tact

• POS: Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

tact, n. [L. tactus a touching, touch, fr. tangere, tactum, to touch: cf. F. tact. See Tangent.].

•  The sense of touch; feeling.  [1913 Webster]

  "Did you suppose that I could not make myself sensible to tact as well as sight?"  [1913 Webster]

  "Now, sight is a very refined tact."  [1913 Webster]
•  The stroke in beating time.  [1913 Webster]
•  Sensitive mental touch; peculiar skill or faculty; nice perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances.  [1913 Webster]

  "He had formed plans not inferior in grandeur and boldness to those of Richelieu, and had carried them into effect with a tact and wariness worthy of Mazarin."  [1913 Webster]

  "A tact which surpassed the tact of her sex as much as the tact of her sex surpassed the tact of ours."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

tact, n.
1 adroitness in dealing with others or with difficulties arising from personal feeling.
2 intuitive perception of the right thing to do or say.

Etymology

F f. L tactus touch, sense of touch f. tangere tact- touch

THESAURUS

tact

ability, accommodatingness, acumen, acuteness, address, adeptness, adroitness, agreeableness, airmanship, allergy, amenity, anaphylaxis, appreciation, appreciation of differences, appreciativeness, artfulness, artisanship, artistic judgment, artistry, attentiveness, bravura, brilliance, capability, capacity, care, carefulness, civility, cleverness, comity, command, competence, complaisance, concern, connoisseurship, considerateness, consideration, control, coordination, courteousness, courtesy, craft, craftsmanship, critical niceness, criticalness, cunning, deference, deftness, delicacy, dexterity, dexterousness, dextrousness, diplomacy, discernment, discretion, discriminating taste, discriminatingness, discrimination, discriminativeness, efficiency, empathy, expertise, exquisiteness, facility, fastidiousness, feel, feeling, fine palate, fineness, finesse, gallantry, grace, gracefulness, graciousness, grip, handiness, head, heedfulness, helpfulness, horsemanship, hyperesthesia, hyperpathia, hypersensitivity, identification, indulgence, ingeniousness, ingenuity, irritability, judgement, judiciousness, know-how, leniency, making distinctions, marksmanship, mastership, mastery, mindfulness, nervousness, niceness of distinction, nicety, obligingness, oversensibility, oversensitiveness, overtenderness, palate, passibility, perception, perceptiveness, perceptivity, photophobia, poise, policy, politeness, politesse, politicness, practical ability, presence, prickliness, proficiency, prowess, prudence, quickness, readiness, refined discrimination, refined palate, refinement, regard, regardfulness, repose, resource, resourcefulness, respect, respectfulness, responsiveness, savoir faire, savoir-faire, savvy, seamanship, selectiveness, sense, sensibility, sensitiveness, sensitivity, sensitization, skill, skillfulness, smoothness, solicitousness, solicitude, soreness, style, suavity, subtlety, supersensitivity, sympathy, tactfulness, taste, technical brilliance, technical mastery, technical skill, technique, tenderness, tetchiness, thin skin, thought, thoughtfulness, ticklishness, timing, toleration, touchiness, understanding, urbanity, virtuosity, wit, wizardry, workmanship

ROGET THESAURUS

tact

Skill

N skill, skillfulness, address, dexterity, dexterousness, adroitness, expertness, proficiency, competence, technical competence, craft, callidity, facility, knack, trick, sleight, mastery, mastership, excellence, panurgy, ambidexterity, ambidextrousness, sleight of hand, seamanship, airmanship, marksmanship, horsemanship, rope-dancing, accomplishment, acquirement, attainment, art, science, technicality, technology, practical knowledge, technical knowledge, knowledge of the world, world wisdom, savoir faire, tact, mother wit, discretion, finesse, craftiness, management, self-help, cleverness, talent, ability, ingenuity, capacity, parts, talents, faculty, endowment, forte, turn, gift, genius, intelligence, sharpness, readiness, invention, aptness, aptitude, turn for, capacity for, genius for, felicity, capability, curiosa felicitas, qualification, habilitation, proficient, masterpiece, coup de maitre, chef d'euvre, tour de force, good stroke, skillful, dexterous, adroit, expert, apt, handy, quick, deft, ready, gain, slick, smart, proficient, good at, up to, at home in, master of, a good hand at, au fait, thoroughbred, masterly, crack, accomplished, conversant, experienced, practiced, skilled, hackneyed, up in, well up in, in practice, in proper cue, competent, efficient, qualified, capable, fitted, fit for, up to the mark, trained, initiated, prepared, primed, finished, clever, cute, able, ingenious, felicitous, gifted, talented, endowed, inventive, shrewd, sharp, on the ball, cunning, alive to, up to snuff, not to be caught with chaff, discreet, neat-handed, fine-fingered, nimble-fingered, ambidextrous, sure- footed, cut out for, fitted for, technical, artistic, scientific, daedalian, shipshape, workman- like, business-like, statesman-like, skillfully, well, artistically, with skill, with consummate skill, secundum artem, suo Marte, to the best of one's abilities, ars celare artem, artes honorabit, celui qui veut celui-la peut, c'est une grande habilite que de savoir cacher son, expertus metuit, es bildet ein Talent sich in der Stille sich ein C, heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, or the hand to execute, if you have lemons, make lemonade.

Taste

N taste, good taste, refined taste, cultivated taste, delicacy, refinement, fine feeling, gust, gusto, tact, finesse, nicety, to prepon, polish, elegance, grace, judgment, discernment, dilettantism, dilettanteism, virtu, fine art, culture, cultivation, aesthetics, man of taste, connoisseur, judge, critic, conoscente, virtuoso, amateur, dilettante, Aristarchus, Corinthian, arbiter elegantiarum, stagirite, euphemist, caviare to the general, in good taste, cute, tasteful, tasty, unaffected, pure, chaste, classical, attic, cultivated, refined, dainty, esthetic, aesthetic, artistic, elegant, euphemistic, to one's taste, to one's mind, after one's fancy, comme il faut, tire a quatre epingles, elegantly, nihil tetigit quod non ornavit, chacun a son gout, oculi pictura tenentur aures cantibus, taste, flavor, gust, gusto, savor, gout, relish, sapor, sapidity, twang, smack, smatch, aftertaste, tang, tasting, degustation, gustation, palate, tongue, tooth, stomach, sapid, saporific, gustable, gustatory, gustful, strong, gamy, palatable.

Touch

N touch, tact, taction, tactility, feeling, palpation, palpability, contrectation, manipulation, massage, hand, finger, forefinger, thumb, paw, feeler, antenna, palpus, tactual, tactile, tangible, palpable, lambent.

Discrimination

N discrimination, distinction, differentiation, diagnosis, diorism, nice perception, perception of difference, appreciation of difference, estimation, nicety, refinement, taste, critique, judgment, tact, discernment, acuteness, penetration, nuances, dope, past performances, discriminating, dioristic, discriminative, distinctive, nice, il y a fagots et fagots, rem acu tetigisti, la critique est aisee et l'art est difficile, miles apart, a distinction without a difference.

Wisdom

N intelligence, wisdom, intelligence, capacity, comprehension, understanding, cuteness, sabe, savvy, intellect, nous, parts, sagacity, mother wit, wit, esprit, gumption, quick parts, grasp of intellect, acuteness, acumen, subtlety, penetration, perspicacy, perspicacity, discernment, due sense of, good judgment, discrimination, cunning, refinement, head, brains, headpiece, upper story, long head, eagle eye, eagle- glance, eye of a lynx, eye of a hawk, wisdom, sapience, sense, good sense, common sense, horse sense, plain sense, rationality, reason, reasonableness, judgment, solidity, depth, profundity, caliber, enlarged views, reach of thought, compass of thought, enlargement of mind, genius, inspiration, geist, fire of genius, heaven-born genius, soul, talent, prudence, vigilance, tact, foresight, sobriety, self-possession, aplomb, ballast, a bright thought, not a bad idea, Solomon-like wisdom, intelligent, quick of apprehension, keen, acute, alive, brainy, awake, bright, quick, sharp, quick witted, keen witted, clear witted, sharp-eyed, sharp sighted, sharp witted, wide- awake, canny, shrewd, astute, clear-headed, farsighted, discerning, perspicacious, penetrating, piercing, argute, quick-witted, nimble-witted, needle-witted, sharp as a needle, sharp as a tack, alive to, clever, arch, pas si bete, acute, wise, sage, sapient, sagacious, reasonable, rational, sound, in one's right mind, sensible, abnormis sapiens, judicious, strong- minded, unprejudiced, unbiased, unbigoted, unprepossessed, undazzled, unperplexed, unwarped judgment, impartial, equitable, fair, cool, cool-headed, long-headed, hardheaded, strong-headed, long- sighted, calculating, thoughtful, reflecting, solid, deep, profound, oracular, heaven-directed, heaven-born, prudent, sober, stand, solid, considerate, politic, wise in one's generation, watchful, provident, in advance of one' age, wise as a serpent, wise as Solomon, wise as Solon, wise, sensible, reasonable, judicious, well- thought-out, well-planned, well-judged, well-advised, prudent, politic, expedient, aut regem aut fatuum nasci oportet, but with the morning cool reflection came, flosculi sententiarum, les affaires font les hommes, mas vale saber que haber, mas vale ser necio que profiadol nemo solus sapit, nosce te, gnothi seauton, nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit, sapere aude, victrix fortunae sapientia.