Synonyms of handsome

handsome

adjective

ˈhan(t)-səm 

1

as in beautiful

very pleasing to look at

a handsome man with finely chiseled features

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beautiful
• attractive
• lovely
• cute
• gorgeous
• pretty
• charming
• stunning
• good
• elegant
• good-looking
• delightful
• sexy
• likely
• comely
• ravishing
• beauteous
• drop-dead
• glorious
• magnificent
• goodly
• perfect
• aesthetic
• fascinating
• fetching
• seemly
• hot
• knockout
• fair
• flawless
• superb
• exquisite
• taking
• desirable
• pleasant
• bonny
• well-favored
• sightly
• alluring
• appealing
• glamorous
• lovesome
• splendid
• cunning
• delicate
• statuesque
• radiant
• prepossessing
• engaging
• resplendent
• seductive
• personable
• sublime
• dainty
• presentable
• hunky
• foxy
• striking
• glossy
• luscious
• flamboyant
• showy
• toothsome
• snazzy
• photogenic
• nubile
• studly
• slick
• flashy
• dishy
• Junoesque
• pulchritudinous
• prettyish
• arresting
• splashy
• chocolate-box
• dollish
• eye-catching
• telegenic
• zingy
• showstopping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ugly
• unattractive
• plain
• homely
• hideous
• grotesque
• unsightly
• unlovely
• bad
• repulsive
• terrible
• unpleasing
• disagreeable
• loathsome
• horrible
• objectionable
• disgusting
• unhandsome
• dreadful
• ghastly
• frightful
• vile
• offensive
• repugnant
• shocking
• abominable
• revolting
• unbeautiful
• nasty
• repellent
• abhorrent
• sickening
• uncomely
• ill-favored
• unpleasant
• uncute
• foul
• unpretty
• nauseating
• unaesthetic
• unprepossessing
• unappealing
• unappetizing
• unbecoming
• unimposing
• frumpy
• frumpish
• unshapely

2

as in graceful

having or showing elegance

the glass-topped table was a handsome addition to the room

Synonyms & Similar Words

• graceful
• elegant
• fine
• magnificent
• majestic
• proud
• luxurious
• glorious
• stylish
• rich
• gallant
• royal
• classy
• tasteful
• superb
• noble
• regal
• simple
• aristocratic
• refined
• courtly
• sophisticated
• stately
• grand
• quiet
• fashionable
• lavish
• sleek
• exquisite
• heroic
• ornate
• splendid
• polished
• imposing
• monumental
• classic
• conservative
• artful
• restrained
• baronial
• chic
• smart
• understated
• genteel
• posh
• patrician
• august
• swank
• pretentious
• grandiose
• ostentatious
• sharp
• modish
• snappy
• in
• affected
• swagger
• recherché
• à la mode

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unfashionable
• dowdy
• tasteless
• inelegant
• flamboyant
• loud
• graceless
• coarse
• grotesque
• crude
• flashy
• gaudy
• unhandsome
• raffish
• tawdry
• garish
• cheesy
• tacky
• glitzy
• unstylish
• splashy
• styleless
• vulgar
• uncouth
• rude
• unpolished
• trashy
• unrefined
• uncultivated
• uncultured
• ticky-tacky
• rough-hewn
• rough-edged

3

as in large

of a size greater than average of its kind

earns a handsome salary as senior vice president of the firm

Synonyms & Similar Words

• large
• sizable
• substantial
• considerable
• big
• great
• oversize
• tidy
• huge
• vast
• bulky
• colossal
• gigantic
• husky
• voluminous
• staggering
• enormous
• excessive
• tremendous
• hefty
• goodly
• massive
• spacious
• extravagant
• outsize
• grand
• hulking
• boxcar
• super
• largish
• stupendous
• biggish
• mammoth
• ample
• immense
• astronomical
• mountainous
• heroic
• prodigious
• plentiful
• humongous
• gargantuan
• monumental
• monstrous
• monolithic
• major
• thick
• cavernous
• titanic
• exorbitant
• abundant
• whopping
• jumbo
• copious
• cyclopean
• gross
• herculean
• cosmic
• appreciable
• elephantine
• galactic
• commodious
• inordinate
• super-duper
• extreme
• Himalayan
• roomy
• immoderate
• supersized
• pharaonic
• bumper
• vasty
• Bunyanesque
• capacious
• king-size
• Brobdingnagian
• hellacious
• whacking
• leviathan
• fat
• walloping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• small
• little
• puny
• dwarf
• smallish
• undersized
• dinky
• dwarfish
• tiny
• diminutive
• miniature
• microscopic
• mini
• minuscule
• slender
• infinitesimal
• wee
• little bitty
• pocket-size
• shrimpy
• pygmy
• teeny
• half-pint
• thin
• petite
• bantam
• teensy
• slim
• minute
• Lilliputian
• slight
• pint-size
• microminiature
• teeny-weeny
• teensy-weensy

4

as in sizable

sufficiently large in size, amount, or number to merit attention

real estate developers realized a handsome profit on that deal

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sizable
• substantial
• considerable
• significant
• good
• respectable
• huge
• healthy
• tremendous
• big
• great
• tidy
• major
• goodly
• substantive
• massive
• largish
• bulky
• biggish
• voluminous
• hefty
• gigantic
• oversize
• enormous
• colossal
• prodigious
• hulking
• monstrous
• immense
• mammoth
• monumental
• outsize
• astronomical
• titanic
• herculean
• whopping
• jumbo
• elephantine
• king-size
• bumper

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• nominal
• insignificant
• inconsiderable
• negligible
• insubstantial
• inconsequential
• puny
• unimportant
• petty
• trivial
• trifling
• marginal
• small
• meager
• paltry
• tiny
• little
• minute
• slight
• undersized
• diminutive
• miniature
• piddling
• smallish
• measly
• picayunish
• picayune
• pocket
• bitty
• pocket-size
• pygmy
• pint-size

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

Recent Examples of handsome

Evelyn started working as a stewardess on ocean liners before meeting and falling in love with a handsome ship’s doctor, William Abel James. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026

Just Douglas padding around in his socks, still as slim, handsome, and charming as ever. — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026

And yet, despite the handsome musical genius at its center, Gilroy’s film has a ground-level relatability. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

The perfect cup of coffee with Kevin Costner After reading prior interviews Costner had done with other outlets, one thing felt surprising given the actor's tendency toward the ruggedly handsome, cowboy archetype. — Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026