Diplomacy
//dɪˈpləʊməsi// noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The art and practice of conducting international relations by negotiating alliances, treaties, agreements etc., bilaterally or multilaterally, between states and sometimes international organizations, or even between polities with varying status, such as those of monarchs and their princely vassals. countable, uncountable
"National diplomacy typically deploys its dexterity to secure advantage for one's nation."
- 2 subtly skillful handling of a situation wordnet
- 3 Tact and subtle skill in dealing with people so as to avoid or settle hostility. countable, uncountable
"As I was talking with many relatives I have in this town I got assaulted with intense probing of whom I was married to, then who is your girlfriend, then it was what do you do for a job? Most of these relatives don't know I'm gay and deflecting these questions put to the test the art of diplomacy."
- 4 wisdom in the management of public affairs wordnet
- 5 negotiation between nations wordnet
Example
More examples"Diplomacy is to do and say the nastiest thing in the nicest way."
Etymology
From French diplomatie, a back-formation from diplomatique, ultimately from Latin diploma (“a letter of recommendation or authority”); see diploma.
Related phrases
More for "diplomacy"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.