Finely and finally are confusables. We will examine the different meanings of the confusables finely and finally, the word origins of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences.
Finely is an adverb that may describe doing something in an excellent or exquisite manner, doing something subtly, or shaping something into small pieces or into a very sharp point. The word finely is derived from the Old French word fin, to mean of the highest quality. The suffix -ly means having the quality or nature of something.
Finally is an adverb that describes something that occurs as the last in a series or occurs at a point in time that comes after a long wait or a long delay. The word finally is derived from the Medieval word, fynaly, which means at the end.
Examples
The finely-educated son of working class immigrants, Dwyer retained a certain blue collar ethic: His writing was honest labor, the sledge and the pickax replaced with a pen. (America Magazine)
Add chopped cilantro, finely diced onion and diced grilled jalapeno and toss to combine. (The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
In a debacle that was by no means as close as the score, they were finally beaten, to paraphrase coach Matt Nagy, for being themselves: a team with a good, sometimes-great defense that can never be perfect enough to carry an offense with all the rhythm of a high school reunion dance floor after the open bar has closed. (The Chicago Sun-Times)
Melania Trump will FINALLY hit the campaign trail for her husband by speaking tomorrow in must-win Pennsylvania with Kellyanne Conway (The Daily Mail)
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