handsome

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handsome

pleasing and dignified: a handsome gentleman; bounteous, liberal: a handsome reward

Not to be confused with:

hansom – a two-wheeled covered carriage with the driver’s seat at the back: We went for a ride through Central Park in a hansom cab.

hand·some

(hăn′səm)

adj. hand·som·er, hand·som·est

a. Pleasing in form or appearance, especially having strong or distinguished features: a handsome man; a woman with a handsome face.

b. Having stately or attractive proportions or appearance; impressive: a handsome manor; a sleek, handsome car. See Synonyms at beautiful.

2. Large in amount or measure; generous or considerable: a handsome reward; won by a handsome margin.

3. Marked by or requiring skill or dexterity: did some handsome maneuvers on the skating rink.

4. Appropriate or fitting: a handsome location for the new school.

[Middle English handsom, handy : hand, hand (from Old English) + -som, n. suff.; see -some¹.]

hand′some·ly adv.

hand′some·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

handsome

(ˈhændsəm)

adj

1. (of a man) good-looking, esp in having regular, pleasing, and well-defined features

2. (of a woman) fine-looking in a dignified way

3. well-proportioned, stately, or comely: a handsome room.

4. liberal or ample: a handsome allowance.

5. gracious or generous: a handsome action.

6. Southwest English pleasant: handsome weather.

Southwest English a term of endearment for a beloved person, esp in my handsome

[C15: handsom easily handled; compare Dutch handzaam; see hand, -some¹]

ˈhandsomely adv

ˈhandsomeness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hand•some

(ˈhæn səm)

adj. -som•er, -som•est.

1. having an attractive, well-proportioned, and imposing appearance suggestive of health and strength; good-looking: a handsome boy; a handsome couple.

2. having pleasing proportions or arrangements, as of shapes or colors; attractive: a handsome interior.

3. considerable, ample, or liberal in amount: a handsome fortune.

4. gracious; generous: a handsome compliment.

5. adroit; graceful: a handsome speech.

[1350–1400; Middle English handsom easy to handle (see hand, -some¹)]

hand′some•ly, adv.

hand′some•ness, n.

syn: See beautiful.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	handsome - pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion; "a fine-looking woman"; "a good-looking man"; "better-looking than her sister"; "very pretty but not so extraordinarily handsome"- Thackeray; "our southern women are well-favored"- Lillian Hellman better-looking, fine-looking, good-looking, well-favored, well-favoured beautiful - delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration; "a beautiful child"; "beautiful country"; "a beautiful painting"; "a beautiful theory"; "a beautiful party"
	2.	handsome - given or giving freely; "was a big tipper"; "the bounteous goodness of God"; "bountiful compliments"; "a freehanded host"; "a handsome allowance"; "Saturday's child is loving and giving"; "a liberal backer of the arts"; "a munificent gift"; "her fond and openhanded grandfather" bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, giving, openhanded, freehanded, liberal, big generous - willing to give and share unstintingly; "a generous donation"

handsome

adjective

1. good-looking, attractive, gorgeous, fine, stunning, elegant, personable, nice-looking, dishy (informal, chiefly Brit.), comely, fanciable, well-proportioned a tall, dark, handsome farmer
good-looking ugly, unattractive, unsightly, unprepossessing, inelegant

2. generous, large, princely, liberal, considerable, lavish, ample, abundant, plentiful, bountiful, sizable or sizeable They will make a handsome profit on the property.
generous mean, small, base, cheap, selfish, meagre, stingy, miserly, ungenerous

Proverbs
"Handsome is as handsome does"

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

handsome

adjective

1. Having qualities that delight the eye:

attractive, beauteous, beautiful, comely, fair, good-looking, gorgeous, lovely, pretty, pulchritudinous, ravishing, sightly, stunning.

Scots: bonny.

Idiom: easy on the eyes.

2. Characterized by bounteous giving:

free, freehanded, generous, lavish, liberal, munificent, openhanded, unsparing, unstinting.

Translations

كبير، سَخِيوَسِيموَسيم، جَميل الطَّلْعَه

hezkýpěknýpohledný

smukanseligflotklækkelig

beträchtlich gut aussehend hübsch stattlich

γοητευτικός

bien parecido guapo hermoso considerable generoso

komea

beau joli

zgodan

myndarlegurmyndarlegur, ríflegur

attraente bello cortese di bell'aspetto sostanzioso

ハンサムな

잘 생긴

gražumas

glītsizskatīgskrietnsprāvs

knap

flott kjekk klekkelig

przystojny

bonito

привлекательный

čeden

stilig

หล่อ

yakışıklıbüyük miktarda

đẹp trai

英俊的慷慨的漂亮的相当大的

handsome

[ˈhænsəm] ADJ (handsomer (compar) (handsomest (superl)))

1. (= attractive) [man] → guapo, bien parecido; [building, house, furniture] → bello, espléndido
a tall boy with a handsome face → un chico alto y guapo de cara
a handsome woman → una mujer or señora de bandera, una buena moza (LAm)
a handsome animal → un magnífico animal

2. (= considerable) [fortune, profit] → cuantioso; [salary, sum] → generoso, espléndido; [increase, rise] → importante
to make a handsome profit (on sth) → conseguir cuantiosos beneficios (de algo)

3. (= convincing) [win, victory] → amplio, holgado

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

handsome

[ˈhænsəm] adj

(= good-looking) [man] → beau(belle); [woman] → beau(belle)
He's very handsome → Il est très beau.

[profit] → considérable; [salary] → bon(ne); [gift] → généreux/euse

[win, victory] → beau(belle)

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

handsome

adj

(= good-looking) man, woman → gut aussehend; (= well-built) → stattlich; face, features → attraktiv; animal, building, place, furniture → schön; (= elegant) → elegant; (= imposing) → stattlich, imposant; he is handsome/has a handsome face → er sieht gut aus; handsome is as handsome does (Prov) → edel ist, wer edel handelt

(= large) profit, return, increase, salary → ansehnlich; reward → großzügig; sum → stolz, stattlich; win, victory → deutlich, entscheidend; a handsome 57 per cent → ansehnliche 57 Prozent; to win a handsome victory → überlegen gewinnen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

handsome

[ˈhænsəm] adj (-r (comp) (-st (superl))) (gen) → bello/a; (salary) → buono/a; (considerable, profit, fortune) → considerevole, grosso/a; (reward) → generoso/a

handsome

(ˈhӕnsəm) adjective

1. (usually of men) good-looking. a handsome prince.

2. very large; generous. He gave a handsome sum of money to charity.

ˈhandsomely adverb

ˈhandsomeness noun

handsome

→ وَسِيم pohledný smuk gut aussehend γοητευτικός bien parecido komea beau zgodan attraente ハンサムな 잘 생긴 knap flott przystojny bonito привлекательный stilig หล่อ yakışıklı đẹp trai 英俊的

handsome

a. guapo-a, hermoso-a, distinguido-a.

References in classic literature ?

the girl that your la'ship saw at church on Sunday, whom you thought so handsome; though you would not have thought her so handsome neither, if you had seen her nearer, but to be sure she hath been carried before the justice for being big with child.

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"He's very handsome," whispered Rebecca to Amelia, rather loud.

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For a few days, every morning visit in Highbury included some mention of the handsome letter Mrs.

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Then followed the history and rise of the ancient and respectable family, in the usual terms; how it had been first settled in Cheshire; how mentioned in Dugdale, serving the office of high sheriff, representing a borough in three successive parliaments, exertions of loyalty, and dignity of baronet, in the first year of Charles II, with all the Marys and Elizabeths they had married; forming altogether two handsome duodecimo pages, and concluding with the arms and motto:--"Principal seat, Kellynch Hall, in the county of Somerset," and Sir Walter's handwriting again in this finale:--

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He was possessed of a handsome person and pleasing manners, and was a general favorite in the factory.

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If she'd just let that tight hair of hern all out loose and careless-like, as it used ter be, and wear the sort of bunnits with posies in 'em, and the kind o' dresses all lace and white things--you'd see she'd be handsome! Miss Polly ain't old, Nancy."

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That he was perfectly agreeable and good-natured, and altogether a very charming man, did not admit of a doubt, for he was tall and handsome, and Henry's father.

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It can't be denied your hair is terrible red; but I knew a girl once--went to school with her, in fact--whose hair was every mite as red as yours when she was young, but when she grew up it darkened to a real handsome auburn.

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"You consider it, undoubtedly, a handsome sum of money.

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The greatest man in Raveloe was Squire Cass, who lived in the large red house with the handsome flight of stone steps in front and the high stables behind it, nearly opposite the church.

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"Handsome is as handsome does," quoted the Shaggy Man; "but we must admit that no living scarecrow is handsomer.

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The girl, after leaving her entertainer, sped swiftly cross-town until she arrived at a handsome and sedate mansion two squares to the east, facing on that avenue which is the highway of Mammon and the auxiliary gods.