handy
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- available, accessible, at hand, at one's fingertips, close, convenient, nearby, on hand, within reach
- useful, convenient, easy to use, helpful, manageable, neat, practical, serviceable, user-friendly
- skilful, adept, adroit, deft, dexterous, expert, proficient, skilled

---

Antonyms: unhandy
Contrasted words: clumsy, cumbersome, cumbrous, unwieldy
Related Idioms: at one's hand (or elbow), ready to hand
Related Words: adaptable, advantageous, beneficial, wieldy

---

English Thesaurus: useful, handy, helpful, of use, worthwhile, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

Handy, W.C.
(1873–1958) a US jazz musician and writer of jazz songs, thought to be the first person to write BLUES music. He is especially known for his song St Louis Blues.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

hand‧y S3 /ˈhændi/ adjective (comparative handier, superlative handiest)
[Word Family: noun: hand, handful; adjective: underhand, handy; verb: hand; adverb: handily]

1. useful:
It’s quite a handy little tool.
It’s very handy having a light above your desk.
Take your swimming trunks with you – they might come in handy (=be useful).

2. informal near and easy to reach:
I always keep my gun handy just in case.
Do you have a piece of paper handy?
handy for British English:
The house was in Drury Lane, very handy for the theatre.

3. good at using something, especially a tool
handy with
He’s very handy with a screwdriver.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

handy
adj.
I. useful
VERBS be | come in I advise you to buy one?it may come in handy one day.
ADV. very | quite
PREP. for The arrangement was handy for both of us.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

handy
II. nearby
VERBS be | keep sth Always keep a cloth handy to wipe up any mess.
ADV. very | quite
PREP. for The house was near Drury Lane, very handy for the theatre.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

handy
III. good at using sth
VERBS be
ADV. very | fairly, pretty, quite
PREP. at ‘I'm pretty handy at giving out advice,’ claimed Mark.
with Lucy is quite handy with a drill!

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

useful something that is useful makes it easier for you to do something:
He gave me some useful advice.
a useful thing to know
handy informal useful – used especially about something that is convenient and easy to use:
a handy little booklet
The book is full of handy hints.
I always keep old jars – you never know when they might come in handy (=be useful).
helpful useful because it helps you to do something:
This drug can be helpful in treating depression.
helpful advice
helpful suggestions
of use [not before noun] if someone or something is of use, they are useful for you when you are doing something:
I hope you’ll find the book of use.
He wants to be of use.
worthwhile if doing something is worthwhile, it is useful for you and you benefit from doing it:
The training was certainly worthwhile.
a worthwhile experience
It is worthwhile to start by asking ourselves why people get involved in crime.
valuable very useful in helping you do something:
His information was very valuable to the police.
The course was a valuable experience for me.
a valuable contribution
invaluable extremely useful in helping you do something:
His help was invaluable.
The drug could be invaluable for treating cancer patients.
an invaluable experience
indispensable someone or something that is indispensable is so useful and important that you cannot do something without them:
For walkers, a good compass is indispensable.
He became an indispensable part of the team.
an indispensable guide to travelling in Italy
be great for something informal to be very useful for doing something:
The bag is great for taking on holiday.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

handy
can easily fix things
He is very handy around the house and is always fixing or building something.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲