[Vocabulary] Bookishly handsome

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holdenenglish

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Dear teachers

I want to describe a guy who is handsome, but kind of having an academic look, rather than sporty. Is it appropriate/grammatically correct to use "bookishly handsome" to describe such a person? But "bookishly" seems to be a typo, and it is not in the dictionary.

Please advise

Holden
 

Rover_KE

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It's in a few dictionaries here (click on the underlined link and bookmark the site for future reference).
 

MikeNewYork

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Dear teachers

I want to describe a guy who is handsome, but kind of having an academic look, rather than sporty. Is it appropriate/grammatically correct to use "bookishly handsome" to describe such a person? But "bookishly" seems to be a typo, and it is not in the dictionary.

Please advise

Holden

Many dictionaries will not list a separate definition for an adverb made from an adjective. One can look up the adjective and the adverb form will be listed below it.

The phrase "bookishly handsome" is not common but it has been used. See the results of a Google search here:
https://www.google.com/search?q="bo...j4&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8
 

holdenenglish

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Dear teachers

From prevoius post (link at the bottom), I understand that "bookishly handsome" is not a common use. So in the following sentence, any synonyms your recommend to supersede "bookishly handsome"?

"Sitting in the passenger seat of the red Toyota Corolla, the 45-year-old, bookishly handsome investment manager momentarily gapes at the video camera that the driver of the car is pointing at his face."


Please advise.

Holden


https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/as...-handsome.html
 

MikeNewYork

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Dear teachers

From prevoius post (link at the bottom), I understand that "bookishly handsome" is not a common use. So in the following sentence, any synonyms your recommend to supersede "bookishly handsome"?

"Sitting in the passenger seat of the red Toyota Corolla, the 45-year-old, bookishly handsome investment manager momentarily gapes at the video camera that the driver of the car is pointing at his face."


Please advise.

Holden


https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/as...-handsome.html

I didn't mean to imply that you shouldn't use it. Even though the phrase is uncommon, it is understandable.
 
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