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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of finessed
The director also finessed Hollywood.
—
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Dec. 2025
The designer’s collaboration with Sanderson isn’t the first time Deacon has finessed British style sensibility.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 26 Nov. 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
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Dec. 2025
The designer’s collaboration with Sanderson isn’t the first time Deacon has finessed British style sensibility.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 26 Nov. 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
-
Being threatened with a 500 percent tariff, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Sri Lanka had successfully negotiated down to 20 percent.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
14 Jan. 2026
-
In the wake of Maduro’s capture — with repression continuing, prisoners still behind bars and Venezuela’s future being negotiated around oil and power — Ramírez sees the film as both testimony and warning.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Last night’s premiere marked Hadid’s first major red carpet moment of 2026, having avoided any awards ceremony or glitzy gala so far.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Crocker-Johnson avoided early foul trouble and led all scorers with 10 points as Minnesota shot 56% from the field.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The silky fibers are smartly engineered to absorb moisture and promote airflow, helping even the warmest sleepers stay comfortable all night long.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Matthew Stafford engineered the comeback with the winning touchdown pass, playing through a finger injury on his throwing hand.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Ravens would find the endzone once again with nine minutes left in regulation after Lamar Jackson evaded heavy pressure from Pittsburgh's front seven to find Zay Flowers for a 50-yard touchdown pass to reclaim the lead, 17-13.—
Garrett Behanna,
CBS News,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Out-of-state businesses that evaded city taxes by hiding city business income.—
Randall Fox,
New York Daily News,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Freedom from fear mattered because frightened societies are easily manipulated.—
Philip Martin,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
-
In some cases, CBS News ran images through AI detection tools, which can be inconsistent or inaccurate but can still help flag possibly manipulated content.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The second employee escaped, but Partida was trapped inside, per the outlet.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The Los Angeles Rams narrowly escaped defeat against the Carolina Panthers in the wild-card round and are favored on the road against the Chicago Bears.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The goal is to move all the disks to the last pole with them arranged in the same order—but each disk may only be placed on a larger disk, never on a smaller one.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
10 Jan. 2026
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The following month, Acebedo-Garcia arranged the details for the first shipment — 293 kilos.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But in wrapping up a six-month investigation last month, independent counsel Cho’s team concluded that Yoon plotted for over a year to impose martial law to eliminate his political rivals and monopolize power.—
Hyung-Jin Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Investigators determined that Melton and the younger Austin plotted to kill the 55-year-old victim and took the pair into custody six days later.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessed. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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