as in blunder
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
the solecism of asking one's hosts how much something in their house cost them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of solecism
The result is global English but one without the imprecision and solecism implied by that label.
—
Colin Marshall, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2022
And a single word couldn’t be a dead giveaway either, no matter how much people would like to portray the use of pled rather than pleaded as an obvious Trumpian solecism, especially when Dowd himself has been documented using pled at least once.
—Ben Zimmer, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2017
Colin Marshall, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2022
And a single word couldn’t be a dead giveaway either, no matter how much people would like to portray the use of pled rather than pleaded as an obvious Trumpian solecism, especially when Dowd himself has been documented using pled at least once.
—Ben Zimmer, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for solecism
Noun
-
Over the years across Illinois, there has been a litany of agency miscues, blunders and downright neglect, including several in Lake County.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The sufferings caused by a statesman’s blunders are larger than the benefits produced by his accomplishments.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But Colorado was lethal in its execution on the counterattack and capitalized on Sporting KC’s mistakes to win 4-1.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The previous supreme leader made the mistake of enriching uranium but never building a nuclear weapon; in effect, his nuclear program went far enough to provoke the West into sanctions and military strikes but not far enough to provide protection.—
Nicholas D. Kristof,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And right now, Taylor cannot stop herself from initiating phone sex with Dakota even while sobbing over his indiscretions at Vanderpump Villa.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
-
These reported indiscretions — on which Wasserman did not comment — caused a stir at the time but seemed to fade as weeks went by.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Republicans have a tiny majority in the House, but a larger margin for error in the Senate, except for the filibuster.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Simply put, if a human operator senses something is going wrong, the robot should react before the error escalates.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Last Saturday alone, there were multiple gaffes.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Actors from Reiner’s movies gathered onstage — although the camera didn’t catch their faces, a sadly clumsy gaffe.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Solecism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/solecism. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
