adverb

• 1In a very skilled manner; excellently.

  ‘a finely crafted movie’

  More example sentences

  • ‘a finely proportioned Gothic church’
  • ‘finely tailored suits’
  • ‘The finely proportioned rectangular glass volume that hosts the dance studios seems to pirouette above a lush green lawn.’
  • ‘The buildings have carefully orchestrated material palettes, which are often experimental and always finely crafted.’
  • ‘If his paintings now seem uneven, his finely observed drawings from life are frequently exceptional.’
  • ‘Two rows of sharply delineated feathers are finely executed in low relief with deep, precise incisions marking the details.’
  • ‘They were finely made, rectangular, wooden framed cages.’
  • ‘These are among the most finely made car parts in the industry.’
  • ‘The motor homes resemble finely built small yachts.’
  • ‘The visitor's building is finely constructed of local stone with a copper roof.’
  • ‘Those tubes were so precisely and finely manufactured that they could only have been intended for use in gas centrifuges to enrich uranium.’
  • ‘It is finely composed, displaying his exceptional use of light.’

  1. 1.1In a manner worthy of or eliciting admiration.
     ‘Miss Bingley was dressed very finely’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Unfortunately, across the club, I saw her still deep in conversation with several finely dressed men.’
     • ‘There will be so many other finely dressed young ladies, you really must do something to call attention to yourself.’
     • ‘In Buffalo Bill's, a quartet of finely dressed ladies and gents were taking a rest before the grand parade.’
     • ‘The finely attired strangers who inhabited the canal taverns did not impress his worldly eye as they did the local settlers.’
     • ‘A petite dancer, finely groomed in the best tradition, she brings wit to every part.’
     • ‘The second-story windows each had a decorative flower box, filled with finely groomed yellow tulips.’
     • ‘Few women are prominently placed in the canvas in the midst of a large group of finely suited men.’
     • ‘It was a mass of finely clothed and jeweled individuals starting to chant, "We want our coats!"’
     • ‘Frankly speaking, I do not believe we had ever been so finely arrayed as we were on that march.’
     • ‘The man put on his leggings and dressed up finely, for if one were not dressed up just right, he would suffer a great shame.’

• 2Into very thin or small pieces.

  ‘slice the onions finely’

  More example sentences

  • ‘finely chopped almonds’
  • ‘Sugar-factory lime is very finely ground calcium carbonate used in the production of sugar from beets.’
  • ‘Chisel plowing or disking usually chops residue finely enough for conventional drills to be effective.’
  • ‘These cells are filled with finely powdered glass paste, which is then fused to the metal in a furnace.’
  • ‘Drain the mushrooms, discard the stalks, and mince finely.’
  • ‘Top with crab mixture and serve with finely diced red capsicum.’
  • ‘Cover the seeds with finely crumbled soil to the depth recommended on the seed packet.’
  • ‘There was also a finely cubed potato preparation, which till today we call "picnic-aloo."’
  • ‘She served a smooth white-chocolate ganache scattered with finely crushed coffee beans.’
  • ‘They apply finely pulverized earth compost to fields to be planted, and in some cases where the fields were already planted.’
  • ‘I ordered shredded beef in a black bean sauce with finely sliced leek.’

  1. 2.1With a very sharp point.
     ‘a rod of finely sharpened iron’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Imagine comparing a finely honed sword to the blunt power of a hammer.’
     • ‘The tools are made by the tribals themselves from finely sharpened bamboo.’
     • ‘Other irreplaceable photos had smiling faces drawn in with crayon or finely pointed graphite.’
     • ‘Sharper than the most finely whetted blade, this tooth can slice through an unwary pioneer's fingers in an instant.’
     • ‘For comparison, it sharpens finely enough to cut phone-book paper, but you have to really work at getting a good edge.’
  2. 2.2Made or consisting of small particles or threads.
     ‘the flesh is smooth and finely textured’
     More example sentences

     • ‘finely woven linen’
     • ‘Each of them is painted on a finely grained panel.’
     • ‘She is tall, regal, and dressed in long robes of finely braided black twine.’
     • ‘They come down to the river to see me, all wearing their finely plaited split-bamboo hats, which afford them excellent protection from the sun and rain.’
     • ‘The meshwork of the outer shell appears to be a spongy layer and finely interwoven.’
     • ‘I told him to be certain of the help of 2,000 armed riders whose chiefs would be wearing finely intertwined armor.’
     • ‘Her particular study has been of the finely twined decorative borders known as "taniko," a technique that appears to be unique to the Maori.’
     • ‘The villages here are built from finely textured limestone, which is more frost-resistant than the Cotswold variety.’
     • ‘Most pieces were stuffed with straw or horsehair, then covered with finely woven textiles.’
     • ‘He showed how to use the finely grained slabs for lithography, a technique for printing ink on paper using a flat, greased stone.’
     • ‘There's all kinds of lovely lattice effects in their cotton knitwear as well as finely interwoven ribbons that give an interesting uplift.’
  3. 2.3With delicate or intricate workmanship or structure.
     ‘finely detailed mosaic pictures’
     More example sentences

     • ‘a finely worked tapestry’
     • ‘Lined with finely leveled cement, the niche is floored with river pebbles.’
     • ‘His finely detailed ships sail below luminous skies in compositions of great clarity.’
     • ‘These handmade, finely detailed products will be treasured for years to come.’
     • ‘Although finely, even charmingly, detailed, its overall design is inconsistent.’
     • ‘The finely decorated wooden dragon at the edge of the beam was originally from a temple.’
     • ‘It was finely decorated with meticulous details.’
     • ‘These finely embellished banknotes were once exchangeable for gold at a variable price.’
     • ‘A finely carved hieroglyphic text with the early history of Tikal's royal lineage is on the back.’
     • ‘I saw silver rings, a gold brooch, jeweled knives, and other finely worked objects.’
     • ‘At Cairo and thereabouts was a manufactory of striped silk, in which the Arabic writing, real and finely designed, played a great part.’
  4. 2.4In a subtle or sensitive manner.
     ‘we are trying to judge answers too finely’
     More example sentences

     • ‘the contest for the presidency is finely balanced’
     • ‘they both turn in finely nuanced performances’
     • ‘Despite today's challenges, manufacturers continue to invest in the endless pursuit of finely tuned technological advancement.’
     • ‘The artists are able to abstract from the environment certain finely nuanced impressions that seem to exist barely at the level of consciousness.’
     • ‘By simply turning the eccentric collar holding the laser, the beam's direction is finely adjusted.’
     • ‘Mowing speed can be finely regulated up to four miles per hour.’
     • ‘Their finely attuned ecological sensitivity makes them true heroes in a region dominated by agro-industry.’
     • ‘The pen needs to be used on paper with a pattern of dots, which are so finely pitched that it looks like a continuous tone to the naked eye.’
     • ‘Included are species with finely graded changes in the jaw anatomy.’
     • ‘Its expansive, often elusive syntax was conveyed with finely graduated dynamics, and an inwardness that infused each element with significance.’
     • ‘My considerations on the main issue are finely balanced.’
     • ‘A control sample so finely matched on biological factors may not be representative of women with breast cancer in general.’