finely
Americanadverb
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in a fine manner; excellently; elegantly; delicately; nicely; minutely; subtly.
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in fine particles or pieces.
finely chopped onions.
adverb
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into small pieces; minutely
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precisely or subtly
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splendidly or delicately
Etymology
Origin of finely
First recorded in 1275–1325; from Middle English word fineliche; see fine 1, -ly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
West Indies reached stumps on day three on 126-7 in their second innings - a lead of 155 runs - to leave the match finely poised.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Two-tenths of a percent is a rounding error on a rounding error, and I wouldn’t bet against a stadium full of Iraqis and Norwegians sorting one another more finely to clear it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Note: Very finely diced pancetta should cook through alongside the eggs.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
The new mosasaur was larger, possessed finely serrated teeth rarely seen in mosasaurs, and came from a different place and time period.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2026
For additional protection, he suggested taking frequent warm baths and inhaling finely ground black pepper.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
