tact
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.
Origin of tact
1Other words for tact
Words that may be confused with tact
Words Nearby tact
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use tact in a sentence
Even the annual TV upfront model has remained largely in tact.
How the future of TV and streaming has – and hasn’t – been reshaped so far by 2020 | Tim Peterson | September 16, 2020 | DigidayWarnerMedia is taking a different tact in pitching its streaming service than NBCUniversal did when lining up advertisers for its Peacock streamer.
WarnerMedia eyes spring debut for HBO Max’s ad-supported tier | Tim Peterson | September 10, 2020 | DigidayHowever, the broad outline of the traditional upfront model remains in tact.
‘There wasn’t a huge shift’: TV upfront market did not undergo expected overhaul this year | Tim Peterson | September 9, 2020 | DigidayWith the chilly, 50-degree water discharging from Glen Canyon Dam and temperatures soaring over 100 degrees most days, it took considerable tact to regulate between such extremes.
The Gear You Need to Bring on a 225-Mile River Trip | Mitch Breton | September 6, 2020 | Outside OnlineSo long as Quibi can continue churning out shows, so long as it is able to learn what does and does not work and change tact accordingly, Quibi has a shot.
‘They got the memo’: Quibi changes tone, tact after failed debut | Tim Peterson | August 12, 2020 | Digiday
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 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was foolish and thoughtless of me to say this, but you know how little tact the average painter has.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show | Robert W. Chambers | February 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe 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 | THE DAILY BEASTUnions take a different tact, said Nadya Stevens, an organizer for CWA Local 1180.
The 27-year-old will need to display a level of tact and diplomacy with which he has not previously ever been associated.
Under his rough exterior Soult hid great powers of business, a keen perspicacity, and much tact.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonIt made him feel important and he appreciated the tact that made it almost seem as though he had been expected.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon BlackwoodIf he had ever prided himself upon his tact, he was aware that to-day it would be a most miserable failure.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline | Jennie M. DrinkwaterAs railway secretary of the Board of Trade he was particularly distinguished for tact, strength and moderation.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowThe imperial army had to be disbanded—a most unpopular and thankless task, requiring both tact and firmness.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
British Dictionary definitions for tact
/ (tækt) /
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
Origin of tact
1Derived forms of tact
- tactful, adjective
- tactfully, adverb
- tactfulness, noun
- tactless, adjective
- tactlessly, adverb
- tactlessness, noun
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
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