Meaning
Sensitive mental touch; special skill or faculty; keen perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances; the ability to say the right thing and avoid statements that will give offence or pain even if true.
Etymology
Origin: Latin
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.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
Antonyms
tactlessness
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 66 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-09-18ACINQTU
- 2026-07-22TACDHKR
- 2026-07-18CAEILPT
- 2026-06-24TACEMNP
- 2026-06-07CAUIDTV
- 2026-05-12CABMNOT
- 2026-05-03CATONRU
- 2026-04-09CAEFMNT
- 2026-04-05ACTIFLY
- 2026-02-09TACIKLO
- 2026-01-18CTANGID
- 2025-12-31TUAOFCM
+54 earlier appearances in the archive.