looks nice – used especially about a woman who has a nice face:
You look pretty with your hair down.
|
She has a very pretty face.
▪ handsome a handsome man or boy looks nice – used especially about a man who has a nice face. Handsome is also sometimes used, especially in literature, to describe a woman who is good-looking and has a strong face:
He was tall, dark, and handsome.
|
She was a big, handsome woman.
▪ gorgeous/stunning spoken extremely attractive. Gorgeous is used especially by women:
She thinks Brad Pitt is gorgeous.
|
You look absolutely stunning in that dress!
▪ cute spoken nice to look at – used about animals, babies, children, and young adults:
a cute little puppy
|
She thinks you’re cute!
▪ lovely especially British English spoken used when saying that someone looks very nice:
You look lovely tonight.