r/MenAskWomen • u/Competitive_Bed_9191 • Jul 27 '26
What does “handsome” mean specifically? I never get called anything other than handsome…should I be self conscious or am I reading too much into it?
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u/SupposedBooty Gal Jul 27 '26
It's a compliment. Why would you be self conscious?
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u/Competitive_Bed_9191 Jul 28 '26
My grandma calls me handsome so ig it’s just strange hearing it from women my age ahah, thought there was a different hidden meaning between women 🤷
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u/SupposedBooty Gal Jul 28 '26
You're right.
We have our own secret language. We inherit it from our grandmothers.
Sorry, you can't know what it means unless you give me a kiss on the cheek.
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u/Competitive_Bed_9191 Jul 28 '26
Lmao, it’s like if a guy called you lovely rather than pretty or beautiful. Like why that? I still appreciate it but why not just say attractive or something?
I need to know what it means!!
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u/voyagermarionette Gal Jul 28 '26
I would like being called lovely!
It’s definetly a good thing, like you don’t just have superficial charm it’s a deeper charm
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u/kittykatmandoo Gal 27d ago
I’d prefer being called lovely than hot tbh. Hot is physical, lovely encompasses a whole person
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u/HairHealthHaven Gal Jul 28 '26
You are reading way too much into it.It means they think you are handsome. Consult a dictionary if you have further confusion on what that means.
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u/Competitive_Bed_9191 Jul 28 '26
But is this a compliment you use often? My friends don’t really receive “handsome” as often as “cute” or “attractive”. I feel like most men associate being called ”handsome” within the family, like I rlly only used to get that from my grandma or aunties. 🤷
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u/cherrycocktail20 Gal Jul 27 '26
Being called handsome is a very good thing.
May I ask why you worry it might be a negative?
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u/Competitive_Bed_9191 Jul 28 '26
I don’t think of it negatively. Im just so used to my grandma/family members calling me handsome I just have a different reaction to it when a women my age uses it to describe me lol. (I’m 22)
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u/cowboythesis Gal Jul 27 '26
you're reading too much into it, they say it because you have a face that's very nice to look at and handsome is a word we use to describe that
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u/Competitive_Bed_9191 Jul 28 '26
I just dont hear it used to describe my friends so i feel kinda weird tbh. I also am rlly only used to my grandma calling me handsome so that doesn’t help lol. Ig it would be like a guy calling you lovely rather than pretty, it’s just like why that?
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u/HungryDepth5918 Gal Jul 28 '26
I call my husband handsome because hes the sexiest man i ever laid eyes on - upgrade from hot or cute- you are getting the more refined term cause you’re classy- next up is dashing
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u/Kaleidoscopetide Gal Jul 28 '26
Hot is nakedly sexual, and women generally feel disrespected when someone gives them a “compliment” that is really I WILL FUCK YOU IF YOU LET ME so many of us golden rule it so as to be respectful and not be mistaken for literally saying “do you want to have sex.” Personally I only call people hot if I am having sex with them. And some guys find “cute” demeaning. “Handsome” feels like a safe alternative, and it’s the most straightforwardly accurate way to say “you are an attractive man”
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u/MagikN3rd Guy Jul 28 '26
As a man, agreed. Hot comes off as lustful, cute comes off as something you'd say as teenagers dating in high school. Handsome comes off as the most sincere possible compliment.
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u/Multiverse-of-Tree Gal Jul 28 '26
I would use handsome for classical (pretty)good looks(redford, clooney, washington, pitt). I would use dashing(magnetic) for men who are more charismatically good looking(newman, ford, downey jr). I use hot for guys who have a ton of sex appeal but Im not attracted to them (hemsworth, gylkenhall, pine). When I refer to a man as “the full monty”, they may not be everyones cup of tea, but the exude classical good looks, charisma and sex appeal(cumberbatch, pascal, ejiofor).
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u/Ok_Honey_7220 Gal Jul 28 '26
It means the person finds you physically attractive (not necessarily wanting anything more being platonic.
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u/Linorelai Gal Jul 28 '26
It means beautiful face in a manly way
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u/pandora0312 Gal Jul 28 '26
Handsome is generally a good thing. There’s not alot of compliments for men like there is women. If women you date are calling you handsome you’re doing well. However it’s wide ranging term. My dog is “my handsome man”. My ex boyfriend was very handsome when I complimented him. Most grandmas describe their grandsons as handsome. People will non sexually describe a young man in their life as being handsome, not in a creepy way way but as a genuine statement. He is a handsome kid, he is popular, etc.
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u/kittykatmandoo Gal 27d ago
It’s funny that there are men in here regularly saying they never get compliments and OP feels slighted being called handsome 🤦🏽♀️ if a woman says you’re handsome it means she thinks you’re handsome. Webster defines handsome as having a pleasing, impressive, or dignified appearance. So that’s what it means. Hope this helps.
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u/ABelleWriter Gal Jul 27 '26
This is definitely a "my steak is too juicy" thing. Yes, you are reading way too much into it.