finely

adverb

fine·​ly ˈfīn-lē 

: in a fine manner: such as

a

: extremely well : excellently

… plays the hero very finely.

—New 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 coffee

Examples of finely in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An 1840 stint at the Harvard Library led to the insight that mixing finely ground clay with graphite would allow Thoreau Pencils to be graded from soft to hard. — Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026

Remove from heat and whisk in 4 garlic cloves, finely grated, and ½ cup grated Parmesan; season with salt and freshly ground pepper. — Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026

Unlike the composer’s typically massive, sprawling drones, these pieces for pipe organ—accompanied by guitarist Stephen O’Malley and cellist Lucy Railton—are finely filigreed miniatures. — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 3 Nov. 2026

Dodge’s installation is ephemeral and finely tuned—light like a fog, yet adding gravity to the room, situating the viewer within it. — Kristian Vistrup Madsen, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for finely

• benignly
• divinely