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a handsome face
an attractive face
a pleasing face
a lovely face
a fine face
a pretty face
a handsome profit
a hefty profit
a lovely profit
a generous profit
a healthy profit
a tidy profit
a handsome book
an attractive book
a beautiful book
a gorgeous book
an elegant book
an exquisite book

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of handsome On Grey’s Anatomy, Jackson will play a handsome, intelligent, but arrogant man in his late 20s who has just moved to Seattle. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025 But here was this lusciously handsome young man, a little overripe, leading orchestras in Haydn and Beethoven. David Denby, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025 Amid the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the actress and director was seen stepping out to get some fresh air with her rather handsome brother Charlie Cockburn. Amy Jamieson, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025 The screen powered on, displaying a handsome young man wearing a button-down shirt, seemingly sitting in a home office. Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for handsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handsome
Adjective
  • As with most new pursuits, our learning curve was steep and our movements the antithesis of graceful.
    Tim Chester, AFAR Media, 16 Apr. 2025
  • The graceful curvature of the leather seatbacks and straps encasing the sofas were a marvel, somehow both sturdy and delicate.
    Liam Hess, Vogue, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • What the characters can or cannot do in response, and the catharsis they’re prevented from attaining, are both key parts of their story, and of life in the West Bank at large — a reality Nabulsi conveys in stark, realistic hues, despite her first-feature growing pains.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Having first launched in 2004, the Like a Version series has gone from being a near-impromptu acoustic affair to featuring larger studio productions.
    Tyler Jenke, Billboard, 11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Order a drink, admire the master carpentry, and unwind with views of the beautiful garden.
    Christina Liao, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
  • The lead grew to 3-1 at 1:57 of the third with one of the most beautiful goals of the season.
    Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • While the flagship Pixels are all screen from the front, there's a sizable gap between the edge of the OLED and the aluminum frame.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Lea Salonga brings additional star power to the sizable roster of extraordinary talents, including Tony and Olivier winners Gavin Lee, Beth Leavel and Joanna Riding.
    Frank Rizzo, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Hot Potato Salad Recipe: Shaved Vegetable Salad Recipe: Easy Bunny Cake This easy and elegant menu keeps things classic, but with an extra helping of flavor and color.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2025
  • The classic Dutch bike-style step through frame is perhaps one of the most elegant imaginings of a bicycle.
    Trinity Francis, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • All of these circumstances give rise to a substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification.
    Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Of finished medications ready for use, a substantial percentage are also manufactured overseas: India accounts for 48%, China 13%, and Europe another 7%.
    Robert Glatter and Peter Papadakos, Time, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • There is this idea that top managers would like the job because there is so much talent, plus the style and brand of football are very attractive.
    The Totally Football Show, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Despite the attractive offer, not everyone is on board.
    Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • One of the biggest success stories this year in Grand Rapids has been Amadeus Lombardi, who missed considerable time with injury but is comfortably the Griffins’ leading scorer on a per-game basis with 18 goals and 37 points in 41 games.
    Max Bultman, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • This explanation has been met with considerable doubt, with a persistent rumor circulating among wrestling fans that the injury was sustained during a physical altercation with Randy Savage, who was serving as an announcer at WrestleMania 9.
    David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Handsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handsome. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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