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
-
Unlike their peers in other major leagues, NBA players can invest in sports gambling companies and advertise for them, a right negotiated in the 2023 collective bargaining agreement.—
Mike Vorkunov,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
In recent weeks, Baker McKenzie, a white-shoe law firm, axed 700 employees, Salesforce sacked hundreds of workers, and the auditing firm KPMG negotiated lower fees with its own auditor.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
When pressed, the executives either denied or avoided talking about using the most advanced technology to reject authorization requests or toss out claims.—
Darius Tahir,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The answer is tens, and in some cases hundreds of billions of pounds of carbon pollution avoided each year.—
Aya Diab,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At its core is a full suspension aluminum frame engineered for real off-road dominance.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Future Present Past was engineered by Jonathan Schenke and mixed by Andrew Lappin.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The series reveals how the Russian government evaded facts and truth.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Surprisingly, among the more than 1,000 recipes published in the past 25 years of columns and cookbooks, a true, crisp and delicious almond cookie recipe had evaded me until now.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Both reflect on their experience and say they felt manipulated and vulnerable.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Do not let our youth be manipulated by agents of chaos into participating in protests, jeopardizing their education and future.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That season’s squad, which had gone to the NIT three straight years, escaped the non-conference schedule with a record of 9-2.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The rescue came about after Jordan Turpin — who was 17 at the time — escaped from the home and told authorities about their captivity and abuse.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Alberdi is the rare filmmaker to enter the Berlinale with distribution for her film already arranged.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The two feel fortunate their national Olympic committees arranged for them to bunk together at Cortina's Olympic village, since typically only teammates share housing.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The regular season couldn’t have been plotted any better for these two from an anticipation standpoint, set to near the end as the top teams in the MIAA Div.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Michael Sheridan was beaten, stabbed, shot At some point, the brothers plotted to rob the other man, investigators said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessed. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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