stilig
The Swedish word for handsome is stilig.
The word stilig is used to describe an attractive man, often emphasizing a well-dressed or well-proportioned appearance.
Meaning: of man: attractive (adj)
Which one should you use?
While stilig focuses on a man's proportions or dress, the word snygg is a more common and versatile term for being good-looking or attractive that can apply to both men and women.
How does it change in a sentence?
stilig is the basic singular common gender form. The singular neuter form is stiligt, and the plural form for both common and neuter genders is stiliga.
Did you know?
- In Swedish, the word snygg can be used to describe a clean room or a tidy piece of handwriting. You would not use stilig to describe a tidy desk.
- The word stilig is built from the root stil, which means 'style'. While an English speaker might expect 'handsome' to relate to physical features, the Swedish term focuses on how much 'style' a person carries.
- Because stilig is more formal than the common word snygg, using it in a casual text message might make you sound slightly old-fashioned or overly polite.
Examples in context
- Tom var väldigt stilig.Tom looked very handsome.This sentence shows how to describe someone's appearance using stilig.Tatoeba #11061725 by SilasNordgren, translation #10774932 by CK
- Han är stilig.He is handsome.This sentence uses stilig to describe a person's state of being.Tatoeba #4449633 by richke, translation #3125920 by CM
- Han är lång och stilig.He is tall and handsome.This sentence combines height and the appearance of being stilig.Tatoeba #1125623 by HannesP, translation #388095 by Mouseneb
- Din son är verkligen snygg!Your son is really handsome!
- Vem är den snyggingen?Who is that handsome person?
- Våran granne är verkligen hunkig!Our neighbor is really handsome!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maja and Lucas are looking at a photo of a man.
- LucasHan ser verkligen stilig ut på bilden.He looks really handsome in the picture.
- MajaJa, han är väldigt stilig.Yes, he is very handsome.
- LucasHar du träffat honom?Have you met him?
- MajaNej, men jag vill gärna.No, but I would like to.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “handsome” translations and entries stilig, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries stilig, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
