tact

noun

Tact is the act of using gentle language and behaving in a sensitive manner when dealing with potentially controversial issues.

An example of tact is when you gently and politely correct someone's error without embarrassing or angering the person or drawing attention to the error.

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"tact." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/tact>.

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tact. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/tact

tact

Archaic the sense of touch
delicate perception of the right thing to say or do without offending; skill in dealing with people
delicate sensitivity, esp. in aesthetics

Origin of tact

French from Classical Latin tactus, past participle of tangere, to touch from Indo-European base an unverified form tag-, to touch, grasp from source Old English thaccian, to stroke

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"tact." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/tact>.

APA Style

tact. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/tact

tact

noun

Acute sensitivity to what is proper and appropriate in dealing with others, including the ability to speak or act without offending.

Origin of tact

French from Old French sense of touch from Latin tāctus from past participle of tangere to touch ; see tag- in Indo-European roots.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"tact." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/tact>.

APA Style

tact. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/tact

tact

tact address diplomacy savoir-faire

These nouns denote the ability to deal with others with skill, sensitivity, and finesse. Tact implies propriety and the ability to speak or act unoffensively: “He had . . . a tact that would preserve him from flagrant error in any society” (Francis Parkman). Address suggests deftness and grace in social situations: “With the charms of beauty she combined the address of an accomplished intriguer” (Charles Merivale). Diplomacy implies adroit management of difficult situations: Diffusing the confrontation required delicate diplomacy. Savoir-faire involves knowing the right or graceful thing to say or do: The hosts set the shy visitor at ease with their savoir-faire.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"tact." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/tact>.

APA Style

tact. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/tact

Noun

(plural tacts)

The sense of touch; feeling.
(music) The stroke in beating time.
Sensitive mental touch; peculiar skill or faculty; nice perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances.
The ability to deal with embarrassing situations carefully and without doing or saying anything that will annoy or upset other people; careful consideration in dealing with others to avoid giving offense; the ability to say the right thing.
By the use of tact, she was able to calm her jealous husband.
I used tact when I told my fat uncle that his extra weight made him look better.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.