finessing

verb

present participle of finesse
1
as in negotiating
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care had to finesse the schedule a bit to fit in another patient that afternoon

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in avoiding
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery tried to finesse the blame for the foreign policy fiasco, even though he was secretary of state at the time

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 finessing A number of conversations are nearly verbatim to what the transcripts show, though Gunn admits to finessing certain moments for cinematic purposes. — Barry Levitt, Time, 14 Aug. 2026 This being Nantucket, the team contended with stringent zoning regulations governing building footprints, rooflines, and window heights; finessing the layout felt like expert-level Tetris. — David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2026 Trump has a rare and underestimated talent for finessing these internal fissures. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026 This picks up any holding with both an honor and the nine onside, which outweighs the alternative play of finessing the 10. — Deb Harvell, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2025 But no amount of finessing the Beetle—the automotive equivalent of a Birkenstock sandal—would turn VW’s ugly duckling into a swan. — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2025 In traditional builds, this allows your PCI Express cards to be inserted straight down into the slot, rather than tilting the card and finessing its bracket through a rear-panel hole. — PC Magazine, 14 Sep. 2025 But respect to Doja for finessing the fine points. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finessing
  1. negotiating
  2. avoiding
  3. manipulating
  4. evading
  5. arranging
  6. escaping
  7. plotting
  8. engineering
Verb
  • He gets pummeled by waves and rip currents while negotiating the famously difficult shore dive but is soon swimming among brightly colored marine life and undulating kelp forests that filter sunlight from the surface.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The more balanced market gives home shoppers potentially more leverage in negotiating better terms with sellers, especially if a property has not fetched offers in weeks or months.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of negotiating
Verb
  • In these situations, withdrawing into a literal or symbolic dark room—avoiding sources of stress and going to a safe place—can be adaptive in the short term.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Preserve local input while avoiding a patchwork of regulations, ensuring communities are protected and industry provides sufficient justification and incentives.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of avoiding
Verb
  • She was also seen taking photos and manipulating notebooks on the victim’s desk, the police affidavit said.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Gandhi has alleged that the SIR is an instrument for manipulating elections.
    — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of manipulating
Verb
  • The new Marvel series will see the hero grapple with his identity and humanity while evading a bounty hunter and reuniting with his son.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The suspects were booked into the Fort Worth City Jail and face charges of burglary of a building, evading arrest or detention, and criminal mischief, according to police records.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of evading
Verb
  • Yana also admitted arranging questionable free transportation for his supporters at his political rallies.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • As with the traditional Rubik’s Cube, players wrestle with arranging the small square pieces into a 3 x 3 x 3 square.
    — Richard Eisenberg, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of arranging
Verb
  • As the comet rotates, fresh ice enters the sunlight and sublimates; the escaping gas then drags entrained dust particles away from the nucleus.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • What better way to pass the hours than by escaping into a good book?
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of escaping
Verb
  • Her character has a romantic tension with Dennison, and despite plotting an affair, the pair only flirt and never act on it.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • With the children’s television landscape evolving from the bright sitcom-style of Nickelodeon and Disney Channel shows, a veteran director of the genre is plotting his own course, while still working in the children’s entertainment space.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of plotting
Verb
  • Each year, the team marks the occasion by engineering a perfectly functional solution to a problem that never existed.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Florida accuses the company of knowingly engineering its platforms to be addictive to teens, and misleading consumers about its safety.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of engineering

Browse Nearby Words

finesses
finessing
finest
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Cite this Entry

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

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