The adjective tactful describes being sensitive to other people's feeling so you don't anger or embarrass them. For example, if you know your friend's team just lost the championship, what's the tactful thing to do? Not ask, "How was the game?"
Tactful means "full of tact." What's tact? It's the gift for saying the right thing because you understand what the situation calls for. So, if you are tactful, you wouldn't tell your friend that the food at her party was awful — you'd talk about the interesting conversation you had and the great music. But even when tactful people have to give bad news, they do it in such a way that the other person doesn't get upset.
