If you do something with finesse, you do it with great skill and style.
...handling momentous diplomatic challenges with tact and finesse.
Synonyms: diplomacy, discretion, subtlety, delicacy More Synonyms of finesse
More Synonyms of finesse
finesse in British English
(fɪˈnɛs)
noun
1.
elegant skill in style or performance
2.
subtlety and tact in handling difficult situations
3. bridge, whist
an attempt to win a trick when opponents hold a high card in the suit led by playing a lower card, hoping the opponent who has already played holds the missing card
4.
a trick, artifice, or strategy
verb
5.
to manage or bring about with finesse
6.
to play (a card) as a finesse
Word origin
C15: from Old French, from fin fine, delicate; see fine1
finesse in American English
(fəˈnɛs)
noun
1.
adroitness and delicacy of performance
2.
the ability to handle delicate and difficult situations skillfully and diplomatically
3.
cunning; skill; artfulness; craft
4. Bridge
an attempt to take a trick with a lower card while holding a higher card not in sequence with it, made in the hope that the intervening card is in the hand of the opponent who has already played
verb transitiveWord forms: fiˈnessed or fiˈnessing
5.
to manage, bring about, or deal with by finesse
sometimes with into
6.
to evade or bypass (a problem, issue, etc.)
7. Bridge
a.
to make a finesse with (a specified card)
b.
to play a card lower than (the specified intervening card) in making a finesse
verb intransitive
8.
to use or make a finesse
Word origin
Fr < OFr fin, fine1
Examples of 'finesse' in a sentence
finesse
If it loses you are going to need the club finesse and one ruff in the dummy.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
When is the earliest you can take a finesse?
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Declarer played with the odds to take the club finesse but missed an extra chance.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Declarer won in hand and saw no alternative for his 13th trick to the heart finesse.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Q for a ruffing finesse, planning to discard?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A8 finesse position over East's ten.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
At trick ten, declarer led his singleton club and finessed dummy 's ten.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
With 12 top tricks, declarer hoped to set up a long club to avoid having to take the heart finesse.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You now need to cross to dummy to finesse?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Take a deep breath and finesse the ten.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The whole ballet is made with great finesse.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Partly it was the delightful imagination and finesse of his tricks.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
She crossed back to hand and took another ruffing club finesse and now had enough tricks.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Perhaps your social skills lack finesse.
The Sun (2016)
But skill and finesse and touch?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
There's no finesse about this one.
The Sun (2014)
Here, the favourable heart layout will see the finesse win.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
You next lead low to the nine to set up the finesse position against East.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
So, at trick one she finessed in clubs.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
A finesse is an attempt to promote a card when the opponents have a higher card.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
A finesse is an attempt to promote a card when the opponents have a higher card inthat suit.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It reduces subtlety and finesse.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
AJ finesse position in case South held?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A finesse is an attempt to win a trick with a card, when the opponents have a highercard.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
All he needed was a political education; tutoring in the use of protocol, political finesse and style.
Martin Allen THE HITLER-HESS DECEPTION (2003)
This week's featured deal is not so much about avoiding a finesse altogether; rather about into which opponent to finesse.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Word lists with
finesse
terms used in bridge
In other languages
finesse
British English: finesse NOUN
If you do something with finesse, you do it with great skill and style.
...handling momentous diplomatic challenges with tact and finesse.
American English: finesse
Brazilian Portuguese: sutileza
Chinese: 策略
European Spanish: sutileza
French: finesse
German: Geschick
Italian: finezza
Japanese: 技巧
Korean: 능숙한
European Portuguese: subtileza
Latin American Spanish: sutileza
1 (noun)
Definition
elegant and delicate skill
Synonyms
skill
The cut of a diamond depends on the skill of its craftsman.
style
She has not lost her grace and style.
know-how (informal)
He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm.
polish
She was enormously popular for her charm and polish.
craft
Lilyanne learned her craft of cooking from her grandmother.
sophistication
They now have the sophistication attained by performing in public.
cleverness
quickness
adroitness
He governed with an adroitness that earned him the nickname `old fox'.
adeptness
2 (noun)
Definition
subtlety and tact in handling difficult situations
handling diplomatic challenges with finesse
Synonyms
diplomacy
It took all his powers of diplomacy to get them to work together.
discretion
This task requires the utmost discretion.
subtlety
They had obviously been hoping to approach the topic with more subtlety.
delicacy
He's shown considerable delicacy and tact.
tact
Her tact and intuition never failed.
savoir-faire
a certain savoir-faire that comes from living with the best
artfulness
adeptness
3 (noun)
Declarer was planning to take a finesse in spades.
Synonyms
stratagem
a competitive stratagem to secure customer loyalty
trick
That was a really mean trick.
manoeuvre
manoeuvres to block the electoral process
bluff
The letter was a bluff.
ruse
This was a ruse to divide them.
artifice
the artifice and illusion of sleight-of-hand card tricks
feint
a tiny feint or lunge to one side
wile
His wit and wile has made him one of the sharpest politicians in the Cabinet.
(verb)
a typical politician trying to finesse a sticky situation
Synonyms
manoeuvre
We attempted to manoeuvre the canoe closer to him.
steer
manipulate
He's a very difficult character. He manipulates people.
She was unable, for once, to manipulate events.
bluff
Additional synonyms
in the sense of adeptness
Synonyms
skill,
ability,
facility,
expertise,
mastery,
knack,
aptitude,
proficiency,
dexterity,
deftness,
adroitness,
skilfulness
in the sense of adroitness
He governed with an adroitness that earned him the nickname `old fox'.
Synonyms
skill,
ability,
craft,
expertise,
cunning,
mastery,
knack,
ingenuity,
proficiency,
dexterity,
cleverness,
deftness,
nimbleness,
aptness,
artfulness,
adeptness,
quick-wittedness,
ingeniousness,
masterfulness,
ableness,
skilfulness,
address
in the sense of artifice
Definition
a clever trick
the artifice and illusion of sleight-of-hand card tricks