Tact vs Tacky - What's the difference?
tact | tacky |
The sense of touch; feeling.
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* J. Le Conte
(music) The stroke in beating time.
Sensitive mental touch; peculiar skill or faculty; nice perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances.
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The ability to deal with embarrassing situations carefully and without doing or saying anything that will annoy or upset other people; careful consideration in dealing with others to avoid giving offense; the ability to say the right thing.
(psychology) A verbal operant which is controlled by a nonverbal stimulus (such as an object, event, or property of an object) and is maintained by nonspecific social reinforcement (praise).
* 2013 , Jacob L. Gewirtz, William M. Kurtines, Jacob L. Lamb, Intersections With Attachment
Of a substance, slightly sticky.
(colloquial) Of low quality.
(colloquial) In poor taste.
gaudy, flashy, showy, garish
dowdy, shabbily dressed
shabby, dowdy (in one's appearance)
As a noun tact
is the sense of touch; feeling.As a verb tact
is to use a tact (a kind of verbal operant; see noun sense).As an adjective tacky is
of a substance, slightly sticky.tact
Noun
(en noun)- Did you suppose that I could not make myself sensible to tact as well as sight?
- Now, sight is a very refined tact .
- 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.
- A tact' which surpassed the '''tact''' of her sex as much as the '''tact''' of her sex surpassed the ' tact of ours.
- By the use of tact , she was able to calm her jealous husband.
- I used tact when I told my fat uncle that his extra weight made him look better.
- Skinner (1957) saw such tacts as responses that are reinforced socially.
Derived terms
* tactful * tactlessExternal links
* * ----tacky
English
Adjective
(er)- This paint isn't dry yet - it's still a bit tacky.
- That market stall sells all sorts of tacky ornaments.
- That was a tacky thing to say.