diplomatic
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or engaged in diplomacy.
diplomatic officials.
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skilled in dealing with sensitive matters or people; tactful.
a counselor who is at all times diplomatic with at-risk students and their parents.
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of or relating to diplomatics.
Much of her diplomatic research involves the private correspondence of President Van Buren.
adjective
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of or relating to diplomacy or diplomats
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skilled in negotiating, esp between states or people
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tactful in dealing with people
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of or relating to diplomatics
Related Words
Diplomatic, politic, tactful imply ability to avoid offending others or hurting their feelings, especially in situations where this ability is important. Diplomatic suggests a smoothness and skill in handling others, usually in such a way as to attain one's own ends and yet avoid any unpleasantness or opposition: By diplomatic conduct he avoided antagonizing anyone. Politic emphasizes expediency or prudence in looking out for one's own interests, thus knowing how to treat people of different types and on different occasions: a truth which it is not politic to insist on. Tactful suggests a nice touch in the handling of delicate matters or situations, and, unlike the other two, often suggests a sincere desire not to hurt the feelings of others: a tactful way of correcting someone.
Other Word Forms
- diplomatically adverb
- nondiplomatic adjective
- prediplomatic adjective
- quasi-diplomatic adjective
- undiplomatic adjective
Etymology
Origin of diplomatic
First recorded in 1705–15; from French diplomatique, from New Latin diplōmaticus, equivalent to Latin diplōmat- (stem of diplōma ) diploma + -icus -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the same time, the president reopened a diplomatic track, saying he would rather cut a deal than attack.
"The EU has adopted strong sanctions against Iran and supported diplomatic solutions, including on the nuclear issue," she said in a statement on X, adding she has spoken to Israel's and other regional foreign ministers.
From BBC
Top military and diplomatic officials often faded to the background.
If so, he's considered one of his grandfather's most trusted confidantes, having been his personal bodyguard, and more business-orientated than ideological, with no high-level diplomatic experience.
From BBC
The tensions are so high that even comments that appear to be jokes can trigger diplomatic spats.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
