1
as in negotiated
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 avoided
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 finessed
In the other, a talented pitcher in a true breakout year overpowered some hitters and, against others, finessed his way out of pressure spots with men on base.
—
Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
The state finessed that by assuming his car was repaired after the robbery.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
Language was finessed in other ways, too.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
The state finessed that by assuming his car was repaired after the robbery.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
Language was finessed in other ways, too.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finessed
Verb
-
Also in the package, which was negotiated behind closed doors during the final days of the 9-month legislative session, were deals to replenish the state wildfire fund and create a regional electric grid for western states to trade excess energy.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Bay Area state senators Scott Wiener and Jesse Arreguin had negotiated a $750 million loan for transit into this year’s budget, meant to avoid service cuts until voters authorize a potential regional sales tax measure in November 2026 that could provide longterm replacement for farebox revenue.—
Kate Talerico,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Notably, Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets avoided punishment after appearing to strike Vargas on the chin during the post-match melee.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
-
During his March 2023 visit to Mariupol, Putin had avoided the theater.—
Yegor Mostovshikov,
The Dial,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Windows 11 Pro is engineered to work with your PC—not against it—so your system finally runs like the powerhouse it was built to be.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Marandi’s team engineered their OPO at the nanoscale on a chip.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Large swaths of eastern Colorado have evaded the drought plaguing most of the state west of 25.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Weaponized stubbornness Scoring is a straightforward concept, but success in this realm evaded Florida Saturday night.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Trump claimed without evidence that McEntarfer had manipulated statistics for political reasons.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
-
By the end of the episode, Isaac is dead, Nibs has had part of her memory wiped, and Slightly has been manipulated by Morrow into letting one of the face-huggers turn Arthur into a Xenomorph incubator.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Having escaped disaster and gauged the full extent of American self-deterrence, Putin began putting pressure on Ukraine’s neighbors and suppliers.—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
10 Sep. 2025
-
One snake got tear-gassed by police, then shot at five times, and still escaped—only to finally meet its match with a garden hoe (obviously).—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Microsoft Teams app on a laptop arranged in New York, US, on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.—
Ryan Browne,
CNBC,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The three-petal footprint arranged in a Y-shape isn’t just for aesthetic purposes.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To avoid this scenario, Makadia's team plotted the best spots on an asteroid's surface to avoid the keyhole.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
For one, Leonard signed a max contract—unlike with Smith and the Timberwolves, there’s no claim Leonard and the Clippers plotted a scheme where he’d be paid less in the short term in exchange for being paid more later.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Finessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessed. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share