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
Example Sentences
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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
-
San Diego and its world-famous zoo have negotiated a 52-year extension of their lease that includes a new $3 million annual payment to the city and an equal split of parking revenue.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The deal was negotiated by Simon Gillis and Laura Mazzola, Head of Business & Legal Affairs (UK), on behalf of See-Saw and Sheila David of Catapult Rights Limited on behalf of Dr Grant.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The only reason Cornyn avoided being trounced was money, money and more money.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Cold water, on the other hand, is said to dull this fire and slow digestion and should be avoided.—
Sarah Bence,
Verywell Health,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Burkle twice was involved in attempts to purchase the Kings, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting, one of which was engineered in large part by Anderson.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
High interest rates, engineered by the Federal Reserve to combat a burst of inflation following the COVID-19 pandemic, also weighed on the job market in 2025.—
Paul Wiseman,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lewandowski evaded this ban by taking a role as a special government employee, limited by law to working no more than 130 days a year for the federal government.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
-
While most of Iran’s missiles and drones have been intercepted, six US service members were killed when an Iranian projectile evaded air defenses and struck a makeshift operations center at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port on Sunday.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Easter changes date every year, and the blooms on sale are carefully manipulated to bloom on time.—
Becky Wern,
Florida Times-Union,
7 Mar. 2026
-
In the lab setting, various atmospheric variables can be precisely manipulated to closely understand the phenomenon.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
See how the horny hockey show escaped the criticism and did what its contemporaries cannot.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Ejecta thrown up by the impact would mostly have rained back down onto the surface of the moon, but millions of pounds of debris would have still escaped the lunar gravity and fallen towards Earth instead, possibly creating a unique meteor shower lasting a few days.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Building an ultrathin nickelate with atomic precision The team focused on a compound called La₃Ni₂O₇, a nickelate made of nickel and oxygen atoms arranged in layered structures.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Standard rooms are large by New York City standards, and smartly arranged for maximum floor space.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Reuters/Elijah Nouvelage Authorities say the teen carefully plotted the shooting at his Barrow County high school, including allegedly leaving a notebook with handwritten instructions detailing the steps to prepare for the violence and a diagram of his classroom.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Read retrieved Hunter and brought her back to Sacramento where the pair plotted the near-fatal attack.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessed. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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