adjective
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spun or drawn out to a fine thread
-
excessively subtle or refined; not practical
Etymology
Origin of finespun
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.
Compared to the smaller roles that populate Hiller’s IMDb page, Joel — one of the more nuanced queer characters on television in recent years — is more finespun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2025
Here comes the bass, offering a futuristic contrast to the singer’s finespun melodies — which tend to be sung in Spanish and forged in various folk traditions.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 9, 2022
The 2011 “Morning Glory,” which twists and trumpets across a wide-open space in front of the museum’s Astor Court, is monumental but finespun and transparent.
From New York Times ● May 2, 2013
But in the final soliloquy, just before Billy is hanged for having given a fatal blow to Claggart, Mr. Gunn spins the dumbfounded sailor’s wrenching lines with aching tenderness and finespun pianissimos.
From New York Times ● Apr. 30, 2010
She was finespun in the way that used to make Olanna wonder if she wasn’t uncomfortable, dressing up every day and simply sitting at home.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
