diplomacy

[ dih-ploh-muh-see ]

noun

1. the conduct by government officials of negotiations and other relations between nations.
2. the art or science of conducting such negotiations.
3. skill in managing negotiations, handling people, etc., so that there is little or no ill will; tact:

   Seating one's dinner guests often calls for considerable diplomacy.

diplomacy

/ dɪˈpləʊməsɪ /

noun

1. the conduct of the relations of one state with another by peaceful means
2. skill in the management of international relations
3. tact, skill, or cunning in dealing with people

Other Words From

• nondi·ploma·cy noun
• predi·ploma·cy noun
• super·di·ploma·cy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of diplomacy¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; from French diplomatie, from diplomat(e) diplomat + -ie -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of diplomacy¹

C18: from French diplomatie, from diplomatique diplomatic

Example Sentences

But when it comes to a defense secretary’s main jobs—forming budgets, assessing weapons systems, managing interservice rivalries, engaging in interagency policymaking, conducting diplomacy with foreign counterparts, and so forth—Hegseth has no apparent qualifications whatever.

From Slate

England captain Harry Kane's diplomacy skills are almost as carefully crafted to the point of perfection as the marksmanship that has made him his country's all-time record goalscorer.

From BBC

Over the next four years, the incoming IOC president is likely to have to show diplomacy to contend with tensions between the US and China over a doping case involving 23 Chinese swimmers.

From BBC

But one thing seems unlikely to change: his dislike of patient, principled diplomacy as a means to peace and his preference for transactional politics and populist gestures.

From BBC

The AU Commission worked with the UN and other multilateral organisations to construct an "African peace and security architecture" that ranged from proactive diplomacy to avert looming conflicts through to coordinated mediation efforts and peacekeeping operations, all underpinned by norms and principles enshrined in the UN Charter and the AU Constitutive Act.

From BBC

Related Words

• negotiation