finely

[ fahyn-lee ]

adverb

1. in a fine manner; excellently; elegantly; delicately; nicely; minutely; subtly.
2. in fine particles or pieces:

   finely chopped onions.

finely

/ ˈfaɪnlɪ /

adverb

1. into small pieces; minutely
2. precisely or subtly
3. splendidly or delicately

Word History and Origins

Origin of finely¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; from Middle English word fineliche; fine ¹, -ly

Example Sentences

Add a very light sprinkling of fresh parsley and a few finely chopped green onions to finish if desired.

From Salon

Matcha is a finely ground powder of green tea leaves, which come from the plant Camellia sinensis.

From Salon

At 63, Griffin’s humor has never been more finely tuned; her timing is sharp, her anecdotes are fresh, and her callbacks are brilliant.

From Salon

I started with the book because I was noticing that, as I was giving talks in Europe, people seemed to have a finely honed sense of what they thought was happening on American college campuses.

From Salon

The monologue was more scattershot and less finely crafted than last year’s and the sketches were less uniformly great, but there was still some strong material.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• beautifully
• cautiously
• deftly
• elegantly
• exquisitely
• gracefully
• lightly
• sensitively
• skillfully
• softly
• subtly
• tactfully