ˈtakt noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from Latin tactus sense of touch, from tactus, past participle of tangere to touch — more at tangent
1.
a. archaic : the sense of touch : feeling
sight is a very refined tact — Joseph Le Conte
b. : a sensitive touch : skill
must not be set to do work of a practical nature until he has shown tact — Katharine S. Woods
2. : sensitive mental or aesthetic perception : a nice feeling for refinements or subtle values : sensitivity , taste
the Venetians as a school were from the first endowed with exquisite tact in their use of color — Bernhard Berenson
precision and tact of interpretation — Martin Price
3. : a keen sense of what to do or say in a difficult or delicate situation in order to maintain good relations with others or avoid offense : considerateness , diplomacy , delicacy
without the tact to perceive when remarks were untimely — Thomas Hardy
tact is an inestimable quality in a secretary — Harold Croft
his editing is a marvel of unobtrusive tact — New York Herald Tribune Book Review
Synonyms:
address , poise , savoir faire : tact implies both skill and considerateness in dealings with others and especially delicacy or sympathetic understanding in observing the feelings of others
his vicar, who had so much tact with the natives, so much sympathy with all their shortcomings — Willa Cather
hoping however that the matter would be handled with sufficient delicacy and tact to avoid breaking up the committee — A.L.Funk
more than sufficient tact never to discuss either whiskeys or sermons in the wrong place — Arnold Bennett
address is more general than tact in suggesting a general command, stressing the skill involved in creating a good impression when meeting strangers or in handling new or difficult situations, often implying adroitness or suavity
tall, well formed, of remarkably fine address, ready in decision and prompt in action, a gentleman of heart and intellect whom both teachers and children respected — H.N.Sherwood
if he expresses his judgments cogently and aims them with sufficient address at the critical conscience — F.R.Leavis
poise suggests a self-possession or equanimity that is preserved even under the stress of embarrassing or upsetting situations
the appearance of self-possession or poise that comes from an habitual attention to what is graceful and becoming — D.C.Hodges
recovers its dignity and poise and becomes once more a stately avenue of a waterborne commerce — Tom Marvel
savoir faire carries the idea of a worldly experience that gives the skilled ability to handle all situations with tact and poise
to her relief he took it with the savoir faire of a man of the world — MacLean's Magazine
its technical know-how needs to be supplemented in the political field by some European savoir faire — Percy Winner