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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 Cinderella is a folk tale with thousands of interpretations focused on the title character bullied by her wealthy stepfamily and later swept away by a rich, handsome prince. James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2025 Its Darcy, Matthew MacFadyen, was in his late 20s and still had an awkward, youthful reserve that turned out to be perfect for this version’s take on the handsome, distant gentleman who falls for Elizabeth. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 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 His being handsome, funny and not known for comedy was a real asset. Rosa Escandon, Forbes.com, 13 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
  • Coastal live oaks stretched their long branches into a graceful embrace.
    Francine Kiefer, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Shahani also believes Nissan’s Infiniti luxury brand can grow with the new QX80 and upcoming QX60 large and midsize SUVs, respectively.
    Mark Phelan, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
  • In the mid-2000s, the fracking revolution took off, making the US the largest oil and natural gas producer in the world.
    Umair Irfan, Vox, 23 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
  • Tether and its affiliated exchange Bitfinex will hold a majority stake and SoftBank a sizable minority.
    Nina Bambysheva, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Based on advanced ticket sales, the space opera sequel is expected to generate a sizable $20 million to $22 million over the weekend.
    Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 23 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
  • Another title win for Charlotte would have been a massive step back for Stratton and a way for WWE to pull back the reigns on what had been a substantial push for the former Ms. Money in the Bank.
    Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
  • When paired with a frame as a single joypad or used as individual, motion-sensing grips, the Joy-Con 2s are as comfortable as their predecessors were on the Switch 1—possibly a little more so, thanks to slightly larger, more substantial thumbsticks.
    Matt Kamen, Wired News, 20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The vast majority of the city’s industrial jobs remained low paying, dangerous, and only attractive to the most desperate Americans until the 1940s.
    Made by History, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
  • These rooms, and the rest of the interior, have just been professionally repainted using attractive colors.
    James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 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 29 Apr. 2025.

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