finespun

or fine-spun

[ fahyn-spuhn ]
See synonyms for finespun on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. spun or drawn out to a fine thread.

  2. highly or excessively refined or subtle.

Origin of finespun

1
First recorded in 1640–50; fine1 + spun

Words Nearby finespun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use finespun in a sentence

  • Marquis Conrade, thy wit begins to halt; I will trust thy finespun measures no longer, but will try my own.

    The Talisman | Sir Walter Scott
  • It was the tint of the copper beech, thick, finespun, with intermittent twists that gave it a wavy effect.

    The Pagan Madonna | Harold MacGrath
  • Mr. finespun was the gentleman whose retirement from the ministry the Duke of St. Bungay had now announced.

    Can You Forgive Her? | Anthony Trollope
  • All his finespun hopes had been ruthlessly rent by the hand of reality.

    The Song of the Wolf | Frank Mayer

British Dictionary definitions for finespun

finespun

/ (ˈfaɪnˈspʌn) /


adjective
  1. spun or drawn out to a fine thread

  2. excessively subtle or refined; not practical

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012