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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 Its handsome exterior and modern-tech interior give it a chance. James Raia, Mercury News, 9 June 2025 With his goofy personality and heart full of love, this adorable boy is a handsome, gentle giant. Maryanne Dell, Oc Register, 7 June 2025 Peggy meets a handsome doctor from Newport whose family is less than enthusiastic about her career. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 3 June 2025 Here the handsome yellow and gray Palazzo del Capitolo building is close to Jana’s Café, where tank topped and tattooed visitors sipped rather than chugged espressos. Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for handsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handsome
Adjective
  • The graceful bridge overlooking the water lily ponds has been the setting of thousands of group photos over the years.
    Bonnie Gross, Sun Sentinel, 4 June 2025
  • This graceful spurge can be planted in mixed containers or grown as a ground cover in full sun or light shade.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • Researchers have documented large decreases in seed dispersal in forests where Asian needle ants are present.
    Stephen Smith, CBS News, 10 June 2025
  • The quarterly rebalanced mix of large, mid, and small-cap RV Portfolio stocks provided a flexible approach to capitalize on favorable market conditions while mitigating losses when markets decline, as elaborated in RV Portfolio performance metrics.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Adjective
  • Few of the hotels in this city, even the most beautiful among them, feel quite as regal as the Saint James.
    Madeline Weinfield, Architectural Digest, 3 June 2025
  • That’s why the pushback by politicians against Homeland Security’s big, beautiful boo-boo has been quick — and hilarious.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • But there’s a sizable contingent of old media players including David Zaslav, fresh from announcing plans to split Warner Bros. Discovery in two, as well as Comcast’s Brian Roberts, who is already enmeshed in spinning off his own underperforming cable properties at NBCUniversal.
    Matt Donnelly, Variety, 10 June 2025
  • Here’s a thought: Several big-time football schools have abandoned open spring football games, which used to be a sizable event attracting fans and alums to campus, to protect players from being scouted and poached in the transfer portal.
    Russell Dinkins, Sportico.com, 10 June 2025
Adjective
  • The newest model continues to fuse advanced materials with Japanese craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology to create a timepiece that is durable, precise and elegant.
    Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 6 June 2025
  • And Just Like That… is, for lack of a more elegant term, so goddamn weird this season.
    Emma Bocchi, Vogue, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • Health insurers - losers The bill includes substantial funding cuts for the U.S. Medicaid program, with fiscal hawks pushing for cuts to partly offset the cost of the bill's tax components.
    Shashwat Chauhan, USA Today, 7 June 2025
  • The raw data obscures just how substantial and prolonged the downfall of the little guy in the NBA has been.
    Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • For starters, native plants are more attractive to pollinators, but they're also perfectly adapted to local growing conditions and will return year after year with minimal fuss.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2025
  • Showcasing this kind of innovation made the company more attractive to creative and tech-savvy talent.
    Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
Adjective
  • Now, terming him a sweetener might be overstatement, after a considerable sophomore slump.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2025
  • In May, the board of supervisors unanimously backed recommendations from county staff to move the excess money around, with a considerable amount going to the Sheriff’s Office.
    Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Handsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handsome. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on handsome

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