fine

[ fahyn ]

/ faɪn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR fine ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, fin·er, fin·est.

of superior or best quality; of high or highest grade: fine wine.

choice, excellent, or admirable: a fine painting.

consisting of minute particles: fine sand; a fine purée.

very thin or slender: fine thread.

keen or sharp, as a tool: Is the knife fine enough to carve well?

delicate in texture; filmy: fine cotton fabric.

delicately fashioned: fine tracery.

highly skilled or accomplished: a fine musician.

trained to the maximum degree, as an athlete.

characterized by or affecting refinement or elegance: a fine lady.

polished or refined: fine manners.

affectedly ornate or elegant: A style so fine repels the average reader.

delicate or subtle: a fine distinction.

bright and clear: a fine day; fine skin.

healthy; well: In spite of his recent illness, he looks fine.

showy or smart; elegant in appearance: a bird of fine plumage.

good-looking or handsome: a fine young man.

(of a precious metal or its alloy) free from impurities or containing a large amount of pure metal: fine gold; Sterling silver is 92.5 percent fine.

adverb

Informal. in an excellent manner; very well: He did fine on the exams. She sings fine.

very small: She writes so fine I can hardly read it.

Billiards, Pool. in such a way that the driven ball barely touches the object ball in passing.

Nautical. as close as possible to the wind: sailing fine.

verb (used without object), fined, fin·ing.

to become fine or finer, as by refining.

to become less, as in size or proportions; reduce; diminish (often followed by down): The plumpness fines down with exercise.

verb (used with object), fined, fin·ing.

to make fine or finer, especially by refining or pulverizing.

to reduce the size or proportions of (often used with down or away): to fine down the heavy features; to fine away superfluous matter in a design.

to clarify (wines or spirits) by filtration.

noun

fines,

Mining. crushed ore sufficiently fine to pass through a given screen.Compare short(def 29e).
Agriculture. the fine bits of corn kernel knocked off during handling of the grain.

Idioms for fine

cut fine, to calculate precisely, especially without allowing for possible error or accident: To finish in ten minutes is to cut it too fine.

Origin of fine

1250–1300; Middle English fin < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin fīnis end, utmost limit, highest point

SYNONYMS FOR fine

1 finished, consummate, perfect; select.

3 powdered, pulverized.

5 acute.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR fine ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR fine

1 inferior.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR fine ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for fine

1. Fine, choice, elegant, exquisite are terms of praise with reference to quality. Fine is a general term: a fine horse, person, book. Choice implies a discriminating selection of the object in question: a choice piece of steak. Elegant suggests a refined and graceful superiority that is generally associated with luxury and a cultivated taste: elegant furnishings. Exquisite suggests an admirable delicacy, finish, or perfection: an exquisite piece of lace.

Words nearby fine

finder's fee, finders keepers, losers weepers, finders, keepers, finding, findlay, fine, fine and dandy, fine art, fine arts, fine bouche, fine champagne

Definition for fine (2 of 4)

fine ²

[ fahyn ]

/ faɪn /

noun

a sum of money imposed as a penalty for an offense or dereliction: a parking fine.

Law. a fee paid by a feudal tenant to the landlord, as on the renewal of tenure.

English Law. (formerly) a conveyance of land through decree of a court, based upon a simulated lawsuit.

Archaic. a penalty of any kind.

verb (used with object), fined, fin·ing.

to subject to a fine or pecuniary penalty; punish by a fine: The judge fined him and released him on parole.

Origin of fine

1150–1200; Middle English fin < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin fīnis end, Medieval Latin: settlement, payment

Definition for fine (3 of 4)

fine ³

[ fee-ney ]

/ ˈfi neɪ /

noun Music.

the end of a repeated section, whether da capo or dal segno.

the end of a composition that comprises several movements.

Origin of fine

1790–1800; < Italian < Latin fīnis end

Definition for fine (4 of 4)

fine ⁴

[ feen ]

/ fin /

noun

ordinary French brandy, usually with no indication of the maker's name or location.

Origin of fine

⁴

1920–25; short for French fine ( champagne) de la maison bar brandy. Cf. Fine Champagne

Example sentences from the Web for fine

Hey, whatever keeps those lecherous freaks from sexually assaulting humans is fine by us.

Zebra Finches, Dolphins, Elephants, and More Animals Under the Influence |Bill Schulz |December 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
That's fine—excellent TV shows are snubbed all the time by these awards organizations.

‘The Comeback’ Finale: Give Lisa Kudrow All of the Awards |Kevin Fallon |December 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The exhibit also includes examples of designers borrowing from fine art, as Yves Saint Laurent did with his Mondrian dress.

The Big Business of Fashion Counterfeits |Lizzie Crocker |December 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
She said, as Hitch recalled, it was fine, but “of course you're going to do something about that shot.”

Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days |David Freeman |December 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

But he's immersing himself, creating the density of felt detail from which fine performances emerge.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days |David Freeman |December 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The manchets and cheese, and fine ale, of Magdalen College are well known.

Nooks and Corners of English Life, Past and Present |John Timbs
She had never owned anything so fine, and certainly it was most becoming.

A Little Girl in Old Washington |Amanda M. Douglas
Some one is so very proper, and such a fine lady, I shouldn't have thought she'd have done things without your knowing.'

Demos |George Gissing
In our National Gallery there are fine specimens of Correggio.

The Old Masters and Their Pictures |Sarah Tytler
"That's just fine, Oscar," commented the scout master, as though pleased at so great a show of forethought in two of his charges.

Camp Fires of the Wolf Patrol |Alan Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for fine (1 of 4)

fine ¹

/ (faɪn) /

adjective

excellent or choice in quality; very good of its kind a fine speech

superior in skill, ability, or accomplishment a fine violinist

(of weather) clear and dry

enjoyable or satisfying a fine time

(postpositive) informal quite well; in satisfactory health I feel fine

satisfactory; acceptable that's fine by me

of delicate composition or careful workmanship fine crystal

(of precious metals) pure or having a high or specified degree of purity fine silver; gold 98 per cent fine

subtle in perception; discriminating a fine eye for antique brasses

abstruse or subtle a fine point in argument

very thin or slender fine hair

very small fine dust; fine print

(of edges, blades, etc) sharp; keen

ornate, showy, or smart

good-looking; handsome a fine young woman

polished, elegant, or refined a fine gentleman

morally upright and commendable a fine man

cricket (of a fielding position) oblique to and behind the wicket fine leg

(prenominal) informal disappointing or terrible a fine mess

adverb

informal quite well; all right that suits me fine

a nonstandard word for finely

billiards snooker (of a stroke on the cue ball) so as to merely brush the object ball

cut it fine to allow little margin of time, space, etc

verb

to make or become finer; refine

(often foll by down or away) to make or become smaller

(tr) to clarify (wine, etc) by adding finings

(tr) billiards snooker to hit (a cue ball) fine

(intr foll by up) Australian and NZ informal (of the weather) to become fine

Word Origin for fine

C13: from Old French fin, from Latin fīnis end, boundary, as in fīnis honōrum the highest degree of honour

British Dictionary definitions for fine (2 of 4)

fine ²

/ (faɪn) /

noun

a certain amount of money exacted as a penalty a parking fine

a payment made by a tenant at the start of his tenancy to reduce his subsequent rent; premium

feudal law a sum of money paid by a man to his lord, esp for the privilege of transferring his land to another

a method of transferring land in England by bringing a fictitious law suit: abolished 1833

in fine

in short; briefly
in conclusion; finally

verb

(tr) to impose a fine on

Word Origin for fine

C12 (in the sense: conclusion, settlement): from Old French fin; see fine 1

British Dictionary definitions for fine (3 of 4)

fine ³

/ (ˈfiːneɪ) /

noun music

the point at which a piece is to end, usually after a da capo or dal segno

an ending or finale

Word Origin for fine

Italian, from Latin fīnis end

British Dictionary definitions for fine (4 of 4)

fine ⁴

/ French (fin) /

noun

brandy of ordinary quality

Word Origin for fine

literally: fine

Idioms and Phrases with fine

fine

In addition to the idioms beginning with fine

fine and dandy
fine art

also see:

come on in (the water's fine)
cut it fine
in fine feather

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

fine

adjective, fin·er, fin·est.

adverb

verb (used without object), fined, fin·ing.

verb (used with object), fined, fin·ing.

noun

Idioms for fine

Origin of fine

SYNONYMS FOR fine

ANTONYMS FOR fine

synonym study for fine

Words nearby fine

Definition for fine (2 of 4)

noun

verb (used with object), fined, fin·ing.

Origin of fine

Definition for fine (3 of 4)

noun Music.

Origin of fine

Definition for fine (4 of 4)

noun

Origin of fine

Words related to fine

Example sentences from the Web for fine

British Dictionary definitions for fine (1 of 4)

adjective

adverb

verb

Word Origin for fine

British Dictionary definitions for fine (2 of 4)

noun

verb

Word Origin for fine

British Dictionary definitions for fine (3 of 4)

noun music

Word Origin for fine

British Dictionary definitions for fine (4 of 4)

noun

Word Origin for fine

Idioms and Phrases with fine