social grace

plural social graces

1. countablein pluraloftenA skill for dealing with people and society.

   Near-synonyms: social skills, soft skills, people skills

   2 more examples

   His lack of mastery of the social graces made it obvious he had not been raised in upper-class society.

   And those of us with ravaged faces / Lacking in the social graces / Desperately remained at home / Inventing lovers on the phone.

   1975, “At Seventeen”, in Between the Lines, performed by Janis Ian

   Synonyms: social skills, soft skill, people skills

2. uncountableThe ability to fit into polite society and behave properly and with etiquette.

   Near-synonym: refinement

   1 more example

   His lack of social grace made him anathema at dinner parties.

   Synonyms: refinement