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gaffe

play
noun \ˈgaf\

Simple Definition of gaffe

  • : a mistake made in a social situation

Full Definition of gaffe

  1. 1 :  a social or diplomatic blunder

  2. 2 :  a noticeable mistake

See gaffe defined for English-language learners

See gaffe defined for kids



Examples of gaffe

  1. He realized that he had committed an awful gaffe when he mispronounced her name.

  2. <committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl>



Origin of gaffe

French, gaff, gaffe


First Known Use: 1909

Related to gaffe

Synonyms
familiarity, faux pas, gaff, impropriety, indiscretion, solecism
Antonyms
amenity, attention, civility, courtesy, formality, gesture, pleasantry
Related Words
blunder, error, flub, fumble, goof, lapse, miscue, misstep, mistake, oversight, slip, slipup, stumble; discourtesy, incivility, offense (or offence); boner, howler; foul-up, muff; misapprehension, miscalculation, misconception, misjudgment, misstatement, misunderstanding
Near Antonyms
form, manners, mores, proprieties

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

Rhymes with gaffe

caff, calf, chaff, daff, gaff, graph, half, laugh, quaff, raff, sclaff, staff, staph, Waf, waff

Related Content

Learn More about gaffe

  1. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for "gaffe" Spanish Central: Translation of "gaffe" Nglish: Translation of "gaffe" for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

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WORD OF THE DAY

January 4, 2016

uxorial

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of or relating to a wife

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BROWSE DICTIONARY

gae
gaffe
gag

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