1
as in blunder
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
so-called debates, which seemed to be mainly about seeing which candidate made the most gaffes
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Recent Examples of gaffe
On Sunday, the 49ers rebounded from the first-play gaffe to deliver a nine-play, 65-yard touchdown drive, capped by Purdy’s 1-yard pass to an open Jake Tonges, who started in place of Kittle.
—
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The errors have ranged from relatively minor pronunciation gaffes to significant changes to story content, like misattributing or inventing quotes and inserting commentary, such as interpreting a source’s quotes as the paper’s position on an issue.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 11 Dec. 2025
As of mid-afternoon on Tuesday, the gaffes were still there, though the blame doesn’t seem to be solely on the streamer.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2025
The disgraced outgoing mayor of New York City is a big personality in a position of power with numerous scandals and gaffes for Fumudoh to prod at in her signature affably combative style.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The errors have ranged from relatively minor pronunciation gaffes to significant changes to story content, like misattributing or inventing quotes and inserting commentary, such as interpreting a source’s quotes as the paper’s position on an issue.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 11 Dec. 2025
As of mid-afternoon on Tuesday, the gaffes were still there, though the blame doesn’t seem to be solely on the streamer.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2025
The disgraced outgoing mayor of New York City is a big personality in a position of power with numerous scandals and gaffes for Fumudoh to prod at in her signature affably combative style.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
Noun
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That was indicative of how Buffalo’s blunders proved costly.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
18 Jan. 2026
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It’s been one blunder after another during the early days of the Tony Dokoupil era at CBS Evening News.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Cole Caufield served notice that Team USA made a grave mistake leaving him off the Olympic team, but Morgan Geekie’s deuce trumped the brilliant Montreal Canadiens forward’s hat trick in the Bruins’ thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 win at TD Garden on Saturday night.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
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The other side of that coin is that the lengthy language might make mistakes and open the door to interpretations that undercut the law.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Allowing Russia or China to dictate the terms of Arctic commerce would be a strategic error with lasting consequences.—
Paul McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
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When teams have not been rigorously tested in realistic, high-pressure environments, automation can become a force multiplier for errors.—
James Hadley,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Jack, a detective with the sheriff's department, is just trying to keep his indiscretions from being broadcast on the 6 o'clock news.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
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Shuler, whose play with Riverside helped him gain a scholarship to the University of New Orleans, broke down several times when describing Lorch’s use of a paddle to punish him for indiscretions ranging from not working hard in practice to struggling in a high school French class.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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