FINESSED Synonyms: 102 Similar and Opposite Words

finessed

verb

past tense of finesse

as in negotiated

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

as in avoided

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 finessed The easiest starting point used to be a revenue multiplier, with a final figure finessed by other factors such as assets, stadium and brand. — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026 The two scenes that were finessed the most, where McKenna’s interpretation of Nicky was most crucial, were his first meeting with Ralph (Winston Sawyers) and his Episode 1 confrontation with Jack (Lox Pratt). — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 31 May 2026 The immaculate lineup of laminated pastries, like a pandan cream croissant, is similarly finessed. — Allecia Vermillion, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 May 2026 Repossi finessed the rose gold used in its latest spiraling Blast high jewelry pieces, playing up its yellow gleam under a gradient of orange gemstones. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026 The director also finessed Hollywood. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Dec. 2025 Back in Miami, Winter finessed his preparation with former Duncan Ensemble dancer Ivette Sotomayor. — Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025 Cruz finessed his way into not allowing a Red Sox runner to cross the plate, keeping the score tied. — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025 Man Ray is one of the few Dada-Surrealist cusp figures who finessed affiliations with both movements without alienating either one. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for finessed

Verb

Lujan believes Denver could have negotiated a much better deal.

— Brian Maass, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Raman hit Bass early on in the debate, saying the mayor negotiated an expensive package of police raises that the city couldn’t afford.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of negotiated

Verb

When implemented on its own with no change in monetary policy, there is a possibility that Operation Twist can succeed temporarily, but only if market players agree that the moves engineered in rates are roughly acceptable.

— Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026
The menus are engineered around your lab work and individual program.

— Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of engineered

Verb

In the foreseeable future, a terrorist group with minimal skills could access a jailbroken AI model (one that has evaded safety controls) trained on the world’s most comprehensive biological data set.

— Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Police said Jackson was driving recklessly and evaded a Muscatine County Sheriff's Office deputy who attempted to stop his vehicle Friday evening in Muscatine.

— Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of evaded

Verb

This study proves that ion storage order can be precisely manipulated through molecular-level engineering.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Now imagine that same agent, compromised or manipulated, querying every past-due invoice armed with full client details.

— Morey Haber, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of manipulated

Verb

Denis Bouanga scored late in the second half and Los Angeles FC escaped with a 1-1 draw after trailing the Portland Timbers for 75 minutes on Saturday night.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Their study analyzed more than 2 million chat messages and identified examples involving grooming, sexualization of minors, bullying, violence and sensitive information sharing that escaped moderation.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of escaped

Verb

Palestinians and Lebanese displaced by the 1967 war were joining relatives or acquaintances in Dearborn, and residents arranged food and medical services for the new arrivals.

— Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
Solano also arranged for 30 Jackson patients to go to the 14-bed Dulce Hogar ALF on Northwest 26th Avenue between 2016 and the end of 2023.

— Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of arranged

Verb

At Hansen’s trial in 2009, prosecutors argued that the pair had plotted to kill MacNeil, 63, for money.

— Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
The singer, who was born in South Korea but moved to Maryland as a child, still has loads of new looks plotted, of course, as she is set to release new music of her own—with more details to be announced soon.

— Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of plotted

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finesse

finessed

finesses

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“Finessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finessed. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of finessed

verb

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