tactless

[ takt-lis ]

adjective

1. lacking tact; showing no tact; undiplomatic; offendingly blunt:

   a tactless remark.

   Synonyms: boorish, brash, thoughtless, inconsiderate, rude

Other Words From

• tactless·ly adverb
• tactless·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tactless¹

First recorded in 1840–50; tact + -less

Example Sentences

He is tactless, following Cohn into a restroom to beg for his help or scarfing down cheeseballs and talking about midget wrestling at an Atlantic City casino buffet.

From Salon

“I know it’s tradition to be happy on Purim, but this year I think it’s tactless to do these carnivals,” said David Heyd.

From Seattle Times

Mairav Zonszein, an Israeli-American journalist, tweeted, “This appears both irresponsible, and with the ice cream cone, tone deaf and tactless.”

From Slate

The writers — both men — are pigheaded and tactless; their conversations with Penny are very funny.

From New York Times

“I’m compulsively impolitic and tactless. … I can’t write about people, which is why I write about inanimate objects,” he told Interview magazine in 2014.

From Washington Post