tact

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++tact /tækt/ ●○○ noun [uncountable]  POLITEthe ability to be careful about what you say or do, so that you do not upset or embarrass other people 得体；乖巧；机敏 → tactful, tactless With great tact, Clive persuaded her to apologize. 克莱夫十分巧妙地说服了她去道歉。

Examples from the Corpus

tact• Telephoning the elderly who live alone needs even more care and tact than talking with them in the course of a visit.• But few of the students were accustomed to thinking in critical terms; others, like Philip, were restrained by tact.• Important personal traits for funeral directors are composure, tact, and the ability to communicate easily with the public.• Anyone else would have had tact enough to at least dress it up a little, she thought wryly.• Teresa's skills as an editor and her tact with sensitive authors were respected within the department.• They also need tact, good judgment, and the ability to establish effective personal relationships to oversee staff.• Helping people who have marriage problems requires a great deal of tact and patience.• Even more important were his sensitivity, tact and diplomacy in an entirely novel situation.• But the social tact of the Masai was most impressively demonstrated by the fact that they rarely asked for anything.• The old woman thrust a picture of a plain-looking girl into Meryl's hand. "Your granddaughter? She's lovely, " said Meryl with tact.• Wullschlager tackles the crucial but opaque question of Andersen's sexuality with tact, resisting psychoanalytic facilities.Origin tact (1600-1700) French “sense of touch”, from Latin tactus, from tangere “to touch”

tact nounChinese  

careful about the Corpus ability to what be

tact
tact /tækt/ noun [uncountable]the ability to be careful about what you say or do, so that you do not upset or embarrass other people ⇨ tactful, tactless:
    With great tact, Clive persuaded her to apologize.
     

THESAURUS

■ carefulness
   ▪ care if you do something with care, you are careful to avoid damage, mistakes etc: She put the needle in with great care. | Everyone should take care in the sun.
   ▪ caution care to avoid danger or risks, or care about trusting information that might not be true: Her evidence should be treated with caution. | There was a certain lack of caution among investors.
   ▪ prudence a sensible and careful attitude that makes you avoid unnecessary risks - a rather formal use: Banks should show more prudence in lending money.
   ▪ vigilance careful attention to what is happening, so that you will notice any danger or illegal activity: Governments from across the world have called for greater vigilance against Internet-based crime. | There is a need for constant vigilance to protect vulnerable people.
   ▪ regard for something careful attention and consideration shown to something, to avoid danger or risks - used especially when someone fails to do this: The court heard that the company had shown no regard for the safety of its employees. | These men are cold-blooded killers and have little regard for human life.
   ▪ tact care not to say anything that might offend or upset someone: He handled the matter with a great deal of tact.
   ▪ discretion care to deal with situations in a way that does not embarrass, upset or offend people, especially by not telling any of their secrets: Any confidential information was treated with discretion.

tactBrE /tækt/ 🔊NAmE /tækt/ 🔊 noun [uncountable] the ability to deal with difficult or embarrassing situations carefully and without doing or saying anything that will annoy or upset other people （处事、言谈等的）圆通，老练，圆滑 SYN sensitivity ◆Settling the dispute required great tact and diplomacy. 解决这个争端需要十分老练和娴熟的外交手腕。🔊🔊◆She is not exactly known for her tact. 她并不以策略见称。🔊🔊