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handsome

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hand⋅some

  [han-suhm]
–adjective, -som⋅er, -som⋅est.
1. having an attractive, well-proportioned, and imposing appearance suggestive of health and strength; good-looking: a handsome man; a handsome woman.
2. having pleasing proportions, relationships, or arrangements, as of shapes, forms, or colors; attractive: a handsome house; a handsome interior.
3. exhibiting skill, taste, and refinement; well-made: a handsome story; handsome furniture.
4. considerable, ample, or liberal in amount: a handsome fortune.
5. gracious; generous; flattering: a handsome compliment; a handsome recommendation.
6. adroit and appealing; graceful: a handsome speech.
Use handsome in a Sentence
Origin:
1350–1400; ME handsom easy to handle (see hand, -some 1 ); c. D handzaam tractable

Related forms:
hand⋅some⋅ish, adjective
hand⋅some⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. See beautiful. 4. large, generous, munificent.

Antonyms:
1. ugly. 4, 5. small, miserly.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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hand·some   (hān'səm)   
adj.   hand·som·er, hand·som·est

  1. Pleasing and dignified in form or appearance. See Synonyms at beautiful.

  2. Generous or copious: a handsome reward. See Synonyms at liberal.

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

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

  5. Large: a handsome price; won by a handsome margin.


[Middle English handsom, handy : hand, hand (from Old English) + -som, n. suff.; see -some1.]
hand'some·ly adv., hand'some·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

handsome 
c.1400, handsom "easy to handle, ready at hand," from hand (n.) + -some. Sense extended to "fair size, considerable" (1577), then "having fine form, good-looking" (1590). Meaning "generous" (in handsome reward, etc.) first recorded 1690.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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