A woman with the kind of refined beauty and attractiveness that requires poise, dignity, and strength of mind and character, things that often come with age; not merely
sex-appeal. Usually applied to a woman who is also very well-groomed and from an upper
class background.
This phrase is very dated and rarely used in today's English. Those who
don'
t understand the term could almost be insulted by the word "handsome" being applied to a woman, mistakenly thinking you'
re saying she is masculine.
"Though she had
lost long ago her virginal loveliness, she had ripened into a handsome and fruitful looking woman." - Ellen Glasgow
"What a handsome woman she has become; she carries herself so
well".