Word of the Day: savoir faire

savoir faire ˌsav-ˌwär-ˈfer noun

: the ability to choose the right course of action, especially in drawing upon social skills

_________

The term savoir faire has appeared in 15 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Feb. 2 in the obituary “Ricky Powell, 59, Dies; Chronicled Early Hip-Hop and Downtown New York” by Jon Caramanica:

Ricky Powell, the downtown New York Zelig who with his point-and-shoot camera documented the early years of hip-hop’s ascendance as well as a host of other subcultural scenes and the celebrities and fringe characters who populated the city, was found dead on Feb. 1 in his West Village apartment. He was 59.

… The actress Debi Mazar met Mr. Powell when they were both teenagers riding bicycles around downtown Manhattan. They were, she said, “children of the city.” Together, they went to the Paradise Garage, the Mudd Club and other hot spots. “Every door opened for Ricky,” Ms. Mazar said. “When we would walk into a club, we were the cool kids. He had this savoir faire, this electricity.”

Daily Word Challenge

Can you correctly use the term savoir faire in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how savoir faire can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try one of our monthly vocabulary challenges.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.