FINESSE Synonyms: 165 Similar and Opposite Words

finesse 1 of 2

noun

fə-ˈnes

Definition of finesse

as in ability

mental skill or quickness maneuvered his opponent into checkmate with his customary finesse

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

finesse

2 of 2

verb

as in to negotiate

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to evade

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 finesse

Noun

Technically speaking, Amber turns in a pretty stellar week-one cha-cha, and the notes from the judges are mostly about finesse and refinement. — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026 These reproductions are surprisingly effective, partly because the tapestry was made by many hands to begin with, and free embroidery is not an art of finesse. — John Phipps, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026

Verb

A number of conversations are nearly verbatim to what the transcripts show, though Gunn admits to finessing certain moments for cinematic purposes. — Barry Levitt, Time, 14 Aug. 2026 The two scenes that were finessed the most, where McKenna’s interpretation of Nicky was most crucial, were his first meeting with Ralph (Winston Sawyers) and his Episode 1 confrontation with Jack (Lox Pratt). — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 31 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for finesse

Recent Examples of Synonyms for finesse

Noun

By increasing its manufacturing capacity, the company aims to strengthen its ability to deliver advanced systems to customers.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
Who knows if SpaceX will win the war, but with the amount of spectrum being bought by Musk and his ability to access capital, Starlink will most likely take share from Charter and Comcast first, and then AT & T and Verizon next.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of ability

Verb

On the one hand, the relief came through energy, when Washington granted a series of short-term waivers that kept the NIS refinery running while Hungary’s MOL negotiated to buy out the Russian stake.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
With an unfriendly Congress, decisions about who pays and where cuts are made will also test Lula’s ability to negotiate.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of negotiate

Verb

But not all Chicagoans have the luxury of adjusting their schedules to evade the darkness, said Gina Scaletta, who has been walking dogs for more than a decade.

— Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
Adding items mid-meeting is permissible in emergencies, plaintiffs say, but not as means to evade public notice requirements.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of evade

Noun

Koenig died Monday at his home in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, talent agent Zachery McGinnis said in a statement.

— JONATHAN LANDRUM JR. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Maybe talents like Misiorowski and Caminero and Chourio only come around once every couple decades.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of talent

Verb

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the Pentagon has not manipulated the service.

— Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Without that provenance, the agent can’t reliably distinguish current operational truth from stale, incomplete or manipulated information.

— Shekhar Iyer, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of manipulate

Noun

But now, some of the key data centers at the heart of its technical prowess have been knocked out by Ukrainian drone attacks in the 4 1/2-year-old full-scale invasion, suffering damage that could take a long time to repair.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Chinese medical equipment makers are increasingly challenging US, European, and Japanese competitors in hospitals around the world, extending Beijing’s technological prowess to yet another industry.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of prowess

Browse Nearby Words

finespun

finesse

finessed

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Finesse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finesse. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of finesse

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes