Elegant vs. Fine — What's the Difference?

Characterized by or exhibiting refined, tasteful beauty of manner, form, or style.

Of superior quality, skill, or appearance

Characterised by or exhibiting elegance.

Excellent in character or ability

Characterised by minimalism and intuitiveness while preserving exactness and precision.

Very small in size, weight, or thickness

Fine; doing well.

Free from impurities.

Very choice, and hence, pleasing to good taste; characterized by grace, propriety, and refinement, and the absence of every thing offensive; exciting admiration and approbation by symmetry, completeness, freedom from blemish, and the like; graceful; tasteful and highly attractive; as, elegant manners; elegant style of composition; an elegant speaker; an elegant structure.

(Metallurgy) Containing pure metal in a specified proportion or amount

Exercising a nice choice; discriminating beauty or sensitive to beauty; as, elegant taste.

Very sharp; keen

Refined and tasteful in appearance or behavior or style;

Thin; slender

Suggesting taste, ease, and wealth

Carefully or delicately made or done

Of seemingly effortless beauty in form or proportion

Consisting of very small particles; not coarse

Refined or imposing in manner or appearance; befitting a royal court;

Marginally different or subtle

Able to make or detect effects of great subtlety or precision; sensitive

Trained to the highest degree of physical efficiency

Characterized by refinement or elegance

Satisfactory; acceptable

Being in a state of satisfactory health; quite well

Used as an intensive

Finely.

(Informal) Very well

To make or become finer, purer, or cleaner.

To require the payment of a fine from; impose a fine on.

A sum of money required to be paid especially to the government as a penalty for an offense.

(Obsolete) An end; a termination.

Senses referring to subjective quality.

Of superior quality.

(ironic) Impressively bad, inappropriate, or unsatisfactory.

(informal) Being acceptable, adequate, passable, or satisfactory.

(informal) Good-looking, attractive.

Subtle, delicately balanced or discriminated.

(obsolete) Showy; overdecorated.

Delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; dexterous.

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.

Senses referring to objective quality.

Of a particular grade of quality, usually between very good and very fine, and below mint.

(of weather) Sunny and not raining.

Consisting of especially minute particulates; made up of particularly small pieces.

Particularly slender; especially thin, narrow, or of small girth.

Made of slender or thin filaments.

Having a (specified) proportion of pure metal in its composition.

(cricket) Behind the batsman and at a small angle to the line between the wickets.

(obsolete) Subtle; thin; tenuous.

Expression of (typically) reluctant or agreement.

Well, nicely, in a positive, agreeable way.

Finely; elegantly; delicately.

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.

Fine champagne; French brandy.

Something that is fine; fine particles.

A fee levied as punishment for breaking the law.

(obsolete) Money paid by a tenant on the commencement of a tenancy so that his or her rent may be small or nominal.

(Cantab slang) 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.

(music) The end of a musical composition.

(music) 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.

(obsolete) End; conclusion; termination; extinction.

(feudal law) A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal.

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.

(transitive) To make finer, purer, or cleaner; to purify or clarify.

(intransitive) To become finer, purer, or cleaner.

To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.

To change by fine gradations.

(transitive) To clarify (wine and beer) by filtration.

To become gradually fine; to diminish; to dwindle (with away, down, or off).

(transitive) To issue a fine as punishment to (someone).

(intransitive) To pay a fine.

To finish; to cease.

To cause to cease; to stop.

Finished; brought to perfection; refined; hence, free from impurity; excellent; superior; elegant; worthy of admiration; accomplished; beautiful.

Aiming at show or effect; loaded with ornament; overdressed or overdecorated; showy.

Nice; delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; skillful; dexterous.

Not coarse, gross, or heavy

Not coarse; comminuted; in small particles; as, fine sand or flour.

Having (such) a proportion of pure metal in its composition; as, coins nine tenths fine.

Used ironically.

To make fine; to refine; to purify, to clarify; as, to fine gold.

To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.; as. to fine the soil.

To change by fine gradations; as (Naut.), to fine down a ship's lines, to diminish her lines gradually.

To impose a pecuniary penalty upon for an offense or breach of law; to set a fine on by judgment of a court; to punish by fine; to mulct; as, the trespassers were fined ten dollars.

To finish; to cease; or to cause to cease.

To become fine (in any one of various senses); as, the ale will fine; the weather fined.

End; conclusion; termination; extinction.

A sum of money paid as the settlement of a claim, or by way of terminating a matter in dispute; especially, a payment of money imposed upon a party as a punishment for an offense; a mulct.

A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal.

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.

Finely; well; elegantly; fully; delicately; mincingly.

In a manner so that the driven ball strikes the object ball so far to one side as to be deflected but little, the object ball being driven to one side.

Money extracted as a penalty

Issue a ticket or a fine to as a penalty;

Superior to the average;

Being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition;

Minutely precise especially in differences in meaning;

Of texture; being small-grained or smooth to the touch or having fine particles;

Being in good health;

Thin in thickness or diameter;

Characterized by elegance or refinement or accomplishment;

; free or impurities; having a high or specified degree of purity;

(of weather) pleasant; not raining, perhaps with the sun shining;

Sentence-initial expression of agreement

In a delicate manner;

In a superior and skilled manner;