Handsome

How to spell handsome

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce handsome

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does handsome mean?

1. adjectivePleasing in appearance; good-looking, especially of a man.
2. adjectiveSubstantial or generous in amount, as of money or reward.

Handsome in a sentence

• The actor was tall, dark, and remarkably handsome.

• The firm offered her a handsome salary to accept the role.

• She described her grandfather as a handsome man with a kind face.

• Investors made a handsome profit when the shares were sold.

Where does handsome come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Handsome began life in the early 1400s as a plain compound of the Old English 'hand' and the suffix '-some', and at first it simply meant 'easy to handle' or 'convenient', much as we still say a tool is 'handy'. From that practical sense it drifted toward 'suitable' and 'fitting', then to 'generous' or 'ample' when describing an amount, and only later, by the 1500s, did it settle into its now-dominant meaning of 'good-looking'. The journey from 'handy' to 'attractive' is a nice reminder that the word is built transparently from 'hand' plus 'some', which is exactly why the spelling keeps both the 'd' and the full '-some' ending even though the 'd' is barely heard in speech. The same '-some' suffix sits inside everyday relatives like 'wholesome', 'troublesome', and 'tiresome'. Knowing the parts are literally 'hand' and 'some' is the surest way to avoid dropping that silent 'd'.

How the word is built

• hand (the body part, originally 'easy to handle')
• -some (adjective suffix meaning 'tending toward')