handsome fee

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'handsome fee' is correct and can be used in written English.
It typically refers to an amount of money that is considered generous for a particular service or product. For example, "The lawyer charged a handsome fee for his services."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

26 human-written examples

Often overlooked, cellular service providers receive a handsome fee for providing historical CSLI to the government.

Harvard University

(IMG Worldwide, a sports marketing company, is overseeing the sale of these naming rights, for a handsome fee).

The New York Times

Whereas covenants exist mainly to keep companies on the straight and narrow, they also earn banks a handsome fee each time they are breached.

The Economist

For a handsome fee, these firms connected hedge funds with paid consultants, or experts, who provided insights into companies and industries.

The New York Times

A great example is cross-border payments, which have been traditionally the stronghold of banks, which sent international payments via Swift for a handsome fee.

The Guardian

For this and other efforts, the singer is being paid the handsome fee of $50 million: but even such vast quantities of cash shouldn't convince stars to sell soda, argues Mark Bittman in the New York Times.

Independent

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

34 human-written examples

The bank reaped handsome fees from its swaps contracts.

The New York Times

In recent years, virtually every president has left office and parlayed his experience into handsome fees.

The New York Times

This court appoints guardians who make handsome fees processing the estates of those Queens residents who die without wills.

The New York Times

In some cases, hedge fund managers paid outside consultants handsome fees for providing confidential information about publicly traded companies.

The New York Times

Andersen partners seem to forget that they all shared in the profits from handsome fees they collected from Enron.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "handsome fee" when you want to emphasize that the payment is not only adequate but also notably generous or substantial for the services rendered.

Common error

Avoid using "handsome fee" too frequently in your writing. While grammatically correct, overusing it can make your writing sound repetitive or overly enthusiastic. Vary your vocabulary by using synonyms like "substantial fee" or "generous fee" for a more nuanced tone.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "handsome fee" functions as a noun phrase where the adjective "handsome" modifies the noun "fee". Ludwig AI confirms that it is correct and it is used to describe the sum of money paid for services.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

52%

Formal & Business

28%

Academia

12%

Less common in

Wiki

6%

Science

2%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "handsome fee" is a grammatically correct and commonly used expression that denotes a generous or substantial payment for services rendered. As Ludwig AI indicates, it is frequently used in News & Media and Formal & Business contexts. While it’s a valid phrase, be mindful of overuse and consider synonyms like "substantial fee" or "generous fee" to maintain variety in your writing. Its communicative purpose is to emphasize the lucrativeness associated with a certain service, task, or job. When you see or hear the phrase "handsome fee" it most likely has to do with payments made out for professional jobs.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

good fee

Replaces 'handsome' with 'good', indicating a positive but perhaps less emphatic assessment of the fee's size.

generous fee

Substitutes 'handsome' with 'generous', highlighting the abundance of the payment.

attractive fee

Replaces 'handsome' with 'attractive', suggesting the fee is appealing or desirable.

fair fee

Uses 'fair' instead of 'handsome', emphasizing the perceived justice or reasonableness of the payment.

substantial fee

Replaces 'handsome' with 'substantial', emphasizing the significant size or amount of the fee.

nice fee

Uses 'nice' instead of 'handsome', conveying a more casual and understated tone.

good compensation

Shifts focus from the 'fee' to 'compensation', using 'good' to describe the overall payment received.

sizable payment

Focuses on the 'payment' itself, described as 'sizable' to indicate a large amount.

lucrative earnings

Highlights the 'earnings' as 'lucrative', suggesting high profitability or income.

considerable remuneration

Replaces both words with more formal synonyms, indicating a significant level of payment.

FAQs

What does "handsome fee" mean?

The phrase "handsome fee" refers to a payment or compensation that is considered generous or substantial for the services provided. It implies that the fee is more than just adequate; it's a significant amount.

When is it appropriate to use the term "handsome fee"?

Use "handsome fee" when you want to emphasize that the payment is notably generous. It's appropriate in contexts where you want to highlight the significant financial reward for a particular service or task. However, avoid overusing it to prevent sounding repetitive.

What are some alternatives to "handsome fee"?

You can use alternatives such as "substantial fee", "generous fee", or "attractive fee" to convey a similar meaning while varying your word choice.

Is "handsome fee" formal or informal?

The term "handsome fee" falls somewhere between formal and informal. It is generally acceptable in professional and news contexts, but it might not be suitable for highly formal or academic writing where a more precise term like "considerable remuneration" could be preferred.