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Definition
the ability or act of saying or handling things in such a way that others feel good about them- She has the tact of a politician or diplomat.
tact = the ability and tendency to say or handle things in such a way that others feel good about them
- She has excellent ideas, but makes enemies because she is tactless.
- She means well, but she lacks tact.
- She's an excellent team captain because of her skill as a player and tact as a teammate.
- Our tactless mother, especially, only made things go from bad to worse.Anne Frank -- The Diary of a Young Girl
- Tact had never been Rosa Hubermann's strong point.Markus Zusak -- The Book Thief
- I realized that this was not a tactful question.Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird
- And what made it worse was that, instead of tactfully ignoring it, Bernard proceeded to make open comments on this revoltingly viviparous scene.Aldous Huxley -- Brave New World
- "I think I may be a little tired of my domain."
"That's because it's a cage," Bob tells me. Bob is not always tactful.Katherine Applegate -- The One and Only Ivan - Miller 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.Erich Maria Remarque -- All Quiet on the Western Front
- Atticus said as tactfully as he could that he just didn't think he could stand a pageant tonight, he was all in.Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Probably it had been tactful to leave Daisy's house, but the act annoyed me, and her next remark made me rigid.F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Great Gatsby
- I told him about Bep and how tactless our mothers are.Anne Frank -- The Diary of a Young Girl
- Mine takes an active interest in my life, but has no tact, sensitivity or motherly understanding.Anne Frank -- The Diary of a Young Girl
- But, because the offer was obviously and tactlessly for a service to be rendered, I had no choice except to cut him off there.F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Great Gatsby
- Nevertheless there was a vague understanding that had to be tactfully broken off before I was free.F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Great Gatsby
- She's the one whose tactless comments and cruel jokes about matters I don't think are funny have made me insensitive to any sign of love on her part.Anne Frank -- The Diary of a Young Girl
- I imagine a mother as a woman who, first and foremost, possesses a great deal of tact, especially toward her adolescent children, and not one who, like Momsy, pokes fun at me when I cry.Anne Frank -- The Diary of a Young Girl
- Ruth cued, too upset to be more tactful.Amy Tan -- The Bonesetter's Daughter
- "It was a remarkably complex case, sir," Powell began tactfully.Alfred Bester -- The Demolished Man
tactless = says or handles things in a needlessly offensive manner
(Editor's note: The suffix "-less" in tactless means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.)
tact = the ability to say or handle things in such a way that others feel good about them
tact = the ability and tendency to say or handle things in such a way that others feel good about them
tactless = the quality of saying or handling things in a needlessly offensive manner
(Editor's note: The suffix "-less" in tactless means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.)
tact = saying or handling things in such a way that others feel good about them
tactful = considerate of others' feelings
tactfully = in a manner that makes others feel good
tactful = having the quality of saying things in a way that makes others feel good
tactless = without consideration of others' feelings
(Editor's note: The suffix "-less" in tactless means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.)
tactfully = in a manner that is considerate of others' feelings
tactful = polite (handled in a way that is considerate of others' feelings)
tactless = the quality of saying or handling things in a needlessly offensive manner
(Editor's note: The suffix "-less" in tactless means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.)
tact = ability or tendency to handle things in a way that makes others feel good about them
tactlessly = in an offensive manner
(Editor's note: The suffix "-lessly" in tactlessly means in a manner that is without. This is the same pattern you see in words like harmlessly, fearlessly, and remorselessly.)
tactfully = in a manner that makes others feel good
tactless = the quality of saying or handling things in a needlessly offensive manner
(Editor's note: The suffix "-less" in tactless means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.)
tact = ability and tendency to handle things in a way that makes others feel good about them
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