finesse

[ fi-ness ]

/ fɪˈnɛss /

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noun

extreme delicacy or subtlety in action, performance, skill, discrimination, taste, etc.

skill in handling a difficult or highly sensitive situation; adroit and artful management: exceptional diplomatic finesse.

a trick, artifice, or stratagem.

Bridge, Whist. an attempt to win a trick with a card while holding a higher card not in sequence with it, in the hope that the card or cards between will not be played.

verb (used without object), fi·nessed, fi·ness·ing.

to use finesse or artifice.

to make a finesse at cards.

verb (used with object), fi·nessed, fi·ness·ing.

to bring about by finesse or artifice.

to avoid; circumvent.

to make a finesse with (a card).

to force the playing of (a card) by a finesse.

Nearby words

Origin of finesse

1400–50; late Middle English: degree of excellence or purity < Middle French < Vulgar Latin *fīnitia. See fine¹, -ice

SYNONYMS FOR finesse

1, 2. tact, diplomacy, savoir faire, circumspection, sensitivity, sensibility.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for finesse

The best whiskies are made with finesse and the same attention to detail and mindfulness as the finest teas or sushi.
Watch Out, Scotland! Japanese Whisky Is on the Rise|Kayleigh Kulp|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A lot of Republican candidates are trying to finesse the establishment-Tea Party Maginot Line and be both things to all people.
The Tea Party Is Dead? Nah, That’s Just a Flesh Wound|Michael Tomasky|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whereas the first three seasons were subtle, there is a decided lack of finesse here.
‘Arrested Development’: Why Netflix’s Revival Failed|Jace Lacob|May 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps the language loses some finesse after being translated from Italian, by Jamie Richards.
This Week’s Hot Reads: May 29, 2012|Jimmy So|May 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The days when skill in ball placement and finesse could outgun power have long past.
Nadal's Head Game|Gail Sheehy|September 3, 2009|DAILY BEAST
From a saute de foie, what delicate subtleties of finesse might have their origin?
Pelham, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
With French finesse he hits his mark 72 by expressly avoiding it.
French Classics|William Cleaver Wilkinson
Who but Turkey could discover the nests of hens whose maternal anxiety had eluded the finesse of Kirsty?
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood|George MacDonald
Thousands of Spaniards fell as the result of his daring and finesse in military execution.
History of Negro Soldiers in the Spanish-American War, and Other Items of Interest|Edward A. Johnson
And with all the finesse of their work the traffic moves like molasses.
The Personality of American Cities|Edward Hungerford

British Dictionary definitions for finesse

finesse

/ (fɪˈnɛs) /

noun

elegant skill in style or performance

subtlety and tact in handling difficult situations

bridge whist an attempt to win a trick when opponents hold a high card in the suit led by playing a lower card, hoping the opponent who has already played holds the missing card

a trick, artifice, or strategy

verb

to manage or bring about with finesse

to play (a card) as a finesse

Word Origin for finesse

C15: from Old French, from fin fine, delicate; see fine 1

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

Word Origin and History for finesse

finesse

1520s, from Middle French finesse "fineness, subtlety," from Old French fin "subtle, delicate" (see fine (adj.)).

finesse

1746, originally as a term in whist; see finesse (n.). Related: Finessed; finessing.

finesse

noun

verb (used without object), fi·nessed, fi·ness·ing.

verb (used with object), fi·nessed, fi·ness·ing.

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Origin of finesse

Examples from the Web for finesse

finesse

noun

verb

Word Origin for finesse

finesse

finesse