Diplomatic

How to spell diplomatic

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce diplomatic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does diplomatic mean?

1. adjectiveSkilled at handling sensitive matters and people without causing offence.
2. adjectiveRelating to diplomacy and the management of relations between nations.

Diplomatic in a sentence

• She gave a diplomatic reply that avoided upsetting either colleague.

• The ambassador travelled on a diplomatic passport.

• A diplomatic manager can deliver bad news without crushing morale.

• The two countries restored full diplomatic relations after years of tension.

Where does diplomatic come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek diploma, which literally meant 'something folded double', from diploos meaning 'twofold' or 'double'. In the ancient world a diploma was a folded letter or official document that authorised travel or conferred a privilege, and the term later attached to the formal papers exchanged between states. In the eighteenth century French coined diplomatique to describe the study and handling of such official documents, and English borrowed it around the 1700s. From the work of negotiating treaties and managing relations between governments, the word soon broadened to describe anyone who handles delicate situations with tact and skill. The shared Greek root for 'double' also lurks in 'diploma' the qualification and in 'diploid' from biology, which is a useful reminder that the spelling begins diplo-, not diplio- or deplo-.

How the word is built

• diplomat (from Greek diploma: a folded document)
• -ic (adjective suffix)