finesse

1 of 2

noun

fi·​nesse fə-ˈnes 

1

: refinement or delicacy of workmanship, structure, or texture

… trinkets of an extreme finesse …

—Raoul D'Harcourt

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

finesse

2 of 2

verb

finessed; finessing

transitive verb

1

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

2

: to play (a card) in a finesse

intransitive verb

: to make a finesse in playing cards

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to finesse something?

If you finesse something, you handle it or do it skillfully and cleverly.

What is the difference between finesse and fineness?

Finesse refers to the skill and cleverness someone shows in the way they deal with a situation or problem. Fineness refers to a thing's quality of being fine—for example, the fineness of print (that is, how small the letters are) or the fineness of one wire in comparison to another (that is, how thin they are).

What are some synonyms of finesse?

Adroitness, cleverness, and dexterity are all synonyms of finesse.

Synonyms of finesse

Noun

• ability
• talent
• prowess
• proficiency
• dexterity
• aptitude
• competence
• expertise

Verb

• negotiate
• manipulate
• maneuver
• engineer
• arrange
• plot

Examples of finesse in a Sentence

Noun

She handled the interview questions with finesse.

maneuvered his opponent into checkmate with his customary finesse

Verb

He managed to finesse a deal through bargaining.

She is just trying to finesse the issue.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While today’s robots still lack the finesse needed for tasks like sealing a Ziploc bag, the fusion of Apollo’s hardware with DeepMind’s increasingly capable AI marks a meaningful shift. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 11 Dec. 2025

Journalists assume that Cinetic has the best taste, grabs the top films out of festivals, and executes with finesse. —Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 10 Dec. 2025

Verb

But the incident did serve as a reminder that, in the case of finessing nostalgic TV’s shift into the current streaming era, newer is not always better. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2025

The director also finessed Hollywood. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "fineness," borrowed from Middle French, "fineness, subtlety, ruse, trick," from fin fine entry 1 + -esse, suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives, going back to Latin -itia (with phonetic development as if from -icia) — more at -ice

Verb

derivative of finesse entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1742, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for finesse

• abbess
• abscess
• access
• address
• assess
• caress
• confess
• depress
• digress
• distress
• egress
• excess

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Kids Definition

finesse

1 of 2 noun

fi·​nesse fə-ˈnes 

: skillful or delicate handling or artistry

finesse

2 of 2 verb

finessed; finessing

: to bring about a result by finesse