finesse

noun fi·nesse \ fə-ˈnes \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

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

While fast breaks become more common late in 360Heat's first game against the Shepard Smash, the finesse and strategy is evident from the start.

— katherine fitzgerald, azcentral, "Wheelchair Rugby National Championship returns to Phoenix; local team defends title," 20 Apr. 2018
Spotted bass are spawning in the coves on stumps and gravel--shaky heads and finesse worms are the best bet, as usual.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Friday Fishing Report," 12 Apr. 2018
Breathtaking in both the literal and figurative sense, these works require the lung capacity of an Olympian marathoner with the elocutionary finesse of Shaw's Professor Henry Higgins.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' and Shaw's 'Saint Joan': A marathon for four actors, and the audience," 9 Apr. 2018
Philipps completed each sequence with the finesse of a former cheerleader, all while dripping, unself-consciously, in sweat, like a Workin’ Out Barbie come to life for the express purpose of experiencing thermoregulation.

— allie jones, The Cut, "You Guys, It’s Busy Philipps," 5 Apr. 2018
On the training field, Estiarte might not be able to provide the same level of tactical finesse as any of the ex-players on Guardiola’s staff.

— joshua robinson, WSJ, "Meet Pep Guardiola’s Right-Hand Man: A Retired Water Polo Star," 4 Apr. 2018
Request a corner booth to watch waiters in action, performing a culinary ballet with platters of oysters, lamb and risotto delivered with finesse.

— marlise kast-myers, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Medal-worthy Whistler," 27 Mar. 2018
The characters in this heist film from Steven Soderbergh, set in North Carolina, are the inverse: outwardly unskilled hayseeds who execute a complicated theft with finesse.

— charles bramesco, New York Times, "The Little Lebowskis: 10 Righteous Heirs to a Coen Brothers’ Classic," 6 Mar. 2018
That's the vibe from the super-funky, finesse-dripping, absolutely stellar new tune from the funk-master duo and their latest collaborator, The-Dream.

— kat bein, Billboard, "Chromeo Drop Fresh Funk Single 'Bedroom Calling' Featuring The-Dream: Listen," 30 Jan. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

finesse Synonyms

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

But for this week’s big premiere, Atwell was equipped like a royal with a stylist (Micaela Erlanger) and a glam team (hair by Chris Naselli and makeup by Gita Bass) to finesse her ensemble.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "Inside the Howards End Premiere with its Star Hayley Atwell," 6 Apr. 2018
Winkler isn't able to finesse the story's swerves from dark comedy to plain dark, not to mention the eleventh-hour swing into rom-com territory.

— sheri linden, latimes.com, "Zoey Deutch blossoms at the center of the wobbly dark teen comedy 'Flower'," 15 Mar. 2018
Meanwhile, just as MU was trying to finesse that, it was reduced to seven scholarship players following the suspension of Jordan Barnett, MU’s second-leading scorer and rebounder, after his DWI arrest last week.

— vahe gregorian, kansascity, "Mizzou's turnaround season snuffed out in NCAA Tournament but future is still bright | The Kansas City Star," 17 Mar. 2018
The Cairo stop underscores the balancing act Tillerson must finesse this week.

— carol morello, Washington Post, "Tillerson kicks off tense Middle East trip in Egypt," 11 Feb. 2018
The average conservative politician is slick enough to finesse these contradictory commitments.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "A Brief Guide to Every Five-Alarm Fire Currently Engulfing The White House," 1 Mar. 2018
His hands are known for fighting, not finesse around the net.

— helene st. james, Detroit Free Press, "Red Wings' Luke Witkowski, Anthony Mantha create happy picture to sign," 18 Feb. 2018
Trump is insisting on changes to the nuclear deal and U.S. law that would be difficult if not impossible to finesse.

— carol morello, Washington Post, "Iran vows ‘serious response’ to new sanctions and rebuffs Trump’s demands on nuclear deal," 13 Jan. 2018
Ron Dermer, Israel's ambassador to United States, tried to finesse the awkwardness of the timing of the U.S. Embassy move in a tweet.

— noga tarnopolsky, latimes.com, "Date of U.S. Embassy move to Jerusalem shows how even the calendar is complicated in the Middle East," 25 Feb. 2018

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.