tact
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the ability to say or do things in a way that does not upset other people.
n.the ability to navigate sensitive situations or deliver difficult truths without causing offense.
Simple“She showed great tact when she told him he didn't get the job.”
In context“The manager handled the dispute with remarkable tact, ensuring that both parties felt heard without escalating the conflict further.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
n.a name for a word used to describe something you see or hear, usually to get praise.
n.a verbal operant evoked by a nonverbal stimulus and maintained by generalized social reinforcement.
Simple“When the child says 'dog' after seeing one, it is called a tact.”
In context“In Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior, the tact is distinguished from the mand by its relationship to environmental stimuli rather than states of deprivation.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.the movement of a hand or stick to show the beat in music.
n.the stroke or motion used in beating time for a musical performance.
Simple“The conductor gave a sharp tact to start the orchestra.”
In context“The treatise describes the precise tact required to maintain the tempo of a complex polyphonic composition.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.a short way of saying 'tactic' or a specific plan.
n.a clipping of the word 'tactic', referring to a specific action intended to achieve a goal.
Simple“Changing the subject was a clever tact to avoid the question.”
In context“The defense attorney's new tact caught the prosecution off guard during the final hours of the trial.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
v.to name or describe an object you see.
v.to emit a verbal operant in response to a nonverbal stimulus.
Simple“The student learned to tact various colors during the lesson.”
In context“The therapist worked with the patient to tact internal emotional states as part of a broader communication program.”
Borrowed from French tact, following a semantic shift from earlier tact (“sense of touch; feeling”), borrowed from Latin tāctus (“touched”). The borrowing was likely influenced by earlier English tact (“sense of touch; feeling”), which was a parallel borrowing directly from the Latin.
Directly borrowed from Latin tāctus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.