Ansum is West Country English (especially Cornish) informal pronunciation of "handsome," used as a term of address. Not concerning, regional vocabulary. If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in. Most slang of this kind moves through TikTok and group chats, so seeing it in your child's vocabulary just means they are plugged into normal teen internet culture.
ansum
Handsome, lovely.
Seen in the wild
Firecrawl: Just add water | Architecture | The GuardianAug 2007
[Skip to main content](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2007/aug/29/architecture.art#maincontent) [Skip to navigation](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2007/aug/29/architecture.art#navigation) . |
View source
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 26, 2026UK
Handsome, lovely. Cornish / West Country pronunciation of "handsome." Used freely about people, food, weather.
See it in action
“[Skip to main content](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2007/aug/29/architecture.art#maincontent) [Skip to navigation](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2007/aug/29/architecture.art#navigation)  Proper 'ansum!”
"Ansum pasty, that."
Origin: Cornish dialect; from local pronunciation of "handsome."
For parents
Ansum is West Country English (especially Cornish) informal pronunciation of "handsome," used as a term of address. Not concerning, regional vocabulary. If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in. Most slang of this kind moves through TikTok and group chats, so seeing it in your child's vocabulary just means they are plugged into normal teen internet culture.
For ESL learners
Ansum is West Country (especially Cornish) English informal address meaning "handsome," used as a friendly greeting to males. Use in West Country English contexts. Formal equivalents: "mate," "buddy." Common non-native mistake: assuming the literal meaning of attractive. Ansum is used as a general friendly address, not necessarily a comment on appearance. Read or listen to the word in context several times before trying it yourself; the right register is harder to learn than the dictionary meaning.
Heard in the wild
“[Skip to main content](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2007/aug/29/architecture.art#maincontent) [Skip to navigation](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2007/aug/29/architecture.art#navigation)  Proper 'ansum!”
“Anda dapat membantu Wikipedia dengan [mengembangkannya](https://id.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ansum,_Taige,_Pegunungan_Arfak&action=edit). |”
Was this helpful?
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
UK
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "ansum".
🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "ansum" (A)
anorak maxxinganorak modeanorak pilledanorak queenanorak sznanotherkinsansum arcansum checkansum codedansum coreansum energyansum fail
Browse all slang words starting with A.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- ansum szn66%
The time of year — or the personal era — when everyone is feeling especially warm, generous, and cute with each other. Ansum szn usually hits in spring or around the holidays when people collectively get soft and start being suspiciously nice. It's the season of random compliments, checking in on friends you haven't texted in months, and generally acting like the world isn't that bad. Whether it's weather-driven or just a group mood shift, ansum szn is a welcome break from chaos.
- ansum fail60%
When you were absolutely trying to be kind, charming, or wholesome and it went spectacularly sideways. The ansum fail is the cringe of good intentions executed badly: the compliment that sounded creepy, the heartfelt text autocorrected into something confusing, the grand romantic gesture that nobody asked for. You were on your best behavior and somehow made it worse. People who are prone to ansum fails are genuinely trying — they just occasionally trip over their own sweetness in the most public way possible.
- mint56%
Attractive; beautiful; handsome.
- amensh56%
(UK, _, dialectal, Northern England) Equal; level.
- sonsy55%
(archaic, Scotland, Northumbria) lucky; fortunate; thriving; plump.