as in ability
mental skill or quickness
maneuvered his opponent into checkmate with his customary finesse
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to negotiate
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care
had to finesse the schedule a bit to fit in another patient that afternoon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to evade
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery
tried to finesse the blame for the foreign policy fiasco, even though he was secretary of state at the time
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of finesse
Adam Povlitz, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Most impressive of all is the way Rodriguez-Elliott conducts her large ensemble through rapid scene changes with gliding finesse.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
Michael Silver, New York Times, 21 May 2025
However, Teyana Taylor finessed Chick-Fil-A into the 2023 Met Gala and returned this year as host and co-chair.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for finesse
Noun
My company relies on advanced CRM systems to navigate these relationships with finesse.
—Adam Povlitz, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Most impressive of all is the way Rodriguez-Elliott conducts her large ensemble through rapid scene changes with gliding finesse.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
Verb
This time, Philly finessed the existing rules and came up with a nearly unstoppable play.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 21 May 2025
However, Teyana Taylor finessed Chick-Fil-A into the 2023 Met Gala and returned this year as host and co-chair.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for finesse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finesse
Noun
-
Literacy is a basic ability, and fluency is the next level of skill in an area or domain.—
Nisha Talagala,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
-
Others marveled at his ability to stand up to Trump with clarity and compassion.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
Deals like those could get done before the official start time because teams are allowed to negotiate with their own free agents once the NBA Finals are finished.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
1 July 2025
-
The White House told Newsweek that Trump had been working to help farmers, including eliminating 10 regulations for every new regulation, as well as negotiating the U.K. trade deal, which expanded the markets available to them.—
Billal Rahman
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
Verb
-
Dexter stalks his next victim (Marc Menchaca) — a killer who targets ride-share drivers — while the ghost of his father Harry (James Remar) urges him to be careful, and a fidgety Harrison tries to evade police suspicions.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
10 July 2025
-
Ten people involved in the ambush were arrested that night or early the next morning, but Song evaded capture, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
And the company behind the bet was Google, which had acquired legacy phone maker Motorola Mobility and was leveraging its modern tech prowess and vast resources to make the Moto X smartphone a success.—
Verne Kopytoff,
Fortune,
5 July 2025
-
Mexico enters the semifinal after a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia, breaking a 166-minute goal drought and reasserting their attacking prowess.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 July 2025
Verb
-
The legislation was driven by concerns that the Chinese government could manipulate content and access sensitive data from American users.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
30 June 2025
-
His attorneys had argued that he was manipulated by Blanchard, a victim of Munchausen by proxy, to kill her mom and should have his charges reduced to second-degree murder, according to The Springfield News-Leader.—
Michael Nied,
People.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Without an aisle, the box occupants must seat themselves in order from front to back to avoid climbing over one another.—
Judith Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 June 2025
-
Giving up athletics had an impact on her body and changes were required to avoid injury.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
For Boston, its outfield is loaded with talent, too, which makes Duran quite expendable.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 June 2025
-
Three-quarters of managers engaged in talent hoarding — discouraging top performers from pursuing internal opportunities to protect their own team’s performance.—
Nirit Cohen,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Verb
-
The front office has a lot of maneuvering ahead before the Bulls can return to relevance in the Eastern Conference.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
24 June 2025
-
Durable, practical, and easy to maneuver—highly recommended.—
Mariana Zapata,
Travel + Leisure,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Finesse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finesse. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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