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tactful

[takt-fuh l]
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adjective
  1. having or manifesting tact: a tactful person; a tactful reply.
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Origin of tactful

First recorded in 1860–65; tact + -ful
Related formstact·ful·ly, adverbtact·ful·ness, nounun·tact·ful, adjectiveun·tact·ful·ly, adverb

Synonym study

See diplomatic.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for tactfulness

control, amenity, adroitness, diplomacy, intelligence, sensitivity, repose, skill, aptness, urbanity, discrimination, presence, acumen, discretion, policy, subtlety, head, perception, savoir-faire, suavity

Examples from the Web for tactfulness

Historical Examples of tactfulness

  • "Yes," I said, grateful for the screen's tactfulness, unintentional or not.

    The Night of the Long Knives

    Fritz Reuter Leiber

  • Would they end by proving her destruction, notwithstanding all her tactfulness?

    The Hidden Force

    Louis Couperus

  • My father's tactfulness toward us amounted almost to timidity.

  • The two girls showed their appreciation for his tactfulness in different ways.

  • They are heathen; but if the religious would enter there with love and tactfulness they would teach them.

Word Origin and History for tactfulness

tactful

adj.

1864, from tact + -ful. Related: Tactfully; tactfulness.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper