Word.ws English Dictionary

handsome is as handsome does

handsome is as handsome does proverb: handsomeness is defined by actions, not by appearance.

Proverb

handsome is as handsome does

  1. Handsomeness is defined by actions, not by appearance.
    • Miss Trotwood, or Miss Betsey, as my poor mother always called her, when she sufficiently overcame her dread of this formidable personage to mention her at all (which was seldom), had been married to a husband younger than herself, who was very handsome, except in the sense of the homely adage...1869, Dickens, David Copperfield

Forms of handsome is as handsome does

alternative formhandsome is that handsome does

Questions about handsome is as handsome does

What does handsome is as handsome does mean?
Handsome is as handsome does means handsomeness is defined by actions, not by appearance.
What part of speech is handsome is as handsome does?
Handsome is as handsome does is a proverb.

Words near handsome is as handsome does in the dictionary

  1. handsoap
  2. handsoaps
  3. handsome
  4. handsome devil
  5. handsome devils
  6. handsome is as handsome does
  7. handsome is that handsome does
  8. handsomed
  9. handsomeish
  10. handsomely
  11. handsomeness

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: handsome is as handsome does (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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