1
as in negotiates
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 avoids
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finesses
Verb
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OneTeam Partners negotiates media deals and leverages players’ name, image and licensing rights.—
David Carrillo Peñaloza,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026 -
President Peter Mutharika, who returned to power in October after vowing to revive the country’s ailing economy, is trying to improve the government’s finances as the country negotiates a new IMF support package.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Unfortunately, Stanton is so eager to build his overarching vision that the film avoids spending time with any of these people.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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This neutral boundary-setting phrase avoids unnecessary over-explaining.—
Kate Wieczorek,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The official alleged that the paper engineers a finding by excluding evidence and designing a study with a bias toward showing no association.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
16 Jan. 2026
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Big Tech now engineers a perpetual state of insecurity by creating relentless technological churn, rendering our skills and safety measures obsolete, only to then sell us the tools to catch up.—
Vivian Toh,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Experts who spoke to Flow Space are hopeful that these new approvals will provide the necessary tools to treat a disease that evades treatment by constantly mutating.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
16 Dec. 2025
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In the film, Sea-Based X-Band Radar detects a missile flying across the Pacific Ocean toward Chicago that later evades interception.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, Luke and his fellow rebel demigods fall under Kronos’ influence as the Titan manipulates them into helping resurrect him.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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Also, the fact that Stephen’s not physically intense, necessarily, but moreso manipulates mentally with mind games must bring its own challenges.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Unlike nitrogen, which easily escapes from soil into the air or groundwater, phosphorus sticks to soil particles.—
Dinesh Phuyal,
The Conversation,
26 Jan. 2026
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When air leaks through that shell, heated or cooled air escapes, and the HVAC system has to work harder to keep up.—
Brynn Cooksey,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The idea of an in-person meeting is suggested, and several years later, Porter arranges it.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Jan. 2026
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An employee arranges a salad dressing display at an Amazon Fresh grocery store on December 12, 2024 in Federal Way, Washington.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For cyclists, the Coastal Bike Trail plots out a route to see the city and the harbor on two wheels.—
Carolyn Heller,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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The teacher then plots revenge by secretly staging the most wildly inappropriate musical imaginable to sabotage the principal’s bid for academic glory.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Finesses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finesses. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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