A Dictionary of the English Language
                        A Digital Edition of the 1755 Classic by Samuel Johnson
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Handsome (adjective)

View Scan · View Transcription · from page 963

View Scan · View Transcription · from page 963

Hándsome. adj. [handsaem, Dutch, ready, dexterous.]

  1. Ready; gainly; convenient.

    For a thief it is so handsome, as it may seem it was first invented for him. Spenser.

  2. Beautiful with dignity; graceful.

    A great man entered by force into a peasant's house, and, finding his wife very handsome, turned the good man out of his dwelling. Addison's Guardian.

  3. Elegant; graceful.

    That easiness and handsome address in writing, which is hardest to be attained by persons bred in a meaner way, will be familiar to you. Felton on the Classicks.

  4. Ample; liberal: as, a handsome fortune.

  5. Generous; noble: as, a handsome action.

Sources: Addison, Joseph (408) · Felton, Henry (14) · Spenser, Edmund (254)

Attributes: Adjective (426) · Dutch (90)

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Cite this page: Johnson, Samuel. "Handsome (adjective)." A Dictionary of the English Language: A Digital Edition of the 1755 Classic by Samuel Johnson. Edited by Brandi Besalke. Last modified: September 3, 2013. https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/handsome-adjective/.

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