Handsome vs. Pretty: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
Handsome typically describes a man's attractive, dignified appearance, while pretty refers to a delicate, beautiful appearance, often used for women or objects.
Key Differences
Handsome is traditionally used to describe men, emphasizing a strong, dignified attractiveness. Pretty, on the other hand, is often used for women and children, denoting a softer, more delicate form of beauty.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
The term handsome often implies a certain ruggedness or classic, strong features, while pretty suggests a more graceful, refined, and often youthful appearance.
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Dec 06, 2023
Handsome can also refer to large amounts or things of impressive size, whereas pretty is often used to describe things that are pleasing to the eye in a delicate or quaint way.
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Dec 06, 2023
Cultural norms have traditionally associated handsomeness with masculinity and prettiness with femininity, though these perceptions are evolving with changing social attitudes.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
Both words have evolved in their usage over time, with handsome once used for both genders and pretty sometimes used in a less gender-specific way, especially in older texts.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Alternate Usage
Large amounts, impressive size
Pleasing in a delicate, quaint way
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Dec 06, 2023
Historical Usage
Once more gender-neutral
Sometimes less gender-specific historically
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Dec 06, 2023
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Handsome and Pretty Definitions
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Handsome
Pleasing in form or appearance, especially having strong or distinguished features
A handsome man.
A woman with a handsome face.
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
Very bad; terrible
In a pretty predicament.
A situation that has reached a pretty pass.
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Having stately or attractive proportions or appearance; impressive
A handsome manor.
A sleek, handsome car.
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
Ostensibly or superficially attractive but lacking substance or conviction
Full of pretty phrases.
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Large in amount or measure; generous or considerable
A handsome reward.
Won by a handsome margin.
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Marked by or requiring skill or dexterity
Did some handsome maneuvers on the skating rink.
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive, particularly
That is one handsome tree you've got there.
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Attractively manly, having a pleasing face and overall effect.
I was tripping over his own feet coming in out of the surf.
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Statuesque, beautiful in a masculine or otherwise imposing way.
She was either handsome or her uniform created a flattering effect but—being very nearsighted—he couldn't tell from this distance.
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
Pleasant to the sight or other senses; attractive, especially of women or children.
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Suitable or fit in action; marked with propriety and ease; appropriate.
A handsome style
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
Fine-looking; only superficially attractive; initially appealing but having little substance; see petty.
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
(dated) Excellent, commendable, pleasing; fitting or proper (of actions, thoughts etc.).
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Dexterous; skillful; handy; ready; convenient; - applied to things as persons.
That they [engines of war] be both easy to be carried and handsome to be moved and turned about.
For a thief it is so handsome as it may seem it was first invented for him.
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Agreeable to the eye or to correct taste; having a pleasing appearance or expression; attractive; having symmetry and dignity; comely; - expressing more than pretty, and less than beautiful; as, a handsome man or woman; a handsome garment, house, tree, horse.
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Suitable or fit in action; marked with propriety and ease; graceful; becoming; appropriate; as, a handsome style, etc.
Easiness and handsome address in writing.
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Evincing a becoming generosity or nobleness of character; liberal; generous.
Handsome is as handsome does.
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
Something that is pretty.
We'll stop at the knife store and look at the sharp pretties.
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Ample; moderately large.
He . . . accumulated a handsome sum of money.
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
Pleasing by delicacy or grace; attracting, but not striking or impressing; of a pleasing and attractive form a color; having slight or diminutive beauty; neat or elegant without elevation or grandeur; pleasingly, but not grandly, conceived or expressed; as, a pretty face; a pretty flower; a pretty poem.
This is the prettiest lowborn lass that everRan on the greensward.
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion;
A fine-looking woman
A good-looking man
Better-looking than her sister
Very pretty but not so extraordinarily handsome
Our southern women are well-favored
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Oct 19, 2023
Handsome
Given or giving freely;
Was a big tipper
The bounteous goodness of God
Bountiful compliments
A freehanded host
A handsome allowance
Saturday's child is loving and giving
A liberal backer of the arts
A munificent gift
Her fond and openhanded grandfather
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
Affectedly nice; foppish; - used in an ill sense.
The pretty gentleman is the most complaisant in the world.
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
Mean; despicable; contemptible; - used ironically; as, a pretty trick; a pretty fellow.
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
Stout; strong and brave; intrepid; valiant.
[He] observed they were pretty men, meaning not handsome.
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
In some degree; moderately; considerably; rather; almost; - less emphatic than very; as, I am pretty sure of the fact; pretty cold weather.
Pretty plainly professes himself a sincere Christian.
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
Pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing;
Pretty girl
Pretty song
Pretty room
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
(used ironically) unexpectedly bad;
A pretty mess
A pretty kettle of fish
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Oct 19, 2023
Pretty
Used as an intensifier (`jolly' is used informally in Britain);
Pretty big
Pretty bad
Jolly decent of him
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Oct 19, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
What features make someone handsome?
Strong, well-defined features and a dignified look.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
What does handsome mean?
Handsome refers to an attractive, dignified appearance, often for men.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
What qualities are seen as pretty?
Delicate, graceful, and refined features.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
Is pretty used for men?
Pretty is usually for women, but can sometimes describe men in a delicate sense.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
Can a woman be called handsome?
Yes, especially if referring to a strong, stately beauty.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
Are there synonyms for handsome?
Words like attractive, distinguished, or stately.
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Dec 06, 2023
Was pretty ever gender-neutral?
In older texts, it could be less gender-specific.
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Dec 06, 2023
Is handsome used in literature?
Yes, often to describe characters or settings.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
How is pretty used in literature?
To describe characters, settings, or objects with delicate beauty.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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