finesse

noun fi·nesse \ fə-ˈnes \

Definition of finesse

1 :refinement or delicacy of workmanship, structure, or texture

trinkets of an extreme finesse
—Arnold Rosin

2 :skillful handling of a situation :adroit maneuvering

She handled the interviewer's questions with finesse.

3 :the withholding of one's highest card or trump in the hope that a lower card will take the trick because the only opposing higher card is in the hand of an opponent who has already played

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Examples of finesse in a Sentence

She handled the interview questions with finesse.
maneuvered his opponent into checkmate with his customary finesse

Recent Examples of finesse from the Web

The All-Metro second-team selection brings a combination of speed, finesse and physical play.

— glenn graham, baltimoresun.com, "2017 Boys Soccer Players To Watch," 28 Aug. 2017
Urban combat requires something with more finesse, something that can take out a sniper without destroying a building and doesn't require an entire team to do it.

— david hambling, Popular Mechanics, "When a Hobby Drone Becomes a Military Sniper," 16 Aug. 2017
The orchestra uses period instruments and plays them with a finesse and vitality that has no equal.

— mark swed, latimes.com, "Peter Sellars turns Mozart's last opera into a modern message of humanity in the face of terror," 14 Aug. 2017
City made it 3-0 in the 57th minute when a crafty run from Mark-Anthony resulted in a finesse shot past Hildebrandt.

— charlie hatch, Cincinnati.com, "FC Cincy drubbed by Louisville City, 5-0," 12 Aug. 2017
Not every police agency provides a log of its responses, and few do it with the finesse of the Forest Grove Police Department.

— samantha swindler, OregonLive.com, "Boyfriend punched after taking back promise ring: Forest Grove police log," 17 July 2017
But at the 2017 Indiana Brewers' Cup, Daredevil Brewing Co proved that its brewing finesse goes well beyond the hoppy stuff.

— amy haneline, Indianapolis Star, "Daredevil Brewing Co sweeps Indiana Brewers' Cup," 10 July 2017
And don't forget, Swanigan can make some finesse plays too.

— dakota crawford, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana players might just take over the NBA Summer League," 8 July 2017
Making all the pieces fit—and maximizing them along the way—will demand some real finesse on Rivers’s part.

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "Trade Grade: Danilo Gallinari Is Forward Lob City Never Had," 6 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'finesse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of finesse

Middle English, from Middle French, from fin

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First Known Use: 15th century

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finesse Synonyms

Synonyms

adroitness, cleverness, dexterity, sleight

Near Antonyms

inadequacy, incompetence, incompetency, ineptitude, ineptness; brainlessness, denseness, density, doltishness, dopiness, dullness (also dulness), dumbness, fatuity, foolishness, mindlessness, obtuseness, senselessness, simpleness, slowness, stupidity, stupidness, witlessness

finesse

verb

Definition of finesse

finessed; finessing

intransitive verb

:to make a finesse in playing cards

transitive verb

1 :to play (a card) in a finesse

2 a :to bring about, direct, or manage by adroit maneuvering

finesse his way through tight places
—Marquis James

b :evade, skirt

finesse the hard issues

See finesse defined for English-language learners

Examples of finesse in a Sentence

He managed to finesse a deal through bargaining.
She is just trying to finesse the issue.

Recent Examples of finesse from the Web

And throughout the room lay talent on display in woodcarving, baking, collections, and finesse with herbs and flowers.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Ekonk Community Grange Fair Is All About Family," 23 Aug. 2017
Every attempt to resolve the contradiction between public demands and conservative ideology has led the party to finesse it instead.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Trumpcare Collapsed Because the Republican Party Cannot Govern," 18 July 2017
For about a decade, the tax abatements and legal loopholes that Trump was able to finesse came about, in large part, because of Cohn.

— marie brenner, The Hive, "How Donald Trump and Roy Cohn’s Ruthless Symbiosis Changed America," 4 July 2017
For about a decade, the tax abatements and legal loopholes that Trump was able to finesse came about, in large part, because of Cohn.

— marie brenner, The Hive, "How Donald Trump and Roy Cohn’s Ruthless Symbiosis Changed America," 4 July 2017
For Clinton, the challenge is to create a few—to tell some unpleasant truths to his party and the nation, to show some passion, to stop trying to finesse all the people, all of the time.

— joe klein, Daily Intelligencer, "Bill Clinton: Who Is This Guy?," 30 June 2017
For about a decade, the tax abatements and legal loopholes that Trump was able to finesse came about, in large part, because of Cohn.

— marie brenner, vanityfair.com, "How Donald Trump and Roy Cohn’s Ruthless Symbiosis Changed America," 28 June 2017
Mr. Godwin tries to finesse the problem by emphasizing from the start the Duke’s own instability.

— jesse green, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Measure for Measure,’ Desperately Seeking Solutions in a Problem Play," 25 June 2017
The uninvited guests finesse their way through a security checkpoint staffed by uniformed Secret Service officers, according to congressional testimony by the agency's director Mark Sullivan.

— cnn library, CNN, "White House Security Breaches Fast Facts," 14 June 2017

finesse Started Out As a Noun

Finesse was a noun for more than 200 years before it became a verb. In the early 16th century the noun finesse was used to refer to refinement or delicacy of workmanship, structure, or texture. Soon thereafter it developed the "skillful handling of a situation" meaning most common today. The first use of the verb finesse, however, was not as a corollary of one of these meanings. Instead, its meaning had to do with cards: if you finesse in a game like bridge or whist, you withhold your highest card or trump in the hope that a lower card will take the trick because the only opposing higher card is in the hand of an opponent who has already played. The other verb meanings of finesse developed within a few decades of this one.