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finesse definition

fi·nesse (fə nes′)

noun

  1. adroitness and delicacy of performance
  2. the ability to handle delicate and difficult situations skillfully and diplomatically
  3. cunning; skill; artfulness; craft
  4. Bridge an attempt to take a trick with a lower card while holding a higher card not in sequence with it, made in the hope that the intervening card is in the hand of the opponent who has already played

Etymology: Fr < OFr fin, fine

transitive verb finessed -·nessed′, finessing -·ness′·ing

  1. to manage, bring about, or deal with by finesse: sometimes with into
  2. to evade or bypass (a problem, issue, etc.)
  3. Bridge
    1. to make a finesse with (a specified card)
    2. to play a card lower than (the specified intervening card) in making a finesse

intransitive verb

to use or make a finesse

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

finesse Synonyms

finesse

n.

adroitness, diplomacy, delicacy, artfulness; see ability 2, art 1, tact.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

finesse Usage Examples

Object

  • problem: The present book seeks to finesse this problem by starting with the applications, considering some specific non-linear differential equations.

Converse of object

  • lack: They also lack the finesse you may be used to with your rods back home.

Used with why or when

  • what: We need to prioritize and finesse what we can do; we need to make some hard decisions.

Adjective modifier

  • surprising: This vintage has surprising finesse despite a hefty whack of alcohol ( 14.5 per cent ).

Noun used with modifier

  • spade: Do you take the club finesse, or the spade finesse, or both?
finesse usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"finesse." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/finesse>

APA Style

finesse. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/finesse

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