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
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
Eze unlocked the game with great finesse from range.
—Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Rosa Pyo, Allure, 9 Feb. 2026
Trump has a rare and underestimated talent for finessing these internal fissures.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for finesse
Noun
In addition to playing through injury for much of the season and into the playoffs, the typically all-finesse Terry has even gotten a bit more involved on the physical side despite needing plenty of maintenance days.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
Eze unlocked the game with great finesse from range.
—Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
This no-wipe gel formula comes with a short, easy-to-finesse spoolie applicator that can make stripes, waves, and ripples.
—Rosa Pyo, Allure, 9 Feb. 2026
Trump has a rare and underestimated talent for finessing these internal fissures.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for finesse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finesse
Noun
-
Furthermore, by the state recognizing that human life exists inside the womb, the ability to buy, sell, discard, or kill children diminishes.—
Kimberly Bird,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 May 2026
-
This basic outline is similar in scope to Apollo 9, a 1969 mission in which a three-astronaut crew spent 10 days testing the spacecraft’s ability to land on the moon from the comfort of low-Earth orbit.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
There’s a lot of ways to negotiate.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
-
While Pritzker and state lawmakers have been negotiating on legislation to provide the Bears with property tax breaks for a stadium in Arlington Heights, Johnson has continued to push to keep the Bears in Chicago.—
Elyssa Kaufman,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Deception is used to evade responsibility, manipulate a partner or conceal betrayal.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
My muscles on fire with tension, sleep evaded me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The three hundred players are identified during the preceding summer and fall, when team scouts scour the country to evaluate prospective college talent.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
There aren’t many options for the Pistons to upgrade from someone his age, with his talent and frame.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
In most cases, similar to engine controls, this climate control system can be checked for codes and the various modes manipulated with a scan tool.—
John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs And Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast,
Hartford Courant,
16 May 2026
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This likely created new evolutionary pressure for specialized hand use during tasks such as carrying objects, manipulating tools, or gesturing.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The problem is, when your side lack intensity, aggression and cohesion, those traps are easy to spot and avoid.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
October 23 – November 21 The real conversation is probably the one everyone has been avoiding.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
The drills also come months after the last nuclear arms pact between Russia and Washington broke down and amid a spate of comments from Putin touting the prowess of Moscow's nuclear forces.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
Joe Mack has steadily shown off his defensive prowess since making his MLB debut earlier this month.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Tencent’s early restraint on AI capital expenditure has left it with significant room to maneuver.—
Vivian Toh,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
After being deposited in orbit by a launch vehicle, Winnebago uses its own propulsion to maneuver into the right attitude.—
Ramin Skibba,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finesse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finesse. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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