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
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Senator says that's 'bottom line' Still, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said Republicans have been negotiating in good faith.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
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The rest of the negotiating team soon arrived, still fresh from their trip to Abu Dhabi.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The battery is reported to retain more than 90 percent of its driving range even at –40 degrees Celsius, avoiding the sharp winter degradation commonly associated with both LFP and nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
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Sokolowski also recommends avoiding misting your refrigerator with water directly—always apply it to a microfiber cloth first.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In other cases, extremists have been convicted of manipulating children into cutting themselves or even killing pets on camera, records show.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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His belief that a conspiratorial coterie of people is manipulating American policy.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He was also charged with evading arrest the same day.—
Katey Psencik,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
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The teen was arrested on suspicion of crimes including assaulting a person with a semi-automatic firearm, brandishing a firearm, negligently discharging a firearm, evading a peace officer and driving under the influence of alcohol, the sheriff’s office said.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Emails show Epstein’s associates arranging meetings between him and Black from 2010 to 2017.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
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Recent articles in the news report Canada, Mexico, Central and South America arranging trading with countries who don't treat them as stepchildren.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Later, Hamilton parts the sea on his kick scooter, speedily escaping from the hectic press area.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
10 Feb. 2026
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The magistrate and her elderly mother were held for 30 hours in a garage in southern France’s Drôme region before escaping, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In 7th place on iSpot’s ranking was Amazon’s Alexa+ spot starring Chris Hemsworth, who runs through several horrifying thought experiments about how the advanced AI might be plotting to murder him in his own home.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
9 Feb. 2026
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Fashion Deals If your suitcase is already plotting its next trip, these February clothing and shoe deals are worth a look.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Once the design of a vehicle is completed, engineering on the frame, crash tests and components like the infotainment system and seats usually takes years.—
Andrea Guzmán,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Feb. 2026
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Bell is moving into a position focused on engineering quality as an individual contributor, or IC, continuing to report to CEO Satya Nadella.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessing. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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