finely

adverb

fine·​ly ˈfīn-lē How to pronounce finely (audio)
: in a fine manner: such as
a
: extremely well : excellently
plays the hero very finelyNew Yorker
b
: with close discrimination : precisely
c
: with delicacy or subtlety : sensitively
a leader finely attuned to the needs of the people
d
: minutely
finely ground meal

Examples of finely in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Yields: 4 - 6 serving(s) Ingredients 4 whole chicken legs, skins removed Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary 1 tsp. Country Living, 8 Sep. 2023 Name: Cordyline fruticosa Growing Conditions: Bright to intense light; 60-85°F; keep soil evenly moist Size: Up to 6 feet tall 07 China Doll The finely textured, fern-like leaves of the China doll add grace and elegance to any room. Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2023 Race cars actually have a very fragile nature, and the LMP2s, which are the very high-end cars that participate in Le Mans, are so finely tuned that a bunch of leaves got sucked into the intakes and hit the radiators. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Aug. 2023 While the characters are finely crafted—a wonderfully sympathetic antagonist emerges a few episodes into the season—the plot is held together by a few coincidences that strain believability. Time, 24 Aug. 2023 The film is a finely observed, winningly unsentimental memory play about three adult sisters who have come together to take care of their father, who is dying of cancer and approaching his final days. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Sep. 2023 Sembène is perhaps the most finely rhetorical filmmaker ever, and scenes of verbal disputation are the most distinctive feature of his work—a dialectical method that proves to be both essentially political and essentially cinematic. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2023 More stirring sticks mutilated in different ways; one has been shredded finely lengthways. Hazlitt, 30 Aug. 2023 Better yet, because the powder is finely milled, this feels weightless on the skin. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 30 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'finely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of finely was circa 1552

Dictionary Entries Near finely

Cite this Entry

“Finely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finely. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

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