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
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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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Marandi served as an adviser to Iran’s negotiating team during the 2015 nuclear talks and still has close ties to the Iranian government.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
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The sides having been negotiating since the summer of 2024, and the NFL had begun the hiring process for replacement officials last month.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Palencia pitched a scoreless ninth inning in Tuesday’s win and had warmed up twice in Monday night’s victory, so Counsell was avoiding the flamethrower on Wednesday.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2026
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Our legislators must make some tough decisions; avoiding the issues is not acceptable.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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More ruthless than ever, Tony Baddingham (Tennant) is determined to dismantle his rivals piece-by-piece, weaponizing scandal and manipulating those closest to him to maintain his grip on power.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
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Eric Richins' other sister, Katie Richins-Benson, accused Kouri Richins of isolating and manipulating the couple's sons while attempting to take their inheritance.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The suspect, later identified as 20-year-old Jesus Roberto Aguilar of Sacramento, was arrested and booked into jail for multiple evading and resisting charges and on a felony no-bail warrant.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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Last week, a 19-year-old riding an e-motorcycle was arrested on suspicion of felony evading police and felony reckless driving.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Such pairings are one of Wilson’s strengths, his eye for portraiture matched by his skill for arranging images on the page.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
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Others kick things up by arranging private beach bonfires in the evening, catamaran outings by day, surf lessons with Engstrom Surf, and even customized tarot card readings.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The scientist told me repeatedly of escaping to the ship’s deck and surrounding himself with the openness of the ocean, the beauty of volcanic islands, the whales, the dolphins, the flying fish, and, above all, the seabirds.—
Akash Kapur,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
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Mott’s criminal record includes charges of burglary, criminal trespassing, criminal mischief and escaping from custody or a detention facility, according to online records.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
12 May 2026
Verb
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All the men were accused of plotting in South Florida and hiring a squad of former Colombian soldiers to violently overthrow Haiti’s president in a coup scheme that turned from his ouster to his assassination a couple of weeks before his death.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2026
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Sure, Bad Bunny could be plotting a merch drop related to his current Debí Tirar Más Fotos world tour, but the items listed aren’t typical apparel, like a t-shirt or baseball hat.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
6 May 2026
Verb
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This discovery really paves the way for engineering other living light materials and devices.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
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The project brings together nearly 60 students from a wide range of majors, from engineering to communications, all working toward a common goal.—
Jamal Goss,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessing. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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