hand·some
handsome
- pronunciation:
- haen
s
m
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| inflections: |
handsomer, handsomest |
| definition 1: |
having an attractive, healthy appearance.
He is a handsome man.- antonyms:
- ugly
- similar words:
- attractive, beautiful, fair, pretty
|
| definition 2: |
large in amount.
She was given a handsome reward.- similar words:
- large, liberal
|
| related words: |
lovely |
| derivations: |
handsomely (adv.), handsomeness (n.) |
The word
handsome comes from an early English word that means "easy to handle." The meaning of "handsome" changed, to "good-looking," about five hundred years ago in the 1500s.