handsome means having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive, particularly. It carries an Arena rating of 1783, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, handsome ranks #1,006 of 42,762 for Qualifying, #1,243 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #1,356 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #1,522 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
handsome is pronounced /ˈhæn.səm/.
Why “handsome” is a great word
Having a pleasing and dignified appearance, typically used to describe a man who is attractively manly or a woman who is beautiful in a statuesque or imposing manner. From Middle English *handsum*, *hondsom*, equivalent to *hand* + *-some* ('characterized by, apt to'), originally meaning 'easy to handle or use'; the sense evolved to 'suitable, clever' by the mid-16th century and then to the appreciatory senses of good looks by the late 16th century. Unlike 'pretty,' which suggests a delicate and charming appeal, or 'gorgeous,' which dazzles with flamboyant intensity, handsome implies a refined and classic solidity. It is the clean angle of a jaw in afternoon light, the severe elegance of a tailored wool coat, or the weathered grace of an old library desk—an attraction that feels less like a discovery and more like a recognition of something fundamentally sound.
Etymology
From Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam. The original sense was “easy to handle or use”, hence “suitable” and “apt, clever” (mid-16th century), giving rise to the current appreciatory senses (late 16th century).
adj
- Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive, particularlye.g.“That is one handsome tree you've got there.”
- Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive; Of a man or boy: attractively manly, having a pleasing face and overall effect.e.g.“I was struck dumb. Here was the most handsome man I’d ever seen in my life coming out of the surf.”
- Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive; Of a woman: statuesque, beautiful in a masculine or otherwise imposing way.e.g.“She was either handsome or her uniform created a flattering effect but—being very nearsighted—he couldn't tell from this distance.”
- Good, appealing, appropriate.
- Good, appealing, appropriate.; Of weather, fine, clear and bright.e.g.“Sunday, the sixth, we heaved up our sheet-anchor again, the day beginning with little wind, and continued handsome weather till eight at night, when the wind came to S. S. W. and it fell a snowing.” — 1808, John Pinkerton, A General Collection of the Best and Most Interesting Voyages and Travels in All Parts of the World, page 513:
- Good, appealing, appropriate.; Suitable or fit in action; marked with propriety and ease; appropriate.e.g.“a handsome style”
- Generous or noble in character.e.g.“I'm a plain man, Mr. Feverel. Above board with me, and you'll find me handsome.” — 1859, George Meredith, chapter XI, in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel. A History of Father and Son. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC:
- Ample; moderately large.e.g.“a handsome salary”
- Of people and things: dexterous; skillful.e.g.“That they [engines of war] be both easy to be carried and handsome to be moved and turned about.” — 1551, Thomas More, “(please specify the Internet Archive page)”, in Raphe Robynson [i.e., Ralph Robinson], transl., A Fruteful, and Pleasaunt Worke of the Best State of a Publyque Weale, and of the Ne
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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