Handsome is a word that is traditionally used to describe an attractive man. Also keep in mind that beautiful is not just used to describe people, but also places and things, which is much more universal.Įnglish with Modern Family: Gloria’s AccentĦ. While a man would call a woman beautiful, a woman would call a man good-looking, cute, or even handsome. So, in English speaking cultures, it’s not common for a woman to call a man beautiful unless she was describing a more delicate type of beauty. *Important Cultural Note: With romantic intentions, beautiful is generally used to describe a feminine or very intimate beauty. But it’s rare to hear a heterosexual man describe another man as beautiful. It’s also important to keep in mind that a woman (especially) often compliments another woman’s physical beauty without romantic intentions, as a man may (to a woman).
This is, however, different than saying “you look beautiful” (a compliment on somebody’s current appearance which may or may not denote romantic interest). you are beautiful) is more and more suggestive of romantic interest because it could denote attraction to their whole being. Calling a person of the opposite sex beautiful (i.e. Beautiful is the classic way to describe a feminine beauty (at least when talking about people), which often expresses both outer and inner beauty. Learn English with Friends: Ross’s Beautiful Cousinĥ. Good-looking comes from to look good (e.g. It is used to talk about people who have a pleasing appearance. Although good-looking is a little more suggestive of romantic intentions than the word attractive, it does not necessarily denote romantic interest. Good-looking is one of the most common ways to describe a person who is attractive. This is a word you might use to talk about a person (to objectively describe someone as good-looking) and not to a person your interested in.Ĥ. It does not necessarily denote romantic interest.
Attractive is the most generic and objective way to say that another person has a pleasing appearance. Adore as a verb, however, means to have a deep love and respect for someone.ģ. It’s a way to talk about a lighter, more playful form of beauty that can be applied to pets, babies/kids, and people for whom you may or may not have a romantic attraction. Adorable has the same sense as cute, but it’s a bit stronger. To call somebody cute is often the first phase of romantic interest, but it can also be confused with a plutonic/NON-romantic love.Ģ. Cute can be used to describe a dog, a baby, or a person you are attracted to in a romantic or non-romantic way. *Organized from innocent to more suggestive of romantic and/or sexual interestġ.
By creating a rich vocabulary, you enrich your English and sound much more natural. Your native language probably has an elaborate selection of words to describe beauty and attraction, but you probably only know a few in English. Pay attention to the Etymology of some of the words below.įREE Guide: 101 Words You Won’t Learn in School This rich mix of different tongues and the evolution of English (much thanks to our friend Shakespeare) has made English the beautiful mélange that it is today. Do you have a hard time finding different ways to describe beautiful and attractive things, experiences, and people?Įnglish has so many ways to say the same thing.
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