tact
tact Lexical Profile
tact Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Sensitivity and skill in dealing with others or with difficult issues without giving offense.
"The mediator handled the delicate family dispute with remarkable tact and patience."
A keen sense of what is fitting and appropriate in artistic, literary, or aesthetic matters; discernment.
"Her critical essays demonstrate great critical tact in evaluating experimental poetry."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'tact' (social sensitivity and diplomacy) with its homophone 'tacked' (past tense of 'tack') or the near-homophone 'tack' (a small nail or a course of action, as in 'a different tack').
• Rhymes for tact
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via French from Latin 'tactus', meaning 'touch' or 'sense of touch', from the verb 'tangere' ('to touch'). The figurative sense of a delicate social perception developed in the 18th century.