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Definition of "tact" []

  • Acute sensitivity to what is proper and appropriate in dealing with others, including the ability to speak or act without offending. (noun)
  • Archaic The sense of touch. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "tact" in a sentence
  • "A wealthy cit has as little regard for men of letters as a fashionable, nor has he the same tact of concealing his indifference; the well-bred man of fashion, who is alone truly the man of fashion, studies _tact_ above all things, and his tact prevents him ever regarding men of mind with any thing approaching contempt."
  • "Having the bulk of commuters come through the existing entrance, keeping the stairs in tact is "not appropriate, and it's not safe," he added."
  • "She was accomplished — possessed of that fine perception and sensitiveness, and that ready power of self-adaptation to the peculiarities and moods of others, which we term tact — and was, moreover, gifted with a certain natural grace, and manners the most winning imaginable."