tactless
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tactless
Explanation
To be tactless is to either be rude (without manners) or inept (without finesse). Either way, it's awkward. Since people with tact are polite and respectful, tactless people are the opposite: rude and ill-mannered. Interrupting is tactless. Wearing a baseball hat in church is tactless. Not holding the door for someone is tactless. This word has to do with other graces besides social graces too. Being clumsy or lacking in judgment can also be called tactless, and an employee who constantly botches his job and never understands why is also tactless.
Vocabulary lists containing tactless
Common Senses: Tact, Tang ("Touch")
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The Diary of a Young Girl
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A Doll's House
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There is, of course, a place for that, too, especially in a film that is a partial send-up of tactless slasher movie tropes.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
In 2016’s The Mandibles, she created a character whom she described as a “pure piss-take” of herself: belligerent, tactless, a maniacal exerciser–the Ur-Boomer, utterly self-absorbed and an unalloyed financial disaster for society.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026
On Wednesday evening, Jones told ITV's Peston programme: "I'm sorry about it. It was tactless and it wasn't well considered", adding "I apologise if I've offended people."
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2025
“I know it’s tradition to be happy on Purim, but this year I think it’s tactless to do these carnivals,” said David Heyd.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
Müller is rather crude and tactless, otherwise he would hold his tongue, for anybody can see that Kemmerich will never come out of this place again.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
