Then why is handsome still a compliment

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Learn more. Can you still call a woman "handsome"? Ask Question. Asked 10 years, 7 months ago. Active 5 years, 11 months ago. Viewed 64k times. Anyway, one funny scene in the movie is when King George, who despite being contentedly married is quite flirtatious, remarks on the looks of one of the Queen Consort's ladies-in-waiting to the head of his attending guards: That's Lady Penbrook.

Improve this question. Uticensis Uticensis I have always tried to understand the use of the word handsome in letter to a lady friend, but refrained from doing so, because I didn't know whether the word would be a thoughtful gesture or insulting. Guess the meanings of both could be used either way.

Nonetheless, I was honored with such deliberate grace and tone that, maybe, I should return the obligation. I don't know how much I can add to what's already been said, but I have a family portrait photo from the late 's in Germany of my wife as a little girl with her aunt and uncle with whom she was staying at that time.

In the photo, her aunt my wife's mother's sister in fact is not what I would call pretty, but she is a pleasant-looking woman, quite attractive in a robust way, and I would call her handsome. My wife, on the other hand, later when she was the same age, was what I would call hot. This answer doesn't really add much, but I had to share this:! The epitome of handsome, in my opinion.

I still get the shivers just looking at her. Try it and find out. You can definitely still use "handsome" for a woman, and no, it's not derogatory at least not in the US. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer. This is purely stereotypical which has no basis in the meanings of the actual words. Here's Merriam Webster.

Handsome : "having a pleasing and usually impressive or dignified appearance ", Pretty : "attractive to look at usually in a simple or delicate way. I don't see "rugged and angular" and "softer and more delicate" as necessary components of 'handsome' and 'pretty', which you have for some reason aligned with 'beautiful'. It's only gender atypical if one starts with presupposed notions of what gender typical notions are, which can only be stereotypes.

I'm not attaching a value judgement to "typical," I'm using it in the sense of "average, common, popularly associated with. It's a descriptive comment, not a prescriptive one. According to NOAD it currently means handsome of a woman striking and imposing in good looks rather than conventionally pretty.

Here is someone I think would fit the bill rather, er, handsomely: And here is someone who is more conventionally pretty: But remember the worn adage about beauty being in the eye of the beholder? Robusto Robusto k 37 37 gold badges silver badges bronze badges. Right, I have heard it being used in the manner you've talked about before, but I wasn't sure if there was a hidden subtext of irony there or not.

A kind of delicate way to say "that woman looks like a man! Billare: I think irony is in the eye of the beholder as well. Certainly you could use handsome to mean "not pretty"; but I think if people were looking for ways to say "not pretty" they'd go first to "plain" or some other word devoid of positive connotations.

Definition: individual ownership of a unit in a multiunit structure as an apartment building or on land owned in common as a town house complex. Condominiums have been around for over three hundred years now.

Crull, Memoirs of Denmark , This dog is sophisticated: she's cultured and well-traveled and has interesting thoughts about Sorley MacLean. Definition: having or showing a lot of experience and knowledge about the world and about culture, art, literature, etc. When we think of something or someone that is sophisticated , certain things come to mind: a certain degree of worldliness, or an admirable complexity.

In the early 20th century, 'geek' was the term given to a carnival or circus performer, especially one whose act entailed biting the head off a live animal. Definition: a person who is socially awkward and unpopular : a usually intelligent person who does not fit in with other people.

The most common sense of geek that we use today similar to nerd is a relative newcomer, with little or no written evidence of its use before the s. However, the word is a bit older than that, and had a couple of meanings that are substantially different. In the early 20th century, geek was the term given to a carnival or circus performer, especially one whose act entailed biting the head off a live animal, such as a chicken or snake.

Prior to this, the term existed as a slang word for a person who was regarded as a simpleton, or as foolish. Harry Thomson. One of the best hired men who ever worked in our fun factory. The original meaning of backlog was not the work you avoided doing until it was late enough to ruin your weekend; it was, quite simply, a log in the back of the fireplace or hearth. The Spit was carried up Chimney, and came down with the point forward, and stuck in the Back-log, and being removed by one of the Company to one side of the Chimney, was by an unseen hand thrown out at Window.

Definition: pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something from the past and wishing that you could experience it again. Nostalgia , truth be told, has not strayed as far from its original meaning as have many of the words on this list, but it still was used initially in a manner that is quite distinct from the one most often found today. Save Word. Words Related to handsome. Near Antonyms for handsome. Antonyms for handsome. Frequently Asked Questions About handsome How does the adjective handsome differ from other similar words?

Learn More About handsome. Share handsome Post more words for handsome to Facebook Share more words for handsome on Twitter. Time Traveler for handsome The first known use of handsome was in See more words from the same year. From the Editors at Merriam-Webster. Style: MLA. Get Word of the Day daily email! Test Your Vocabulary. Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?