When a Woman Can Be Called ‘Handsome’ — Linguists Clarify Usage

edutvnigeria

12/08/25 • 55 Views • 0 Share • Published in News

At a recent reunion of alumni from the Oyo (now Osun) State College of Education, Ila-Orangun, an unusual linguistic debate emerged: Can the word *handsome* be used to describe a woman?

While common usage associates *handsome* with men and *beautiful* with women, Lagos-based retiring English teacher, Sunday Oluyole, recalled a lecturer who insisted the term could also apply to females in certain contexts. His own research confirmed this, citing the Cambridge Dictionary, which defines a “handsome woman” as one who is attractive “in a strong way.”

Unlike with men, where *handsome* generally refers to conventional male good looks, the term for women often relates to a striking or robust physical presence. Examples include:

* “Juliet lifted the big box without effort — she is simply handsome.”
* “The coach wants Rachael to play in the men’s team because she is handsome.”

The discussion also touched on the grammatical flexibility of *handsome*, which allows two comparative forms — *more handsome* and *handsomer* — both considered correct.

Pronunciation was another focus. Experts noted that while the initial “h” in *handsome* should be pronounced, the “d” is silent — making it sound like “hansome,” not “hand-some” or “ansome.”

Participants further reflected on other gender-neutral terms, noting that *actor* applies to both men and women, even though *actress* remains in use for female performers. For instance:

* “David is an actor.”
* “Janet is an actress.”
* “Janet is an actor.”

The lively exchange highlighted how language evolves and how understanding nuance can prevent misinterpretation.

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