touché means an acknowledgement of a hit. It carries an Arena rating of 1897, earned across 20 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, touché ranks #260 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #284 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,215 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #3,148 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words.
touché is pronounced /ˈtuː.ʃeɪ/.
Why “touché” is a great word
Used to acknowledge a successful point or effective retort made by an opponent in a debate or discussion. From French *touché*, past participle of *toucher* ("to touch"), from Old French *touchier*, ultimately of Germanic origin. Unlike "concede," which implies a broad surrender, or "fair point," which offers plain acknowledgment, *touché* preserves the elegant violence of its fencing origins: the moment of contact, the blade's tip pressed against the jacket. It is the slight nod across a dinner table, the raised glass to a worthy adversary, the unspoken recognition that wit has drawn blood—a small, civilized ceremony that transforms argument into art, and defeat into a kind of shared victory.
Etymology
Borrowed from French touché, past participle of toucher (“to touch”). More at touch.
intj
- An acknowledgement of a hit.
- An acknowledgement of the validity, appropriateness, or superiority of an opponent's argument or statement in a discussion.e.g.“Duckie: You know what an older woman does for me?
Iona: Changes your diapers?
Duckie: Touché.” — 1986, John Hughes, Pretty in Pink:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- attinge 51% match — To touch lightly. vs touché →
- betouch 50% match — To touch about or all over; contact; concern; regard; handle. vs touché →
- tact 50% match — Sensitive mental touch; special skill or faculty; keen perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances; the ability to say the right thing and avoid statements that will give offence or pain even if true. vs touché →
- trompement 50% match — The action of hitting an opponent at the end of a feint, after a successful deception. vs touché →
- attaint 49% match — Convicted, attainted. vs touché →
- touchous 48% match — Touchy; overly sensitive. vs touché →
- foretouch 47% match — To touch beforehand; touch upon in advance. vs touché →
- retort 47% match — A sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a comeback. vs touché →