What does a woman mean when she says handsome?

Question

I have been called handsome on various occasions by women. But, what does 'handsome' mean? What does it 'really' mean???

Does it mean you look presentable enough to show you off to their parents/grandparents for Sunday lunch?

Or, does it mean they want to play fed ex and check out the package? my friend is always called sexy, i'm called handsome any difference?

Answer 1

Handsome means good-looking. That's what it means. Yes to presentation, and no to package. Here's the definition of it from my dictionary:

handsome |ˈhansəm| adjective ( -somer , -somest ) 1 (of a man) good-looking. • (of a woman) striking and imposing in good looks rather than conventionally pretty. • (of a thing) well made, imposing, and of obvious quality : handsome cookbooks | a handsome country town. 2 (of a number, sum of money, or margin) substantial : elected by a handsome majority. • generous; liberal:: a handsome gift. PHRASES handsome is as handsome does proverb character and behavior are more important than appearance. DERIVATIVES handsomely adverb handsomeness noun ORIGIN Middle English : from hand + -some 1 . The original sense was [easy to handle or use,] hence [suitable] and [apt, clever] (mid 16th cent.), giving rise to the current appreciatory senses (late 16th cent.).

Thesaurus
handsome adjective 1 a handsome man good-looking, attractive, striking, gorgeous; informal hunky, drop-dead gorgeous, hot, cute. antonym ugly. 2 a handsome woman of 30 striking, imposing, prepossessing, elegant, stately, dignified, statuesque, good-looking, attractive, personable. antonym plain. 3 a handsome profit substantial, considerable, sizable, princely, large, big, ample, bumper; informal tidy, whopping, not to be sneezed at, ginormous. antonym meager.

You be the judge.

Answer 2

It means the person saying it… thinks you're good looking.
As for whether they think you're hot or not, you'd really have to take notice of the way the person paying the compliment speaks in general...What I mean by this is....someone who uses the word "Handsome" may be using that word in a polite but meaningful way. They may not be the type of person that would use the words "Sexy" “Hot” “Cute” or “Gorgeous” when describing someone's looks but it could be what they actually mean....if that makes sense.
Obviously if you've heard the person refer to someone else as "cute" or "sexy" then using the word "handsome" would mean just that... handsome/good looking

People use all sorts of words to say what they mean, often using the wrong words, either from the lack of knowledge or politeness.

Sexy doesn't always mean good looking, just as good looking doesn't always mean sexy..

You're probably a bit of all right though...

Answer 3

I'm totally agreeing with alot of these other answers. For me, I believe my bf is "handsome" sometimes and sexy other times...how about that for confusing!! But like others have said...a man who is "sexy" means I'm attracted..."handsome" means I may or may not be attracted to him but he is definitely a good looking guy...well groomed and usually very manly looking. A handsome man can become sexy pretty easily I bet...to be sexy AND handsome?! Whoa, that's just hot. Consider spicing up your wardrobe or getting a slick hairstyle. Flirt a little more if you want some attention and above all else...be confident. Confidence is sexy. Straight teeth is handome. Sexy must also come from within. But, I like handsome men. It's a must!!

Answer 4

Haven't you heard the saying that "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder?" Sometimes inner beauty can create outer beauty you know. Also, everyone is beautiful to someone. People find different things attractive. Some are drawn to a woman's eyes, some are taken by her skin, others are captured by her heart while still others are mesmerized by her hair. Some women have nice hands, others have beautiful figures. Some are tall and thin. Others are shorter and curvy. Some are big and beautiful, others are svelte and sweet. Normally I would say that all men are handsome, but the fact that you are referring to a group of human beings as "pigs," means that I was clearly wrong. While you're pointing a finger at certain groups of women and attacking their self esteem, your piggish attitude is evident for all to see. I have seen large women on dates with men, so obviously there are people that find them attractive. Please get some counseling for your disgustingly gross attitude and rude / abusive language.

Answer 5

I refer to some men as sexy some as handsome, some as non-descript male, and some as ugly.

My favourite is handsome men. Its hard to explain but its probably easiest to explain this in terms that you might understand. OK, so the female equivalents are: Sexy women with the blonde hair, tan, huge boobs, short skirts etc. They spell out sex. Sexy men do the same, but I'm not quite sure how... um... OK, so its usually a twinkle in their eye, defined muscles, probably well groomed or expertly dishevelled. (You know the type)

The female equivalent of a handsome man is very pretty/beautiful but not as tarty. They don't spell out sex, they are more reserved and gracious. Same applies to handsome men. They are the men that women want to love forever.

The perfect example is Bridget Jones Diary. The sexy man is Hugh Grant with those blue eyes etc, and the handsome man is Colin Firth (mmm....!)

So really don't feel like you are playing second fiddle to your sexy friend, women are probably split about 70% - 30% in your favour.

Answer 6

Sexy Handsome Hunk Good Looking all basically fit into the same scheme of phrases. You look good are attractive and the woman is taken up with the way you look
You are presentable and she would be happy to be seen with you.
Sound Good.
Okay handsome go for it.

Answer 7

Us older women tend to use the term handsome to describe an attractive male. It means presentable as you put it. When I use that term, I mean that you are hot, desirable and good looking. When we use the term sexy without saying that you're handsome, we mean, we want to play and check out the package...I hope that help.

Answer 8

Sometimes around certain company woman use handsome because hot or sexy seems sort of inappropriate.

It's a bit of a blanket term though.

If I call someone handsome, it's because I'm trying not to be subtle about their good looks.

In this situation she probably meant you look good looking & presentable.

Answer 9

To me, my husband is good looking, but he is really "handsome" when he is dressed really nice. As far as what it really means, I'd have to look up the word via Webster Dictionary. As far as my opionion goes, "sexy" is another way of telling a woman she looks really pretty/nice (not necessarily meaning let's jump in the sack)

Answer 10

Just be happy they're calling you handsome since they could be calling you other things. ;o) Handsome is good looking so just smile and take the compliment ;o)