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tactlessness

tactlessness

7.5
A lack of care for other people's feelings or social rules
  • noun
  • /ˈtæktləsnəs/
translation icon : falta de tacto
  • 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

insensitivity
vstactlessness
16 5.5

A lack of care for other people's feelings or needs

is about poor social skill in dealing with others and situations
thoughtlessness
vstactlessness
2 5.8

A lack of care for other people or the results of your actions

is about lacking sensitivity and skill when dealing with people

Antonyms

Careful and kind behavior when dealing with people to avoid hurting them

How Tactful

diplomacy
  • Formal
201 3.7
tactlessness
7.5
rudeness
27 1.8

Surface Forms

tactlessness singular

Morphology

tactlessness = tactless (transparent) = tact + less + ness

Formed by a standard noun-forming suffix '-ness' added to the adjective 'tactless', producing the state of being without tact.

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.