tactlessness
1
7.5
- noun
- /ˈtæktləsnəs/
- His tactlessness made it difficult for him to navigate sensitive social situations.
Examples
-
It was that old atomist everyone loves to hate who told us that "magnanimity consists in enduring tactlessness with mildness."
Blog text (9) -
I hate the wastefulness of saying something more than once, the tactlessness of having to make myself clear, but this is what takes up those piles of pages.
Fiction book (1994) -
He hesitated in an unusual moment of self-examination, sensing a certain tactlessness.
Fiction book (1996) -
The changes in the approach to the Orthodox by the Catholic Church over the last century or so have been significant: from Pope Pius IX's "extraordinary tactlessness" in his encyclical.
Academic text (2013) -
While Freeman's descriptions of rape, taken from police records, have the tone of scientific neutrality, Nardi labels them "obsessive," a form of tactlessness.
Academic text (1993) -
Beyond immediate choices, if history suggests that a unified, more self-confident Germany will be given to bouts of tactlessness and is not always the best judge of its own longer-run self-interest, the same might be said of the United States.
Academic text (1991) -
"Aivas said?" "You didn't tell Aivas that?" Jancis was aghast at Piemur's tactlessness.
Fiction book (1991) -
He cursed the tactlessness of his remark, first to himself, then, when he saw the tears hovering on her lashes, loudly.
Fiction book (1991) -
His tactlessness during the meeting led to misunderstandings among the team.
-
She regretted her tactlessness after realizing how her comments hurt her friend's feelings.
Synonyms
16
5.5
A lack of care for other people's feelings or needs
2
5.8
A lack of care for other people or the results of your actions
Antonyms
How Tactful
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Tactlessness comes from tact, a word that once meant 'touch' and has the same idea as the simple word touch; this shows a sense of careful feeling for others. So tactlessness is a lack of that 'touch' or 'sensitivity' when you speak or act, which is why it often offends people.