tactless

adjective

tact·​less ˈtakt-ləs How to pronounce tactless (audio)
: marked by lack of tact
tactless comments
tactless methods
tactlessly adverb
tactlessness noun

Example Sentences

made a tactless remark about how the woman's dress had that “homemade” look
Recent Examples on the Web Nearly seventy years later Ridley isn’t quite tactless or tasteless, but she’s untrammeled by any restraints. Geoffrey Wheatcroft, The New York Review of Books, 7 Oct. 2021 Winslet, though, has stuck through it, despite the cruel media, the bad reviews, the uninspiring scripts, the tactless journalists. Jeva Lange, The Week, 26 May 2021 Concerned members posted comments with questions, some demanding an explanation for what was largely seen as a tactless message. Outside Online, 15 Dec. 2020 The most entertaining relationship in the book belongs to Jane and her mother Phyllis, a galumphing, tactless force who lives down in Grand Rapids. Erin Douglass, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 June 2021 Beethoven’s decision to appoint his brother Karl as his go-between with publishers was ill-advised, as Karl was arrogant and tactless. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 29 Dec. 2020 This is just a more tactless articulation of the same belief system our cities operate on today. Apoorva Tadepalli, The New Republic, 11 Aug. 2020 April 7, 2020 The same goes for clueless, kilt-wearing dullard Sidney (Tim Key); Amanda’s aggressively insecure boyfriend, Chaz (Allan Mustafa); and the gabby, tactless Rebecca (Aisling Bea). Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2020 However, what your cohorts are doing is not mindless, tactless talk. Tribune, Detroit Free Press, 15 Jan. 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tactless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1847, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tactless was circa 1847

Dictionary Entries Near tactless

Cite this Entry

“Tactless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tactless. Accessed 9 Jun. 2023.

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