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
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
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
-
They are being hit so hard, anybody would be negotiating.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The Melreese referendum passed with about 60 percent support from Miami voters in November 2018, allowing the city and Inter Miami to begin negotiating a lease agreement.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Heat’s chances of avoiding the NBA’s play-in tournament are now very slim.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The loss was Orlando’s eighth in the past 10 games as the team continues to trend the opposite direction of avoiding the Play-In Tournament.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Orban started manipulating these grievances, and did so to significantly divide Hungarian society.—
John Shattuck,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
According to Basketball Reference’s playoff probabilities report, the Heat entered Wednesday with just a 9 percent chance of evading the play-in tourney.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Eric Lampkin-Scarborough, 19, was arrested for insufficient bonds related to a felony weapon charge and a misdemeanor evading arrest charge.—
Briauna Brown,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But arranging spheres becomes significantly more complex in higher dimensions, which allow for more arrangements and symmetries.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Unbeknownst to Audrey, her cousin had secretly coordinated with several of her closest friends, arranging surprise appearances on the plane and at their destination.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Rear doors on police cars typically only open from the outside to prevent arrestees from escaping.—
Nicole Comstock,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But Sasaki locked in to strike out José Ramírez and induce Kyle Manzardo to line out, escaping without further damage.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In Minnesota, a man was sentenced to life in prison for plotting the murder of a real estate agent in part by luring her to a bogus showing.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Cam is quietly plotting to reclaim his post, turning every misstep into ammunition.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The intense pressure at this depth, however, has made engineering such vessels with large viewing windows incredibly difficult.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman told CBS News that the most effective way to reduce oil consumption is for people to change their driving habits — primarily by driving less — while acknowledging that engineering such a shift isn't easy.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessing. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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