Definition of 'tact'
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
tact in British English
noun
1.
a sense of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others, so as to avoid giving offence or to win good will; discretion
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
tactful (ˈtactful) adjective
tactfully (ˈtactfully)
adverb
tactfulness (ˈtactfulness)
noun
tactless (ˈtactless)
adjective
tactlessly (ˈtactlessly)
adverb
tactlessness (ˈtactlessness)
noun
Word origin
C17: from Latin tactus a touching, from tangere to touch
Word Frequency
tact in American English
noun
SYNONYMY NOTE: tact implies the skill in dealing with persons or difficult situations of one who has
a quick and delicate sense of what is fitting and thus avoids giving offense [it will require tact to keep him calm]; poise1 implies composure in the face of disturbing or embarrassing situations [despite the social blunder, she maintained her poise]; diplomacy implies a smoothness and adroitness in dealing with others, sometimes in such a way
as to gain one's own ends [his lack of diplomacy lost him the contract]; savoir-faire implies a ready knowledge of the right thing to do or say in any situation2.
delicate perception of the right thing to say or do without offending; skill in dealing with people
3.
delicate sensitivity, esp. in aesthetics
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
Fr < L tactus, pp. of tangere, to touch < IE base *tag-, to touch, grasp > OE thaccian, to stroke
Word Frequency
tact in American English
(tækt)
noun
SYNONYMS 1. perception, sensitivity; diplomacy, poise.1.
a keen sense of what to say or do to avoid giving offense; skill in dealing with difficult
or delicate situations
2.
3.
touch or the sense of touch
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1150–1200; ‹ L tāctus sense of touch, equiv. to tag-, var. s. of tangere to touch + -tus suffix of v. action]Examples of 'tact' in a sentence
tact
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In other languages
tact
British English: tact
/tækt/ NOUN
Tact is the ability to avoid upsetting or offending people by being careful not to say or do things that would hurt their feelings.
You tend to say exactly what you mean when it might be better to exercise a little tact.
- American English: tact /ˈtækt/
- Arabic: لَبَاقَة
- Brazilian Portuguese: tato
- Chinese: 机智
- Croatian: takt
- Czech: takt ohleduplnost
- Danish: takt finfølelse
- Dutch: tact
- European Spanish: tacto
- Finnish: tahdikkuus
- French: tact
- German: Takt
- Greek: αβρότητα
- Italian: tatto
- Japanese: 機転
- Korean: 재치
- Norwegian: taktfullhet
- Polish: takt
- European Portuguese: tato
- Romanian: tact
- Russian: такт
- Latin American Spanish: tacto
- Swedish: taktfullhet
- Thai: การรู้กาลเทศะ
- Turkish: incelik
- Ukrainian: такт
- Vietnamese: sự tế nhị
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Definition of tact from the Collins English Dictionary
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