tact

[ takt ]

/ tækt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tact ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a keen sense of what to say or do to avoid giving offense; skill in dealing with difficult or delicate situations.

a keen sense of what is appropriate, tasteful, or aesthetically pleasing; taste; discrimination.

touch or the sense of touch.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of tact

1150–1200; < Latin tāctus sense of touch, equivalent to tag-, variant stem of tangere to touch + -tus suffix of v. action

SYNONYMS FOR tact

1 perception, sensitivity; diplomacy, poise.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tact ON THESAURUS.COM

Can be confusedtack tact track tracttacks tax

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tact

He was no teacher, and he lacked the tact required in getting along with his classes.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor|S. C. Gwynne|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The result has all the passion, tact, and nuance of a street-corner preacher.
Atheist Philosopher Peter Boghossian’s Guide to Converting Believers|Michael Schulson|November 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The 27-year-old will need to display a level of tact and diplomacy with which he has not previously ever been associated.
Can Harry Shed the Playboy Prince Tag?|Tom Sykes|March 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The tapering of certain letters indicates the laudable trait of tact.
For Presidential Hopefuls, the Handwriting Says It All|Sheila Kurtz|January 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST

On the very first episode of that venerable program, Jock Ewing gave his son, J.R., a tart-tongued lesson about tact and subtlety.
Rick Santorum Needs a Miracle|Matt Latimer|June 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
"If you'll leave off trying to set up science in the place of God we'll overlook your lack of tact," he conceded finally.
The Narrow House|Evelyn Scott
It must be, with such genius, tact and experience, all that a weekly periodical can be.
Graham's Magazine Vol XXXII. No. 3. March 1848|Various
In the worst form, this appears as deceit; in the best, as tact.
Practical Suggestions for Mother and Housewife|Marion Mills Miller
Tact might have been mightier than an army and wise measures might have worked wonders.
The History of Sulu|Najeeb M. Saleeby
At any rate, I admired the sergeant's tact and savoir faire.
The Great War As I Saw It|Frederick George Scott

British Dictionary definitions for tact

tact

/ (tækt) /

noun

a sense of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others, so as to avoid giving offence or to win good will; discretion

skill or judgment in handling difficult or delicate situations; diplomacy

Derived Forms

tactful, adjectivetactfully, adverbtactfulness, nountactless, adjective

tactlessly, adverbtactlessness, noun

Word Origin for tact

C17: from Latin tactus a touching, from tangere to touch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tact

tact

1650s, "sense of touch or feeling" (with an isolated instance from c.1200), from Latin tactus "touch, feeling, handling, sense of touch," from root of tangere "to touch" (see tangent). Meaning "sense of "discernment, diplomacy, etc." first recorded 1804, from a sense that developed in French cognate tact.