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
Relevance
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
An in-season agent swap could help facilitate a reasonable deal, too, since Robertson’s new agent, Andy Scott of Octagon, has already negotiated long-term deals in Dallas for Wyatt Johnston, Rantanen and Harley.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The deal was negotiated by UTA Independent Film Group on behalf of the filmmakers.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Yellowish stool can be associated with oily and greasy foods, which should be avoided on GLP-1s.—
Nicole Hernandez,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Some choices cannot be optimized, some losses can’t be avoided.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Its main platform adopts a semi-submersible twin-hull design, engineered for stability in harsh sea conditions while enabling large-scale testing of deep-sea equipment weighing hundreds of tons.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
-
But each also places new strain on a grid that was never engineered to accommodate them.—
Brian Barlow,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Twin direct hits in southern Israel over the weekend injured at least 180 people, while an additional series of direct strikes — missiles that evaded interceptors — in central Tel Aviv earlier this week injured fewer than 10, according to health officials.—
Rebecca Shabad,
NBC news,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Investigators believe Nunez evaded law enforcement by obtaining false identification documents and fleeing the country.—
Jack Perry,
The Providence Journal,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The examples provided in the letter of events that could be easily manipulated by a single person included whether a kicker would miss a field goal, a quarterback’s first pass being incomplete or a receiver missing their first target.—
Jessica Golden,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
-
All the components of Ursa’s dishes are foraged or harvested in the desert and manipulated in surprising and experimental ways.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kourani had escaped a strike on a hotel in a nearby area earlier this month.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
-
While awaiting prosecution for the Mahany Park shooting, Abril escaped from Placer County sheriff’s custody while receiving medical treatment at Sutter Roseville Medical Center.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The vendors could be selling from tents arranged in the parking lot surrounding a local community center or city hall.—
C.W. Cameron,
AJC.com,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The next iteration of Omar’s tetela will be filled with fresh fava beans and arranged with mushrooms.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
It’s familiarly plotted, sure, but efficiently acted.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Hodges plotted an aggressive offseason program for the two to take significant steps to playing with more confidence and understanding in 2026.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessed. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
