finesse

CEFRC1

/fɪˈnɛs/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    Skillful handling of a difficult situation.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    An adroit maneuver.

Examples

  • He did it with the finesse we've come to expect from Tom.

  • His style involves brute force, not finesse.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
3

Also pronounced

  • /fɨ-/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill.

  2. Skill in the handling or manipulation of a situation.

  3. A skill in the handling or manipulation of a situation.

More examples

In context

  • It could have been executed with more finesse.

  • The Treaty of Madrid called into action the diplomatic finesse, or rather the low cunning of the English cabinet.

  • The founders deliberately finessed other issues concerning religion and the relationship between church and state to ensure the ratification of the Constitution.

Synonyms

Quick test

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Question 1 · Quick check

The diplomat handled the tense negotiation with great blank, avoiding a major political conflict.

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Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English finesse (“a degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity”), from Middle French finesse, Old French finesse (“a fineness; a delicacy; slenderness”), from fine, fin (“fine, thin”) (from Latin fīnis (“an end”); compare Middle English fīn (“of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin”)) + -esse (suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something). The verb is derived from the noun.