English Explanatory Dictionary

fine

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Senses referring to subjective quality.
  2. Of superior quality.
  3. Impressively bad, inappropriate, or unsatisfactory.
  4. Being acceptable, adequate, passable, or satisfactory.
  5. Good-looking, attractive.
  6. Subtle, delicately balanced or discriminated.
  7. Showy; overdecorated.
  8. Delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; dexterous.
  9. An answer often used to cover an unnecessary explanation, rather to avoid conflict or an argument. Saying "I'm fine" can be used to avoid inquiry when the speaker is not really okay.
  10. Senses referring to objective quality.
  11. Of a particular grade of quality, usually between very good and very fine, and below mint.
  12. Sunny and not raining.
adv
  1. Well, nicely, in a positive, agreeable way.
  2. Finely; elegantly; delicately.
  3. In a manner so that the driven ball strikes the object ball so far to one side as to be barely deflected, the object ball being driven to one side.
intj
  1. Expression of (typically) reluctant or agreement.
  2. Expression of (typically) reluctant acceptance, without further argument or discussion, of another person's viewpoint.
noun
  1. Fine champagne; French brandy.
  2. Something that is fine; fine particles.
verb
  1. To make finer, purer, or cleaner; to purify or clarify.
  2. To become finer, purer, or cleaner.
  3. To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.
  4. To change by fine gradations.
  5. To clarify (wine and beer) by filtration.
  6. To become gradually fine; to diminish; to dwindle (with away, down, or off).
noun
  1. A fee levied as punishment for breaking the law.
  2. Money paid by a tenant on the commencement of a tenancy so that their rent may be small or nominal.
  3. A drink that must be taken during a meal or as part of a drinking game, following an announcement that anyone who has done some (usually outrageous) deed is to be fined; similar to I have never; commonly associated with swaps; very similar to a sconce at Oxford University, though a fine is the penalty itself rather than the act of issuing it.
verb
  1. To issue a fine as punishment to (someone).
  2. To pay a fine.
noun
  1. The end of a musical composition.
  2. The location in a musical score that indicates the end of the piece, particularly when the piece ends somewhere in the middle of the score due to a section of the music being repeated.
verb
  1. To finish; to cease.
  2. To cause to cease; to stop.
noun
  1. End; conclusion; termination; extinction.
  2. A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal.
  3. A sum of money or price paid for obtaining a benefit, favor, or privilege, as for admission to a copyhold, or for obtaining or renewing a lease.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/ˈfaɪ̯n/ en-us-fine.ogg /ˈfaːn/ /ˈfɑɪ̯n/ en-au-fine.ogg /faɪn/ fē'nā /ˈfiːneɪ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-fine3.wav

Word forms

fine finer finest more fine most fine fines fining fined

Etymology

From Middle English fin, fyn, from Old French fin (“fine, minute, exact”), of obscure origin, but probably derived from Latin fīnīre (“to finish”) or fīnis (“boundary, limit, end”), with an abstract sense of fine or thin also arising in many Romance languages (compare Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish fino). Doublet of fino.

Synonyms

good excellent hell of a all right ok o.k. okay hunky-dory kosher fine-grained powdered powdery pulverised pulverized small-grained fine-threaded alright very well clarify refine purify amercement amerce

Antonyms

coarse

Related words

filing final finite finings finance

Derived words

age like a fine wine age like fine wine as fine as Dick's hatband chance'd be a fine thing chance would be a fine thing cut it fine day-fine day fine down to a fine art draw it fine every good boy does fine extrafine fine adjustment tool fine and dandy fine and dandy like sour candy fine art fine artist fine arts fine as frog hair fine as frog's hair fine bean fine casual fine chemical fine count fine cut fine dining finedraw finedrawn fine-feathered friend fine feathers make fine birds Fine Flower fine-grained fine herbs fineish fineleaf fine-leaved water dropwort fine leg fineless fine line fine-looking finely fine motor skill fine-needle aspiration fineness fine ounce fine penny fine print finer things fine shyt finesome fine-spoken fine-spun finespun fine structure fine-structure constant fine structure constant fine stuff fine-tooth comb fine toothcomb fine-tooth comb test
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