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fine

fine

197 5.3
Very small, exact, and delicate in a way that is hard to notice
  • adjective
  • /faɪn/
: sutil
  • Handwriting letters with correct formation requires careful coordination between fine motor movements and vision.
  • a fine line
  • fine-tuning
  • fine details

Oh my gosh, you can make just fine, fine strokes.

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Examples

  • He gave a fine explanation of the complex topic, breaking it down into clear, understandable parts.

  • The artist paid attention to every fine detail in her painting, ensuring that each stroke was precise.

  • These were fine details here, fine details.

  • And this is for just some fine detail.

  • Not to put too fine a point on it, yes, you did.

  • This is a very fine tip that we're working with.

  • The two sides are negotiating the fine points of the future customs union.

    Academic text (1994)
  • And you will make it so because you are a superb researcher, and a fine writer.

  • Overall, this middle approach draws a very fine line between facts and opinions.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Tim is practicing his fine-motor skills during a writing lesson in the general education classroom.

    Academic text (2013)

Synonyms

nice
vsfine
633 5.6

Being made carefully with skill to show small details

highlights subtle detail or delicate meaning beyond mere skilled action
crisp
vsfine
17 4.1

Short and clear with no extra words

focuses on subtle, delicate detail rather than short clear expression

Antonyms

144 1.0

Not smooth and often harsh in sound

99 1.0

An object with a dull edge or tip that does not cut well

Idioms

Look through something very carefully to find small mistakes

To do something very well after a lot of practice

1 9.9

Very small, delicate, and of excellent quality

A phrase said to show something would be nice but is very unlikely to happen

Nice clothes make a person look more impressive

Looks very smart and attractive

Very wet, rainy weather that ducks like

Compounds

62 5.1

A small difference that is hard to see between similar things

39 4.4

Small printed text in a contract that tells important rules or extra costs

35 3.2

A kind of work that shows beauty and ideas, like painting or sculpture

22 4.1

Things people make mainly to be beautiful and admired, like paintings or sculptures

21 2.0

Having an attractive appearance

21 3.5

A high-quality drink made from grapes that often improves with age

17 3.9

A special, fancy meal at a high quality restaurant

fine thing
  • Informal
10 7.2

Something very good or lucky that you doubt will happen

fine-tooth comb
  • Informal
8 4.3

A careful search that finds small mistakes or details

3 5.0

With many very small teeth close together, like a comb or saw

3 4.1

A very careful check of something to find small errors

2 3.9

A very good strong drink made from grain and aged in wooden barrels

2 3.7

An amount of money a person or company must pay as punishment for breaking a law

A university degree for artists, writers and performers after a first degree

1 6.5

A pet bird often kept and loved like a parrot

1 3.1

Tiny drops of liquid that float in the air

1 2.3

A small amount of money you pay when you return library books late

Taking pictures as art to show the artist's personal vision

Doctor of Fine Arts
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A special degree that a university gives to people for work in the fine arts

fine structure
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A group of very close lines in the light from an atom that show small energy differences

A comb with very close teeth used to remove lice from hair

A small tool with very close teeth used to remove lice or untangle hair

A careful look at small parts to find tiny differences

A surface made of very small, closely packed grains that feels smooth

Pictures taken with a camera to show an artist's personal vision, not for news or sale

A garden tool with many close teeth for gathering leaves and small debris

A low shrub with thin leaves and purple-red flowers that grows on open, poor soil

A careful, detailed check of a document or record to find small errors

A nickname for Norwich in England for its beautiful old buildings and lively arts

9.9

A climbing small bush from the southeastern United States with large red-purple bell-shaped flowers

How Subtle

exquisite
101 5.5
fine
197 5.3
subtle
339 6.0
plain
335 1.0
crude
56 4.6

Surface Forms

fine positive
finer comparative
finest superlative

Etymology

Fine meaning 'precise' or 'delicate' grew from the idea of something very small or exact, like a 'fine' line, so a fine distinction is a very small, careful difference.