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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of finessing
But the incident did serve as a reminder that, in the case of finessing nostalgic TV’s shift into the current streaming era, newer is not always better.
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2025
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
-
Schumer on Saturday persisted in arguing that Republicans should accept a one-year extension of the subsidies before negotiating the future of the tax credits.—
-
Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer argues Republicans should accept a one-year extension of the subsidies before negotiating the future of the tax credits.—
Verb
-
Managing heartburn is more effective by eating smaller portions and avoiding late night meals.—
-
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has done a great job of avoiding interceptions throughout this season.—
Verb
-
Unlike conventional breaches that hinge on phishing or user error, this exploit, now known as EchoLeak, bypassed human behavior entirely, silently extracting confidential information by manipulating how Copilot interacts with user data.—
-
Disney is depicted as manipulating this framework to its benefit and to the detriment of Dish and its customers.—
Verb
-
Prokop faces four misdemeanor charges, including one count of a violation of bond — protective order, one count of evading arrest or detention and two counts of resisting arrest, search or transportation.—
-
Authorities told Fox News Digital Prokop faces four misdemeanor charges — one count of violation of bond or protective order, one count of evading arrest or detention and two counts of resisting arrest, search or transportation.—
Verb
-
Resist the Temptation to Dig In The hardest part of building a charcuterie board is avoiding the temptation to start snacking as soon as you’re done arranging the board.—
-
As a newcomer to composing and arranging for strings, Simon benefitted greatly by working with a group readily available for consultation and collaboration.—
Verb
-
Her grandfather, George Craig, had made his way there after escaping enslavement with the aid of John Brown, and was working as a barber in the town of Grinnell.—
-
Regardless of our paths — whether that meant escaping war in Ethiopia or being the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors — many of us labor under the belief that this work requires us to commit to the ideals of this nation and not the indignation and nightmare of the insurrection.—
Verb
-
Pine works swiftly to gather information on Roper's deal and even forms an alliance with his boss's girlfriend Jed (Elizabeth Debicki) who is plotting her own escape.—
-
But Izzy Johnston is plotting a way for her Warriors to rise above all those squads.—
Verb
-
Siemens said the software enables organizations to visualize the effects of everything from engineering changes to environmental conditions, using real-time data as a backbone for industrial AI and simulation at scale.—
-
Then the Bulldogs woke up, engineering a quick touchdown drive, then capitalizing on an Ole Miss three-and-out, driving down inside the 10, with the help of a couple of pass interference calls.—
Cite this Entry
“Finessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessing. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share