1
as in negotiating
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 avoiding
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of finessing
This being Nantucket, the team contended with stringent zoning regulations governing building footprints, rooflines, and window heights; finessing the layout felt like expert-level Tetris.
—
David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2026
Trump has a rare and underestimated talent for finessing these internal fissures.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026
This picks up any holding with both an honor and the nine onside, which outweighs the alternative play of finessing the 10.
—Deb Harvell, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2025
The race to dominate the humanoid robotics market is as much about harvesting 3D data as finessing the nuts and bolts.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
But no amount of finessing the Beetle—the automotive equivalent of a Birkenstock sandal—would turn VW’s ugly duckling into a swan.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2025
In traditional builds, this allows your PCI Express cards to be inserted straight down into the slot, rather than tilting the card and finessing its bracket through a rear-panel hole.
—PC Magazine, 14 Sep. 2025
But respect to Doja for finessing the fine points.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2026
Trump has a rare and underestimated talent for finessing these internal fissures.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026
This picks up any holding with both an honor and the nine onside, which outweighs the alternative play of finessing the 10.
—Deb Harvell, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2025
The race to dominate the humanoid robotics market is as much about harvesting 3D data as finessing the nuts and bolts.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
But no amount of finessing the Beetle—the automotive equivalent of a Birkenstock sandal—would turn VW’s ugly duckling into a swan.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2025
In traditional builds, this allows your PCI Express cards to be inserted straight down into the slot, rather than tilting the card and finessing its bracket through a rear-panel hole.
—PC Magazine, 14 Sep. 2025
But respect to Doja for finessing the fine points.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finessing
Verb
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Iran’s negotiating team, chaired by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and includes Foreign Minister Abbas Arghchi, met late Friday with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The administration has already spent at least $40 million to deport roughly 300 migrants through such deals and is negotiating with 47 countries to expand the program further.—
Gerald Imray,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Whatever his flaws, the president has been politically astute throughout his tenure, carefully avoiding the trap of letting the perfect be the enemy of good.—
Kelly Sloan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
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Be wary of phishing by avoiding links in unsolicited emails or texts.—
Larry Magid,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There was the patriarch, Abbas Khan, prowling through the pages, making real-estate deals, manipulating people.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Full-palm tactile sensing allows the robot to continue manipulating objects even when cameras are obstructed or when precise force control is required, such as in assembly tasks.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The attack targets Russia’s shadow fleet evading international sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and its ongoing oil export revenues.—
Samy Magdy,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The records also show Renfro is facing several other charges from previous cases, including assault causing bodily injury, assault causing bodily injury-family violence, evading arrest or detention, and continuous violence against the family.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But many booth owners take great care on their displays and spend their free time arranging their wares just so.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
6 Apr. 2026
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Long before Manhattan's iconic street grid took shape, an English widow laid the groundwork for a settlement in Brooklyn, arranging a small village in what would become the United States into one of the first grid patterns.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Roughly two hours after escaping through the passenger side door with some assistance, he was placed in the back of a cop car.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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High off the spirit of escaping with their ninth consecutive win, conversation in the visitor’s locker room at the Kia Center turned to the encounter LeBron James and Bronny James had with an alligator while golfing during the Florida leg of the six-game road trip.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One tells a story of an A-list actress, aided by some of the biggest celebrities in the world who include husband Ryan Reynolds and friend Taylor Swift, plotting to seize control of a director’s passion project.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
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The vote and its aftermath – which included a January 6-style riot at the national capital complex in Brasilia – ended with Bolsonaro sentenced to over 27 years in prison, convicted with numerous other officials of plotting a self-coup.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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From lab innovation to engineering reality Experts involved in the project said the flight represents a major transition from experimental research to practical engineering use.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Apr. 2026
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Zhou added that many Chinese companies also have more employees working on marketing and customer operations — not just engineering.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessing. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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