handsome

Compared meaning: attractive or pleasant to look at (adjective).

比较义项：外表好看、令人愉悦（形容词）。

• pretty

  Used mainly for girls, women, or small charming things; a mild, everyday word for attractive looks, weaker than beautiful and rarely applied to men.

  主要用于形容女孩、女性或小巧可爱的事物；是形容外貌好看的普通、语气较轻的词，比beautiful弱，且很少用来形容男性。

  The little girl wore a pretty pink ribbon in her hair.

  小女孩头发上戴着一个漂亮的粉色蝴蝶结。

• beautiful

  A stronger, more formal word for looks that can also describe scenery, art, or sounds; suits anyone or anything, not tied to a particular gender.

  语气更强、更正式，除了形容外貌，也可以形容风景、艺术或声音；适用于任何人或事物，不局限于特定性别。

  The sunset over the ocean was breathtakingly beautiful.

  海面上的日落美得令人屏息。

• handsome 本词

  Traditionally describes a man's attractive appearance (or a strong-featured, boyish woman); rarely used for objects, food, or scenery.

  传统上用来形容男性英俊的外貌（也可形容五官分明、带有几分英气的女性）；很少用来形容物品、食物或风景。

  Everyone agreed the young groom looked extremely handsome in his suit.

  大家都认为那位年轻的新郎穿西装的样子非常英俊。

• lovely

  A softer, more casual word that can describe a whole pleasant experience or atmosphere, not just visual appearance; very common in British English.

  语气更柔和、更口语化，除了外貌，也可以形容整体令人愉快的经历或氛围；在英式英语中非常常用。

  We had a lovely evening chatting by the fireplace.

  我们在壁炉边聊天，度过了一个愉快的夜晚。

Pretty, beautiful, handsome, and lovely all describe someone attractive. Pretty is mild, mainly for women, girls, or small things. Beautiful is stronger and more formal, used for people, scenery, or sounds. Handsome traditionally describes a man's good looks. Lovely is softer and more casual.

这几个词都表示“好看、令人愉悦”，但语气强弱、适用对象和搭配不同：pretty多形容女性、女孩或小巧精致的事物，语气较轻；beautiful语气更强、更正式，适用范围也更广，可形容人、风景、声音等；handsome传统上多形容男性的英俊外貌；lovely语气柔和、口语化，除了外貌还可以形容整体令人愉快的经历或氛围。这里不比较handsome的“慷慨的”“可观的”等义项。

Compared meaning: generous, giving freely or in large amounts (adjective).

比较义项：慷慨的、给予丰厚的（形容词）。

• handsome 本词

  Describes a generously large sum of money — a profit, salary, tip or reward — with an approving tone; not used for a person's kindness or for non-money things.

  指数额可观、慷慨的一笔钱，如利润、薪水、小费或奖金，带有赞许的语气；不用来形容人的善良，也不用于非金钱的事物。

  She sold the old painting for a handsome profit at the auction.

  她在拍卖会上把那幅旧画卖出了一笔可观的利润。

• liberal

  Describes a generous, plentiful quantity of something applied or given, often in set phrases like 'liberal use/amount of'; fairly formal, rarely used to describe a person's character directly.

  指给予或使用的数量丰厚、慷慨，常见于「liberal use」「liberal amount」这类搭配；语气较正式，很少直接用来形容人的性格。

  Liberal use of butter makes the pastry rich and flaky.

  慷慨地使用黄油，让这款糕点变得浓郁酥脆。

• generous

  The everyday, general word for willing to give freely and kindly; works for people's character, gifts, amounts and portions alike, with a neutral tone — the most common choice.

  是日常、通用的词，表示乐于慷慨给予；既可以形容人的性格，也可以形容礼物、数量、分量，语气中性，是最常用的选择。

  Our generous host refilled our glasses before we even finished them.

  我们慷慨的主人在我们杯子还没喝完时就又帮我们倒满了。

• lavish

  The strongest word: extremely generous to the point of extravagance, often implying costly abundance, as in lavish parties, gifts or praise; can suggest excess rather than plain kindness.

  语气最强的词：慷慨到近乎奢华的程度，常暗示花费巨大、丰盛过度，如奢华的派对、礼物、赞美，有时带有「过度」的意味。

  The billionaire threw a lavish party with champagne fountains and live bands.

  那位亿万富翁举办了一场奢华的派对，有香槟喷泉和现场乐队。

Handsome, liberal, generous, and lavish all mean giving freely or in large amounts. Handsome describes a large sum of money, like a profit. Liberal describes a generous, plentiful quantity given. Generous is the general word, for people's character or amounts. Lavish is strongest, extravagantly generous.

这几个词在「慷慨、给予丰厚」这一意义上相近，但用法和语气不同：handsome和liberal常修饰金钱或数量，generous最通用，可以形容人或物，lavish语气最强，常带有奢华、过度的意味。这里不比较handsome的「英俊的」义，也不比较liberal的「自由主义的、开明的」义。