1
as in negotiated
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in avoided
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
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Recent Examples of finessed
Repossi finessed the rose gold used in its latest spiraling Blast high jewelry pieces, playing up its yellow gleam under a gradient of orange gemstones.
—
Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
The director also finessed Hollywood.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Dec. 2025
Back in Miami, Winter finessed his preparation with former Duncan Ensemble dancer Ivette Sotomayor.
—Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
Cruz finessed his way into not allowing a Red Sox runner to cross the plate, keeping the score tied.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Man Ray is one of the few Dada-Surrealist cusp figures who finessed affiliations with both movements without alienating either one.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
In the other, a talented pitcher in a true breakout year overpowered some hitters and, against others, finessed his way out of pressure spots with men on base.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
The state finessed that by assuming his car was repaired after the robbery.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
Language was finessed in other ways, too.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
The director also finessed Hollywood.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Dec. 2025
Back in Miami, Winter finessed his preparation with former Duncan Ensemble dancer Ivette Sotomayor.
—Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
Cruz finessed his way into not allowing a Red Sox runner to cross the plate, keeping the score tied.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Man Ray is one of the few Dada-Surrealist cusp figures who finessed affiliations with both movements without alienating either one.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
In the other, a talented pitcher in a true breakout year overpowered some hitters and, against others, finessed his way out of pressure spots with men on base.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
The state finessed that by assuming his car was repaired after the robbery.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
Language was finessed in other ways, too.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finessed
Verb
-
The deal was negotiated by Range Select.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
Epps is repped by UTA, producing partner Niles Kirchner, IAG for stand-up who negotiated this deal, and Yorn, Levine, Barnes.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Whether the Michael sequel will come to fruition and cover any of this uncharted territory—or flash back to territory that was avoided in the first film, like the entirety of The Wiz—is heretofore unknown.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
12 May 2026
-
Schwarzenegger’s strategy energized Californians who wanted to punish incumbent Democrats, but avoided scaring too many of the state’s median voters.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The jury found the algorithms are intentionally engineered to exploit the developing brains of children.—
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
-
Reports claimed that engines in this class are engineered to provide extreme acceleration, sustained supersonic flight capability, and high maneuverability during air combat operations.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Ilango had successfully evaded the decades-old impossibility result.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
11 May 2026
-
The Knicks have found the very consistency that’s evaded them in the past.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Defense attorneys argued at trial that the investigation into the assassination was a mess and that the four were manipulated into taking blame for an internal coup.—
David Fischer,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
-
These were teenagers, and they were manipulated.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Last night, the Knicks barely escaped over the 76ers, and the Spurs blew out the Timberwolves.—
David Troy,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
In another case, a female monkey escaped her cage due to a welding failure, according to the inspection report.—
Corey Schmidt,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
After Spirit Airlines ceased operations, in the middle of the night on May 2nd, a series of canary-yellow airplanes sat on the tarmac at Newark Airport, arranged neatly like children’s toys at day’s end.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
According to the victim, the suspect arranged the meeting and provided Davenport's address as the exchange location before stealing the laptop and running away.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Historic Palmetto cemetery vandalized, deputies say Old Memphis Cemetery is tied to Palmetto’s historic Memphis neighborhood, which was originally plotted in 1904, according to a state historical marker at the site.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
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The move stemmed from his frustration at the prosecution of former Brazilian leader and one-time ally Jair Bolsonaro, who allegedly plotted a coup to stay in office after losing the 2022 election to Lula.—
Kate Nishimura,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessed. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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