TACTLESSLY Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

tactlessly

adverb

Definition of tactlessly

as in rudely

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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 tactlessly Some conservative Latino voices in Virginia view the Spanberger campaign’s choice of venue at a Mexican restaurant as tactlessly pandering to Latino voters. — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025 As long as there are politicians who seek to lower flags or have Kirk’s body lay in state, there will be those who react strongly, if sometimes tactlessly, to these actions. — Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 20 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tactlessly

Adverb

So maybe the sting has not dissipated, not after the Brewers so rudely swept the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Kelly Clarkson is feuding with a magic and games store in Brooklyn, New York, claiming she was treated rudely after inquiring about a product, according to social media posts shared over the weekend.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of rudely

Adverb

Léo’s tenderly nostalgic reminiscences of past love affairs are slapped down by Emma, who brusquely dismisses his pleasant recollections as mere male projection.

— Jay Weissberg, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Yet, White House officials told me, Biden sometimes brusquely dismissed the views of both men, raising his voice as though berating children.

— David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

Definition of brusquely

Adverb

In the new film, as in his previous work, Fielder uses actors to play out real scenarios, and leans on his own dry, bluntly awkward persona to bring out his subjects’ quirks and oddities.

— Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Other experts are more bluntly critical of Alpha's approach, accusing the school network of effectively financializing education.

— Maya Blackstone, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of bluntly

Adverb

When carb intake falls sharply, the liver turns fat into ketones, an alternative fuel for the brain and other tissues that may cause less metabolic stress.

— Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
While agreeing that batteries play a key role in cutting emissions from transport and power generation, the study warns that emissions from producing them could rise sharply if manufacturing expands without cleaner processes.

— Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

But, after spending months touting the benefits that Warner assets would bring, Netflix abruptly pulled out of the auction in late February when Paramount’s Ellison upped his company’s offer.

— Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
After that war had ended, the period of Democratic hegemony under President Franklin Roosevelt also ended, and abruptly, with the results of the midterm of 1946.

— Ron Elving, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of abruptly

Adverb

Juliette later makes a stop to see Shirley, who is still being unreasonably pouty about her amnesiac friend not remembering her — and is, again, curtly dismissive of Juliette’s search for Lukas.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 July 2026
But Ruben curtly responds that the only real homophobe is Niall himself.

— Barry Levitt, Time, 29 May 2026

Definition of curtly

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“Tactlessly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tactlessly. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of tactlessly

adverb

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