finesse
fih-NESS
/fɪˈnes/
Intricate and refined delicacy; to do something in a subtle and delicate manner.
Finesse implies a high level of technical skill and elegance, often used to bypass a problem rather than confronting it head-on.
The story behind the word. Borrowed from French, where 'fin' means 'fine' or 'refined.' It originally referred to the purity of precious metals before evolving to describe refined behavior.
Word relationships
- skill: Skill is general ability; finesse is skill that is particularly elegant or subtle.
- clumsiness: Clumsiness is the total lack of finesse.
Commonly confused with
- finish: Finish is the end; finesse is the style of the execution.
Word family
- fine (adjective): Of high quality.
Collocations
- great finesse
- technical finesse
- finesse a situation
Example sentences
- "She managed the merger with such finesse that both CEOs felt they had won." Describing a skillful negotiation.
- "The pilot finessed the landing despite the heavy crosswinds." A description of a technical maneuver.
Memory hook
Finesse is 'fine-ness.' It is the act of being very fine and precise. Fine-tuned skill.
When not to use
Don't use it for clumsy or blunt actions; it is the opposite of 'brute force.'
Fun facts
- In the card game Bridge, a 'finesse' is a specific technique to win a trick with a lower card.
Also appears in
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