The ability to say or do the right or graceful thing. See synonyms at tact.
[French : savoir, to know how + faire, to do.]
Dictionary:
sa·voir-faire (săv'wär-fâr') ![]() |
[French : savoir, to know how + faire, to do.]
| Wordsmith Words: savoir-faire |
(SAV-wahr-fayr) 
noun: The ability to say or do the right thing in any situation; tact.
Etymology
From French savoir-faire (know-how), from savoir (to know) + faire (to do).
Usage
"In a cascade of thanks, C.S. Richardson bows gracefully to all those elegant Londoners, full of savoir faire." — Peter Wells; The A to Z of Life; New Zealand Herald (Auckland); Jul 7, 2008.
| Thesaurus: savoir-faire |
noun
| Antonyms: savoir faire |
Definition: social skill
Antonyms: awkwardness, gaucheness
| Best of the Web: savoir-faire |
Some good "savoir-faire" pages on the web:
Phrase www.phrases.org.uk |
| Savoir Faire (A Compilation) (1981 Album by Mink DeVille) | |
| tact | |
| Savoir-Faire (2000 Album by Various Artists) |
Copyrights:
![]() | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Wordsmith Words. © 2009 Wordsmith.org. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Antonyms. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved. Read more |
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