as in politely
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Recent Examples of tactfully
The most successful communicators can tactfully disagree with senior leaders without hurting their own reputation.
—
Melody Wilding, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Lucky, at least, knows how to stay in his lane tactfully.
—John Burek, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
While Smith tactfully deflected that question, Church and other supporters would like to see a portion of the downtown building used for a larger display of his work.
—Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
The Chinese researchers remained tactfully silent on the military front — perhaps choosing scientific decorum over a discussion of battlefield utility.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
How can this situation be dealt with tactfully with the hosts — if at all?
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
Forgoing opulence and drama, Stone’s floor-length dress featured a flowing silhouette and distinct gray lines tactfully exposing the seams of the garment.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2025
The royal family are responsible for the seating arrangements at the state dinner and appear to have tactfully seated the media mogul far away from the president to avoid any awkward encounters.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry
shane Croucher
jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
At the top of the drive, a Greek-temple art museum presides, its most recent cultural icon—Sylvester Stallone as Rocky—tactfully tucked out of sight.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Melody Wilding, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Lucky, at least, knows how to stay in his lane tactfully.
—John Burek, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
While Smith tactfully deflected that question, Church and other supporters would like to see a portion of the downtown building used for a larger display of his work.
—Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
The Chinese researchers remained tactfully silent on the military front — perhaps choosing scientific decorum over a discussion of battlefield utility.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
How can this situation be dealt with tactfully with the hosts — if at all?
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
Forgoing opulence and drama, Stone’s floor-length dress featured a flowing silhouette and distinct gray lines tactfully exposing the seams of the garment.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2025
The royal family are responsible for the seating arrangements at the state dinner and appear to have tactfully seated the media mogul far away from the president to avoid any awkward encounters.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry
shane Croucher
jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
At the top of the drive, a Greek-temple art museum presides, its most recent cultural icon—Sylvester Stallone as Rocky—tactfully tucked out of sight.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tactfully
Adverb
-
For much of the last two seasons, Washington’s defense has been out of sync, to put it politely.—
Nicki Jhabvala,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Almost nine years after their awkward handshake at the 2017 Bastille Day military parade, the two men politely shook hands and expressed their affinity for each other.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2026
Adverb
-
The Ukrainian leader has spent a lot of time since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 trying to secure international support for his country and diplomatically isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
-
Zelensky has spent a lot of time since the war began in 2022 trying to secure international support and isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin diplomatically.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
Adverb
-
When a visitor arrives in a classroom, a classroom ambassador welcomes them, introduces himself and the subject being taught, and courteously asks for the visitor’s name and affiliation.—
Walter Fields,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Hall’s dexterity with finicky varietals is on full display with his entry level Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (both civilly priced at $40 and $45 respectively).—
Katie Kelly Bell,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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In April, Murekezi was ordered civilly committed as mentally ill.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tactfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tactfully. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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