handsome

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He in fact was trying on an Americanism with his macaroni-esque translation of "tall, dark and handsome", by using the Italian word for

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Definitions (16)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (5)

  1. adjective Pleasing and dignified in form or appearance. See Synonyms at beautiful.
  2. adjective Generous or copious: a handsome reward. See Synonyms at liberal.
  3. adjective Marked by or requiring skill dexterity: did some handsome maneuvers on the skating rink.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (7)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Examples (50)

  • His face was grossly disfigured by scars, but she noticed only the silver flecks in what she called his handsome eyes. —  Garwood, Julie - The Prize
  • Ardita scarcely touched her food as she watched his dark young face--handsome, ironic, faintly ineffectual He began life as a poor kid in a Tennessee town, he said, so poor that his people were the only white family in their street. —  The Diamond as Big as the Ritz and Other Stories
  • They are the cyber version of handsome -- they write beautifully, know just what you want to hear and tell you. —  MyLinkVault Newest Links
  • (Nor is Dillahunt -- handsome, buff and eventually shirtless -- any match for David Hess 'Krug in palpable psychopathy.) —  Variety.com
  • Gentleman is the perfect villain - handsome, mysterious and evil. —  caribousmom
 

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

beautiful ·  tall ·  attractive ·  splendid ·  graceful
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

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

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Early modern English also handsom; from Middle English handsom, handsum, hansum, easy to handle or use (= Dutch handzaam, tractable, serviceable, = German dial. handsam, convenient, favorable); from hand, hand, + -some. For the development of sense from ‘handy, dexterous,’ to ‘beautiful,’ cf. the similar development of pretty from Anglo-Saxon prætig, prættig, tricky: see pretty.
  2. from handsome, adjective
 

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/ˈhænsəm/
by American Heritage

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