diplomacy

noun

di·​plo·​ma·​cy də-ˈplō-mə-sē 

1

: the art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations

2

: skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility : tact

handled the awkward situation with diplomacy

Synonyms

• tact
• tactfulness

Examples of diplomacy in a Sentence

She has had a long and distinguished career in diplomacy.

The government avoided a war by successfully resolving the issues through diplomacy.

This is a situation that calls for tactful diplomacy.

Recent Examples on the Web

To keep that peace, the government would employ, by the early fifties, not dozens of workers but tens of thousands, in diplomacy, intelligence, and foreign aid. —Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

And after criticizing President Biden during last year’s presidential campaign for persuading Israel against carrying out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Trump himself made the case to the Israelis to give diplomacy a chance. —Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2025

Trump had repeatedly pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay an Israeli attack to give diplomacy more time, though the president himself had threatened to bomb the Gulf nation if nuclear talks failed. —Steve Holland, USA Today, 14 June 2025

Choosing war over diplomacy, Israel early Friday unleashed waves of airstrikes against Iran, targeting its nuclear program and ballistic missile forces, and assassinating top commanders and key nuclear scientists. —Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 13 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

see diplomatic

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing diplomacy

• dollar diplomacy
• gunboat diplomacy
• shuttle diplomacy

Kids Definition

diplomacy

noun

di·​plo·​ma·​cy də-ˈplō-mə-sē 

1

: the work of keeping up relations between the governments of different countries

2

: skill in dealing with others without causing bad feelings : tact