tactless

adjective

ˈtakt-ləs How to pronounce tactless (audio)
Definition of tactlessnext
as in inappropriate
showing poor judgment especially in personal relationships or social situations made a tactless remark about how the apartment had that "lived-in" look

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tactless Ultimately, the film hammers home that this klutzy, tactless new man in town is first and foremost a voyeur — which is where most of the taboo shattering comes in. — Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 17 May 2025 On the dark side, Mercury in Sagittarius can be overly blunt and tactless in communication. — Valerie Mesa, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025 And his most tactless friend, Justin, the volelike fellow with the baseball-cap addiction, would ask, Whatever happened to that other Laura? — Hannah Gold, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025 The interviews were jocular, an approach that seemed tactless, given the film’s subject matter. — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tactless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tactless
  1. inappropriate
  2. indelicate
  3. careless
  4. improper
  5. injudicious
  6. indiscreet
  7. stupid
  8. imprudent
Adjective
  • Pat is a little bit like an inappropriate uncle at a family gathering in the 1970s.
    — Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Montana did not directly answer questions about the decision to choose BCBS over Allegiance and whether there was inappropriate contact among state officials.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of inappropriate
Adjective
  • Martin-Cotten’s is an indelicate balance between out and out primal furies, parsed with flashes of vulnerability that seem as deeply felt as Martha’s self-loathing.
    — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Clutch effort is Herculean, and shifting is indelicate but immensely satisfying.
    — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 19 Dec. 2025
Definition of indelicate
Adjective
  • Two other teens were cited for careless driving and performing risky stunts in a retail parking lot.
    — Ashley Portillo, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Jaynes pleaded not guilty Monday to a felony count of leaving the scene of an accident causing property damage of more than $10,000 and a traffic violation of careless and prohibited driving.
    — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 29 July 2026
Definition of careless
Adjective
  • His brother, Eugene, who also reported the phone call as being improper, was elected to Congress in 2024 from Virginia.
    — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Yet Jeanie’s attorney, Adam Streisand of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton Law, argued in the letter sent to her siblings’ attorneys that two previous legal rulings render that strategy improper.
    — Sam Amick, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of improper
Adjective
  • Let’s finish up by circling back to the beginning, when six injudicious justices ignored an eternal political truth.
    — Gerald Scorse, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • And again, many of the reforms backfired or proved injudicious, but some of them remain powerful to this day.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026
Definition of injudicious
Adjective
  • Smaller seats, less legroom, meals on a budget, and now someone whispering indiscreet sweet nothings to their lover in my ear.
    — Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 May 2026
  • The most successful and lucrative family vlogs are indiscreet almost by definition—and yet the wrong kind of indiscretion can derail the whole gravy train.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
Definition of indiscreet
Adjective
  • Far too much coverage of declining trust in science — particularly the anti-vaccine movement — is predicated on the assumption that its adherents are either stupid or crazy.
    — Rick Berke, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The Dodge Durango Hellcat is the most accessible way to go stupid-fast in a three-row family car thanks to the Escalade V‘s high price tag.
    — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of stupid
Adjective
  • The itinerants were all a bit peculiar, capable of making imprudent choices.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026
  • And this is Minsky’s point, that speculative excesses during euphoric, transformative periods result in imprudent financing, fragility, and instability.
    — Hersh Shefrin, Forbes.com, 4 June 2026
Definition of imprudent

Browse Nearby Words

tactile
tactless
tactlessly
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Cite this Entry

“Tactless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tactless. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of tactless for Spanish Speakers

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