What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Elegance vs Finesse - What's the difference?

elegance | finesse |

In countable terms the difference between elegance and finesse

is that elegance is a refinement or luxury while finesse is an adroit maneuver.

As nouns the difference between elegance and finesse

is that elegance is grace, refinement, and beauty in movement, appearance, or manners while finesse is the property of having grace, elegance, skill, or balance.

As a verb finesse is

to play (a card) as a finesse (see noun sense above).

elegance

Noun

(en-noun)
  • Grace, refinement, and beauty in movement, appearance, or manners
  • The bride was elegance personified.
  • Restraint and grace of style
  • The simple dress had a quiet elegance .
  • The beauty of an idea characterized by minimalism and intuitiveness while preserving exactness and precision
  • The proof of the theorem had a pleasing elegance .
  • (countable) A refinement or luxury
  • * {{quote-book, year=1852, author=Various, title=Young Americans Abroad, chapter=, edition= citation
  • , passage=As to the comforts and elegances of life, we have enough of them for our good. }}
  • * {{quote-book, year=1881, author=Isaac D'Israeli, title=Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 1, chapter=, edition= citation
  • , passage=At Rome, when Sallust was the fashionable writer, short sentences, uncommon words, and an obscure brevity, were affected as so many elegances . }}
  • * {{quote-book, year=1909, author=E. Phillips Oppenheim, title=The Governors, chapter=10, edition= citation
  • , passage=Phineas Duge

    finesse

    English

    Noun

  • (uncountable) The property of having grace, elegance, skill, or balance.
  • (uncountable) Skill in handling of a situation.
  • (countable) An adroit maneuver.
  • (countable, bridge) A technique which allows one to promote tricks based on a favorable position of one or more cards in the hands of the opponent.
  • Verb

    (finess)
  • (ambitransitive, card games) To play (a card) as a finesse (see noun sense above).
  • To handle or manage carefully or skillfully.
  • To evade.