Definition for: handsome

- Audio - Mouse over the speaker at the bottom of the screen to hear the sound of "handsome"

- Other Translations

English

Etymology

From hand + -some . It at first meant dexterous ; compare Dutch handzaam , dexterous , ready , limber , manageable , and English handy .

English

Adjective

handsome (Comparative: handsomer, Superlative: handsomest)

1. (Obsolete): Dexterous; skillful; handy; ready; convenient; -- applied to things as persons.

   Quotations

   • That they [engines of war] be both easy to be carried and handsome to be moved and turned about. - Robynson (Utopia)
   • For a thief it is so handsome as it may seem it was first invented for him. - Spenser

2. Agreeable to the eye or to correct taste; having a pleasing appearance or expression; attractive; having symmetry and dignity; comely; -- expressing more than pretty, and less than beautiful;

   Examples: a handsome man or woman; a handsome garment, house, tree, horse; MW10 treats it as synonymous with beautiful in this sense.

   Usage of handsome for a woman implies that she is not beautiful at all in the sense of female beauty.

3. Suitable or fit in action; marked with propriety and ease; graceful; becoming; appropriate

   Examples: a handsome style, etc.

   Quotations

   • Easiness and handsome address in writing. - Felton

4. Evincing a becoming generosity or nobleness of character; liberal; generous.

   Quotations

   • Handsome is as handsome does. - Old Proverb

5. Ample; moderately large.

   Quotations

   • He . . . accumulated a handsome sum of money. - V. Knox

   Derived expressions

   • (Colloquial): To do the handsome thing , to act liberally.

   Synonyms

   • Handsome, Pretty.
   • Pretty applies to things comparatively small, which please by their delicacy and grace; as, a pretty girl, a pretty flower, a pretty cottage.
   • Handsome rises higher, and is applied to objects on a larger scale. We admire what is handsome , we are pleased with what is pretty . The word is connected with hand, and has thus acquired the idea of training, cultivation, symmetry, and proportion, which enters so largely into our conception of handsome . Thus Drayton makes mention of handsome players, meaning those, who are well trained; and hence we speak of a man's having a handsome address, which is the result of culture; of a handsome horse or dog, which implies well proportioned limbs; of a handsome face, to which, among other qualities, the idea of proportion and a graceful contour are essential; of a handsome tree, and a handsome house or villa. So, from this idea of proportion or suitableness, we have, with a different application, the expressions, a handsome fortune, a handsome offer.

Translations

Dexterous; skillful (1)

Agreeable to the eye or to correct taste (2)

Marked with propriety and ease (3)

Generous (4)

Moderately large (5)

Transitive verb

to handsome

1. (Obsolete): To render handsome. - Donne

Other Translations for "handsome"

Braille 6 Dot
Braille 8 Dot
Sign Language Spelling
Morse Code		.... .- -. -.. ... --- -- .
Binary		1101000 1100001 1101110 1100100 1110011 1101111 1101101 1100101
Hex		68616E64736F6D65
Pig Latin		andsomehay

Click the speaker below to hear how the word "handsome" sounds when it is pronunced.

HTML Link to "handsome":
<a href="http://www.yawiktionary.com/h/1148344387332.html">Definition of handsome</a>
It will appear like this: Definition of handsome BB Link to "handsome":
[URL=http://www.yawiktionary.com/h/1148344387332.html]Definition of handsome[/URL] Like this free dictionary? Please book mark us. It's free! Get Web Statistics for your website Yawiktionary Statistics

---

---

Lookup word: