finesse

Meaning

Noun

1. (uncountable) Skill in the handling or manipulation of a situation.
2. (uncountable) The property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill.
3. (countable) An adroit manoeuvre.
4. (countable) In bridge, whist, etc.: a technique which allows one to win a trick, usually by playing a card when it is thought that a card that can beat it is held by another player whose turn is over.

Verb

1. (Canada, US, transitive) To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem.
2. (Canada, US, ambitransitive, transitive) To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem.
3. (Canada, US, slang, transitive) To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or stratagem.
4. (intransitive) To attempt to win a trick by finessing.
5. (transitive) To play (a card) as a finesse.
6. (intransitive, obsolete) To play a ball out of the way of an opponent.

Synonyms

artifice

trick

stratagem

tact

trickery

delicacy

skill

tactics

cunning

artfulness

diplomacy

discreetness

refinement

sophistication

technique

strategy

subtlety

tactful

wile

wiles

wrist

Machiavellism

exility

adeptness

ingenious device

availableness

contrivance

daintiness

deceitfulness

deceive

deception

deftness

elegance

elegancy

evade

expertness

means

ploy

ruse

scheme

Translations

finesse

Finesse

sutileza

incelik

kurnazlık

ustalık

subtilité

impasse

fineza

Raffinesse

hile

Umtriebe

subtilesa

Machiavellismus

Technik

Pronounced as (IPA)

/fɪˈnɛs/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: finesse

Cognate with Middle English: fīn

In summary

From Middle English finesse (“degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity”), from Middle French finesse, Old French finesse (“fineness; delicacy; slenderness”), from fine, fin (“fine, thin”) (from Latin fīnis (“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.