Learn English – “Beautiful” for boys

single-word-requests

I believe in English you say:

That boy is handsome.

That girl is beautiful.

I am from Sweden. And in Swedish we have the word "Snygg", which basically has the same meaning as "handsome" and "beautiful", and it can be used for both boys and girls.

Is there anything similar in English? Is there any word in English similar to handsome/beautiful that can be used for both boys and girls?

Best Answer

If the boy is still a child, pre-adolescent, he can be described as being beautiful.

He's a beautiful baby/child/boy

sounds perfectly acceptable to my ears. The boy himself might object to being called beautiful once he turns into a teenager, as it is usually considered an effeminate term.

For teenagers and adults, the genderless adjectives good-looking, and attractive are the safest and best-known options. They can be used for young and “mature” people, both men and women.

Good-looking as defined by Oxford Dictionaries (Chiefly of a person) attractive.

Damon looks to be on the fast track towards becoming one of cinema's brightest bad boys. He's a good looking guy who can look brooding with the best of them, bringing to mind James Dean and the young Marlon Brando
Michael Redman

I'm tall, slim, blonde and, so I'm often told, a good-looking woman. I know how lucky I am. But there are downsides to being pretty…
Samantha Brick

attractive (Of a person) appealing to look at; sexually alluring:

  • For I suddenly seem to be encountering a new generation of stunningly attractive women in their fifties.

  • Footballer David Beckham is one of the most sexy and attractive men on the planet.

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