fine 1 of 5

adjective

ˈfīn How to pronounce fine (audio)
Definition of finenext
1
as in dusty
consisting of very small particles the fine sand found on the island's beaches

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in subtle
made or done with extreme care and accuracy the fine distinction between bravery and recklessness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in thin
being of less than usual width use a fine line for the outline of the facial features you intend to carve into the pumpkin

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in OK
being to one's liking that arrangement is fine with me

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in pure
free from added matter that silver is .9600 fine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in accurate
meeting the highest standard of accuracy making the final fine adjustments on the car's GPS

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in adequate
of a level of quality that meets one's needs or standards the wine steward declared that the complaint of corkiness was unjustified and that the wine was fine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in small
of a size that is less than average read the fine print

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in excellent
of the very best kind a fine performance of a classic ballet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in elegant
having qualities that appeal to a refined taste savored every morsel of the restaurant's fine cuisine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in sensitive
able to sense slight impressions or differences hearing so fine that it can seemingly hear the tiniest twig snap

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in handsome
having or showing elegance a fine old structure in the city's historic district

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fine

2 of 5

noun

as in penalty
a sum of money to be paid as a punishment a $50 fine for speeding

Synonyms & Similar Words

fine

3 of 5

verb (1)

as in to impose
to establish or apply as a charge or penalty the police will fine you for driving with one headlight out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fine

4 of 5

verb (2)

as in to filter
to remove usually visible impurities from the use of egg shells to fine wine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fine

5 of 5

adverb

as in good
in a satisfactory way you did just fine on the stress test

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fine
Adjective
MindFrames lets kids snap colorful geometric pieces together to create wearable shapes like crowns, wings, wands, and masks, encouraging the development of spatial reasoning, problem-solving, and fine motor skills. — Time Staff, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 One person, by the way, Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia , came out Thursday and said that CoreWeave is fine, doesn't need help — and, in fact, the company's cost of capital is actually decreasing because Nvidia chips more than hold their value. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
Assi is charged with a hate crime, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000 or both. — Karma Sabbah, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 The 2024 report found the city court had issued arrest warrants for more than 650 people, roughly half of the city’s population, for unpaid fines. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
Williams has been fined numerous times for specific gestures and taunts - nine times, to be exact. — Ryan Morik Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 About 20 years ago, Hazleton passed the controversial Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which withheld permits from businesses employing undocumented immigrants and fined landlords who rented to them. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
Adverb
Outperformance for the non-magnificent S & P 493 would come at key point for the stock market, which has chugged along fine on the headline level thanks to the megacaps but has seen its breadth weaken considerably beneath the surface. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026 The defense, when all was said and done, worked out fine Sunday, though. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fine
  1. dusty
  2. subtle
  3. thin
  4. OK
  5. pure
  6. accurate
  7. adequate
  8. small
Adjective
  • The production is a rattling junk drawer of circuit-bent thrift-store keyboards, dusty drum machines, and unintuitive loops, and KTO combines them into head-scratching, shouldn’t-work grooves.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Coming up from the intertidal, out of the dusty salt wind with his latest find under one arm, Tennent met a woman on her way down.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of dusty
Adjective
  • Coleman said each design has its own distinct character and can be styled individually, either as a subtle everyday detail or a sculptural statement.
    — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • As the researchers saw, introducing random mutation could still make subtle structural tweaks that produced enzymes that were considerably more active.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of subtle
Adjective
  • Bajaria may also have hit thin ice with Sarandos after the streamer won just 16 Primetime Emmy Awards this year — its worst showing since 2016 and down from 30 in 2025.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • It was designed with a column, sheath silhouette, with sequins, thin spaghetti straps and a midlength skirt.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of thin
Adjective
  • People are not okay with further cuts to school staff, afterschool programs and essential services.
    — Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Today’s program is explicitly for women who have an impending release date, are okay with speaking to the press, and willing to be on camera for Beauty Beyond Bars’ and Allure’s social channels.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of OK
Adjective
  • Cringe may be excruciating, but post-cringe would be pure horror.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • This gift box contains eight bars, spanning from 58 to 80% cacao, in flavors like banana foster and green tea crunch for the adventurous and pink sea salt or pure cacao, dates, and vanilla for the purists.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pure
Adjective
  • Moreover, the company says automatic workout recognition is twice as accurate as before, with 50% fewer missed activities.
    — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Google says the new model means auto activity tracking is twice as accurate and supports over 100 activities.
    — Victoria Song, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of accurate
Adjective
  • Restaurants, grocery stores and shops depend on deliveries, yet too many commercial corridors lack adequate loading zones.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • In our view, it was rushed and flawed, without an adequate evaluation framework to judge proposals fairly or fully measure their value to tourism.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of adequate
Adjective
  • Comparing households aged 72 and older in 2022 with those aged 75 and older in 2025, Maggiulli calculated a smaller—but still substantial—21% increase.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The development could help make optical atomic clocks smaller and more suitable for use outside laboratories.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of small

Phrases Containing fine

Browse Nearby Words

finds out
fine
fined
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fine. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on fine

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fine

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All