well-favored
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: - Pleasing in appearance, especially by conforming to ideals of form and proportion; good-looking, attractive. This word describes a person whose physical appearance is considered aesthetically pleasing or handsome.
Usage and Examples
The adjective "well-favored" is used to describe a person, typically in a formal or literary context. It directly modifies a noun. - He was a well-favored gentleman with kind eyes. - The portrait showed a well-favored young woman in a blue dress. - Our southern women are well-favored.
Advanced Usage Notes
- Context and Register: "Well-favored" is somewhat archaic and literary. It is more common in classic literature or formal descriptions than in everyday modern speech, where "good-looking," "attractive," or "handsome" are preferred.
- Connotation: The term often implies a pleasing appearance that aligns with the conventional or classical ideals of beauty of its time. It can carry a slightly more dignified or composed nuance than simply "pretty" or "cute."
Variants and Related Words
- Well-favoured: The British English spelling variant.
- Favored (Adj): Treated with special kindness or partiality. (e.g., ). Note: This is a distinct meaning from "well-favored."
Synonyms
- Good-looking
- Attractive
- Handsome
- Comely (also somewhat archaic)
- Fine-looking
Antonyms
- Plain
- Unattractive
- Homely
Related Idioms and Phrases
Note: There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs that use the exact compound "well-favored." Its meaning is contained within the single adjective form.
Adjective
- pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
- a fine-looking woman
- a good-looking man
- better-looking than her sister
- very pretty but not so extraordinarily handsome- Thackeray
- our southern women are well-favored- Lillian Hellman