Fine — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb noun verb /ˈfīn/ (adjective) /ˈfē-(ˌ)nā/ (noun)

Meaning & Definition of Fine

Fine (adjective)

  1. all right
  2. well or healthy, not sick or injured
  3. superior in kind, quality, or appearance, excellent

Fine (adverb)

  1. finely
  2. very well
  3. all right —used interjectionally especially to show acceptance or approval

Fine (noun)

  1. a sum imposed as punishment for an offense
  2. a forfeiture or penalty paid to an injured party in a civil action
  3. a compromise of a fictitious suit used as a form of conveyance of lands
  4. end —used as a direction in music to mark the closing point after a repeat

Fine (verb)

  1. to impose a fine on, punish by a fine
  2. purify, clarify
  3. to make finer in quality or size
  4. to become pure or clear

Fine (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. consisting of very small particles

    "the fine sand found on the island's beaches"

    similar: dusty, floury, powdery
    related: smooth, filtered, pulverized, refined, superfine, ultrafine
    opposite: coarse, grainy, granular, granulated
    near: rough, unfiltered, unrefined, gravelly, gritty, sandy, pebbly, rocky, stony, lumpy, mealy

  2. made or done with extreme care and accuracy

    "the fine distinction between bravery and recklessness"

    similar: delicate, exact, finespun, hairline, hairsplitting, minute, nice, nuanced, refined, subtle
    related: nitpicking, quibbling, frivolous, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, negligible, petty, piddling, trifling, trivial, demanding, exacting, fastidious, finical, finicking, finicky, fussy, meticulous, particular, picky
    opposite: coarse, inexact, rough
    near: apparent, clear, clear-cut, evident, manifest, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, perspicuous, plain, transparent, unambiguous, unequivocal, unmistakable, broad, indefinite, careless, heedless, incautious, slapdash, slipshod, sloppy

  3. being of less than usual width

    "use a fine line for the outline of the facial features you intend to carve into the pumpkin"

    similar: hairline, narrow, needlelike, paper-thin, skinny, slender, slim, slim-jim, thin, ultrathin
    related: attenuate, attenuated, elongate, linear, bottleneck, close, compressed, condensed, constricted, contracted, squeezed, tight, tightened, lanky, rangy, reedy, shoestring, spindly, stalky, stringy, twiggy, willowy, wispy, lank, spare
    opposite: broad, fat, wide
    near: chunky, squat, stocky, stumpy, thick, thickset, bulky, massive, voluminous, thickish, widish

  4. being to one's liking

    "that arrangement is fine with me"

    similar: agreeable, all right, alright, copacetic, ducky, good, hunky-dory, jake (slang), OK, palatable, satisfactory
    related: delectable, delicious, delightful, dreamy, felicitous, gratifying, nice, pleasant, pleasing, scrumptious, welcome, acceptable, adequate, decent, passable, tolerable
    opposite: disagreeable, unsatisfactory
    near: bad, deficient, inferior, lousy, poor, punk, substandard, unacceptable, wanting, wretched, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

  5. free from added matter

    "that silver is .9600 fine"

    similar: absolute, neat, plain, pure, purified, refined, straight, unadulterated, unalloyed, undiluted, unmixed
    related: clarified, filtered, clean, fresh, taintless, uncontaminated, uncorrupted, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, rendered, tried, concentrated, full-bodied, strong, uncombined
    opposite: adulterated, alloyed, diluted, impure, mixed
    near: befouled, besmirched, contaminated, corrupted, debased, defiled, fouled, polluted, soiled, spoiled, sullied, tainted, unclarified, amalgamated, blended, coalesced, combined, commingled, compounded, incorporated, intermingled, intermixed, merged, mingled, conjoined, fused, joined, linked, united, cheapened, doctored, watered-down

  6. meeting the highest standard of accuracy

    "making the final fine adjustments on the car's GPS"

    similar: accurate, close, delicate, exact, hairline, mathematical, pinpoint, precise, refined, rigorous, spot-on
    related: correct, right, strict, true, definite, definitive, nice, subtle, careful, fastidious, finical, finicky, meticulous
    opposite: coarse, imprecise, inaccurate, inexact, rough
    near: approximate, round, false, incorrect, untrue, wrong, careless, loose, indefinite, unclear, vague, doubtful, dubious, questionable, unreliable, untrustworthy

  7. of a level of quality that meets one's needs or standards

    "the wine steward declared that the complaint of corkiness was unjustified and that the wine was fine"

    similar: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fairish, good, OK, passable, respectable, satisfactory, serviceable, tolerable, up to snuff
    related: agreeable, bearable, endurable, sufferable, average, fair, indifferent, mediocre, middling, minimal, common, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, run-of-the-mine, second-rate, so-so, standard, unexceptional, appropriate, correct, due, fitting, meet, proper, right, seemly, suitable, useful, worthy, gratifying, satisfying
    opposite: deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wanting
    near: disagreeable, disreputable, improper, indecent, objectionable, unfit, unsuitable, unworthy, useless, wrong, bad, cheap, defective, faulty, imperfect, incomplete, lamentable, pitiful, shoddy, dissatisfying, insufficient, meager, mean, miserly, poor, scanty, shabby, short, skimpy, spare, stingy, insufferable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable, atrocious, execrable, miserable, vile, wretched, exceptional, exquisite, extreme, fancy, first-class, high-grade, matchless, maximized, maximum, optimal, optimum, peerless, preeminent, premium, special, supreme, unmatched, unparalleled, A1, bang-up, banner, boss (slang), capital, classic, crackerjack, dandy, divine, fabulous, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, prime, sensational, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unsurpassed, wonderful

  8. of a size that is less than average

    "read the fine print"

    similar: bantam, diminutive, dinky, dwarfish, half-pint, Lilliputian, little, pint-size, pocket, pocket-size, puny, pygmy, shrimpy, slight, small, smallish, subnormal, toylike, undersized
    related: dwarf, toy, runtish, runty, scrubby, stunted, bitty, inappreciable, infinitesimal, little bitty, micro, microscopic, mini, miniature, miniaturized, minikin, minim, minuscule, minute, pinpoint, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee, weeny, meager, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, wanting, bite-size, capsule
    opposite: big, biggish, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome, husky, king-size, large, largish, outsize, overscale, oversize, sizable, substantial, tidy, whacking, whopping
    near: bulky, hefty, hulking, massive, voluminous, boxcar, Brobdingnagian, Bunyanesque, cavernous, colossal, cyclopean, elephantine, enormous, galactic, gargantuan, giant, gigantic, gross, Himalayan, herculean, heroic, huge, humongous, immense, jumbo, leviathan, mammoth, monolithic, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, pharaonic, prodigious, staggering, stupendous, titanic, tremendous, vast, abundant, ample, appreciable, bountiful, copious, generous, healthy, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, fat, thick, broad, wide, boundless, cosmic, immeasurable, incalculable, infinite, adequate, enough, sufficient

  9. of the very best kind

    "a fine performance of a classic ballet"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

  10. having qualities that appeal to a refined taste

    "savored every morsel of the restaurant's fine cuisine"

    similar: choice, dainty, delicate, elegant, exquisite, rare, recherché, select
    related: bijou, jewellike, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, special, elite, exclusive, classic, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, marvelous, noble, outstanding, par excellence, premium, prime, sensational, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, transcendent, unsurpassed, wonderful, ultrarare
    near: coarse, gross, kitsch, kitschy, lowbrow, raffish, rough, rough-hewn, tasteless, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar, commercial, mass-produced, popular, common, ordinary, average, lesser, mediocre, run-of-the-mill, run-of-the-mine, second-class, second-rate, deficient, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wanting

  11. able to sense slight impressions or differences

    "hearing so fine that it can seemingly hear the tiniest twig snap"

    similar: acute, delicate, keen, perceptive, quick, sensitive, sharp
    related: accurate, clear, discerning, good, piercing, precise, receptive, sensible, subtle, hair-trigger, hyperacute, hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive
    near: bad, deadened, dimmed, dull, dulled, fading, dead, imperceptive, insensible, insensitive, numb, imprecise, inaccurate

  12. having or showing elegance

    "a fine old structure in the city's historic district"

    similar: classy, courtly, elegant, graceful, handsome, majestic, refined, stately, tasteful
    related: august, baronial, gallant, glorious, grand, heroic, imposing, lavish, luxurious, magnificent, monumental, noble, ornate, proud, regal, rich, royal, splendid, superb, artful, genteel, polished, sophisticated, classic, conservative, exquisite, quiet, restrained, simple, understated, aristocratic, patrician, à la mode, chic, fashionable, in, modish, posh, sharp, sleek, smart, snappy, stylish, swagger, swank, affected, grandiose, ostentatious, pretentious, recherché
    opposite: dowdy, graceless, inelegant, styleless, tasteless, unfashionable, unhandsome, unstylish
    near: cheesy, coarse, crude, flamboyant, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, grotesque, loud, raffish, splashy, tacky, tawdry, ticky-tacky, rough-edged, rough-hewn, rude, trashy, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar

Fine (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a sum of money to be paid as a punishment

    "a $50 fine for speeding"

    similar: damages, forfeit, forfeiture, mulct, penalty
    related: reparations, assessment, award, compensation, indemnity

Fine (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to establish or apply as a charge or penalty

    "the police will fine you for driving with one headlight out"

    similar: assess, charge, exact, impose, lay, levy, put
    related: dock, excise, mulct, penalize, tax, extort, shake down, wrest, wring, bleed, fleece, gouge, milk, skin, squeeze, coerce, compel, force, inflict, wreak, set, reapply, reimpose, relay
    opposite: remit
    near: abate, diminish, lessen, forgive, release, condone, disregard, excuse, gloss (over), gloze (over), ignore, pardon

  2. to remove usually visible impurities from

    "the use of egg shells to fine wine"

    similar: clarify, clear, distill, filter, garble, purify
    related: process, rectify, refine, clean, cleanse, decontaminate, elutriate, purge, wash, extract, leach, bolt, screen, sieve, sift, disinfect, sanitize
    near: cloud, dull, muddy, contaminate, dirty, soil, defile, pollute, taint, begrime, besmirch, foul, sully

Fine (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. in a satisfactory way

    "you did just fine on the stress test"

    similar: acceptably, adequately, all right, alright, creditably, decently, good, middlingly, nicely, OK, passably, respectably, satisfactorily, serviceably, so-so, sufficiently, tolerably, well
    related: appropriately, aptly, congruously, correctly, decorously, felicitously, fittingly, happily, meetly, rightly, seemly, suitably, gratifyingly, satisfyingly, effectively, effectually, efficiently, neatly, tidily
    opposite: bad, badly, deficiently, ill, inadequately, insufficiently, intolerably, poorly, unacceptably, unsatisfactorily
    near: unbearably, inappropriately, incorrectly, indecently, unsuitably, awfully, deplorably, disastrously, dreadfully, horrendously, horribly, horridly, miserably, terribly

Related Entry: Fine-tune (verb)

Fine-tune is a different word from Fine. The synonyms below are for fine-tune, not for fine.

  1. to make small changes to (something) in order to improve the way it works or to make it exactly right

    "fine-tune a TV set"

    "fine-tune the temperature of the room"

    "They're fine-tuning interest rates to achieve economic growth without inflation."

    similar: fiddle (with), phase, register, regulate, rig, acclimate, acclimatize, accommodate, adapt, adjust, condition, conform, doctor, edit, fashion, fit, put, shape, suit, tailor, readapt, readjust, customize, gear, match, model, pattern, attune, correct, harmonize, square, tune, establish, root, settle, acquaint, familiarize, orient, orientate, equip, prepare, prime, rehearse, harden, inure, season, toughen, alter, convert, make over, modify, recast, reclaim, recycle, redesign, redevelop, redo, reengineer, refashion, refigure, refit, refocus, reinvent, rejigger, remake, remodel, revamp, revise, rework, transform, accustom, habilitate, habituate, naturalize, ready, bend
    opposite: misadjust

Related Entry: Fine-tuned (verb)

Fine-tuned is a different word from Fine. The synonyms below are for fine-tuned, not for fine.

  1. to make small changes to (something) in order to improve the way it works or to make it exactly right

    "fine-tune a TV set"

    "fine-tune the temperature of the room"

    "They're fine-tuning interest rates to achieve economic growth without inflation."

    similar: fiddled (with), phased, registered, regulated, rigged, acclimated, acclimatized, accommodated, adapted, adjusted, conditioned, conformed, doctored, edited, fashioned, fitted, put, shaped, suited, tailored, readapted, readjusted, customized, geared, matched, modeled, patterned, attuned, corrected, harmonized, squared, tuned, established, rooted, settled, acquainted, familiarized, orientated, oriented, equipped, prepared, primed, rehearsed, hardened, inured, seasoned, toughened, altered, converted, made over, modified, recast, reclaimed, recycled, redesigned, redeveloped, redid, reengineered, refashioned, refigured, refitted, refocused, reinvented, rejiggered, remade, remodeled, revamped, revised, reworked, transformed, accustomed, habilitated, habituated, naturalized, readied, bent
    opposite: misadjusted

Related Entry: Fine-tunes (verb)

Fine-tunes is a different word from Fine. The synonyms below are for fine-tunes, not for fine.

  1. to make small changes to (something) in order to improve the way it works or to make it exactly right

    "fine-tune a TV set"

    "fine-tune the temperature of the room"

    "They're fine-tuning interest rates to achieve economic growth without inflation."

    similar: fiddles (with), phases, registers, regulates, rigs, acclimates, acclimatizes, accommodates, adapts, adjusts, conditions, conforms, doctors, edits, fashions, fits, puts, shapes, suits, tailors, readapts, readjusts, customizes, gears, matches, models, patterns, attunes, corrects, harmonizes, squares, tunes, establishes, roots, settles, acquaints, familiarizes, orientates, orients, equips, prepares, primes, rehearses, hardens, inures, seasons, toughens, alters, converts, makes over, modifies, recasts, reclaims, recycles, redesigns, redevelops, redoes, reengineers, refashions, refigures, refits, refocuses, reinvents, rejiggers, remakes, remodels, revamps, revises, reworks, transforms, accustoms, habilitates, habituates, naturalizes, readies, bends
    opposite: misadjusts

Related Entry: Fine-tuning (verb)

Fine-tuning is a different word from Fine. The synonyms below are for fine-tuning, not for fine.

  1. to make small changes to (something) in order to improve the way it works or to make it exactly right

    "fine-tune a TV set"

    "fine-tune the temperature of the room"

    "They're fine-tuning interest rates to achieve economic growth without inflation."

    similar: fiddling (with), phasing, registering, regulating, rigging, acclimating, acclimatizing, accommodating, adapting, adjusting, conditioning, conforming, doctoring, editing, fashioning, fitting, putting, shaping, suiting, tailoring, readapting, readjusting, customizing, gearing, matching, modeling, patterning, attuning, correcting, harmonizing, squaring, tuning, establishing, rooting, settling, acquainting, familiarizing, orientating, orienting, equipping, preparing, priming, rehearsing, hardening, inuring, seasoning, toughening, altering, converting, making over, modifying, recasting, reclaiming, recycling, redesigning, redeveloping, redoing, reengineering, refashioning, refiguring, refitting, refocusing, reinventing, rejiggering, remaking, remodeling, revamping, revising, reworking, transforming, accustoming, habilitating, habituating, naturalizing, readying, bending
    opposite: misadjusting

Related Entry: In fine fettle (phrase)

In fine fettle is a different word from Fine. The synonyms below are for in fine fettle, not for fine.

  1. enjoying health and vigor

    "Her doctor told her she was in fine fettle and had nothing to worry about."

    similar: able-bodied, bouncing, fit, hale, healthy, hearty, robust, sound, well, well-conditioned, whole, wholesome, in shape, in the pink
    related: hard, hardy, iron, lusty, rugged, stalwart, strong, sturdy, tough, ambulatory, nondisabled, uncrippled, active, agile, chipper, lively, sprightful, sprightly, spry, vigorous, vital, blooming, clean-cut, flourishing, flush, prospering, thriving, all right, good, right
    opposite: ailing, diseased, ill, sick, unfit, unhealthy, unsound, unwell
    near: decrepit, enfeebled, feeble, infirm, run-down, sickened, sickly, weak, weakened, weakly, worn-out, debilitated, differently abled, disabled, incapacitated, delicate, fragile, frail, emaciated, gaunt, haggard, malnourished, undernourished, afflicted, troubled, bad, poorly

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Fine

The most common words with a similar meaning to Fine:

Slang: jake, boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous, gone, hype, out-of-sight, phat, primo, radical
Chiefly British: bonny, topping, wizard
dusty, floury, powdery, delicate, exact, finespun, hairline, hairsplitting, minute, nice, nuanced, refined, subtle, narrow, needlelike, paper-thin, skinny, slender, slim, slim-jim, thin, ultrathin, agreeable, all right, alright, copacetic, ducky, good, hunky-dory, OK, palatable, satisfactory, absolute, neat, plain, pure, purified, straight, unadulterated, unalloyed

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Fine

Words with the opposite meaning of Fine:

coarse, grainy, granular, granulated, inexact, rough, broad, fat, wide, disagreeable, unsatisfactory, adulterated, alloyed, diluted, impure, mixed, imprecise, inaccurate, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, unacceptable, wanting, big, biggish, considerable, goodly, grand, great

Related Words for Fine

smooth, filtered, pulverized, superfine, ultrafine, nitpicking, quibbling, frivolous, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, negligible, petty, piddling, trifling, trivial, demanding, exacting, fastidious, finical, finicking, finicky, fussy, meticulous, particular, picky, attenuate, attenuated, elongate, linear

Near Antonyms of Fine

unfiltered, unrefined, gravelly, gritty, sandy, pebbly, rocky, stony, lumpy, mealy, apparent, clear, clear-cut, evident, manifest, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, perspicuous, plain, transparent, unambiguous, unequivocal, unmistakable, indefinite, careless, heedless, incautious, slapdash

Word Forms of Fine

Inflections: finer, finest, fined, fining

Derived words: fineness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Fine

Middle English fin, fyne "of choice quality, superior, admirable, free from impurity, delicate," borrowed from Anglo-French fin, going back to Gallo-Romance *fīnus "extreme, ultimate," adjective derivative of Latin fīnis "boundary, limit, ending" final:1

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Fine

Words & Phrases Containing Fine

fine art, fine print, fine structure, fine-tooth comb

Frequently Asked Questions about Fine

What does "Fine" mean?

"Fine" means all right. As an an adjective, an adverb, a noun and a verb, it is defined as: all right. It has 16 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Fine"?

Other words for "Fine" include dusty, floury, powdery, delicate, exact, finespun, hairline and hairsplitting. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Fine" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Fine"?

There are 499 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Fine". Common alternatives include dusty, floury, powdery, delicate, exact, finespun, hairline, hairsplitting, minute and nice.

What is a slang word for "Fine"?

Slang words for "Fine" include jake, boss, cool, dope, down and fantabulous.

What is the opposite of "Fine"?

Antonyms of "Fine" include coarse, grainy, granular, granulated, inexact, rough, broad and fat. Near antonyms include unfiltered, unrefined, gravelly and gritty.

How do you use "Fine" in a sentence?

Examples of "Fine" in a sentence: "the fine sand found on the island's beaches"; "the fine distinction between bravery and recklessness"; "use a fine line for the outline of the facial features you intend to carve into the pumpkin".

Is "Fine" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Fine" can be used as an adjective, an adverb, a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Fine" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Fine" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.