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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gaffe
Biden's four years in office were marred with gaffes that resulted in some scrutiny regarding his mental fitness and ability to serve a second term.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
Though hopes for peace rose after Trump took office, recent diplomatic gaffes have sent them plummeting.
—Tom Bell, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2025
As part of this unconventional arrangement, CBS agrees to forever do things the Augusta way, which means that the booth talent forever navigates a minefield of potential lexical gaffes.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Though this group was on for two Florida goals, the first one should’ve been a relatively easy stop for Woll, and the second was the result of a Morgan Rielly gaffe.
—Nick Ashbourne, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
Though hopes for peace rose after Trump took office, recent diplomatic gaffes have sent them plummeting.
—Tom Bell, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2025
As part of this unconventional arrangement, CBS agrees to forever do things the Augusta way, which means that the booth talent forever navigates a minefield of potential lexical gaffes.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Though this group was on for two Florida goals, the first one should’ve been a relatively easy stop for Woll, and the second was the result of a Morgan Rielly gaffe.
—Nick Ashbourne, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
Noun
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The show’s main blunder is that instead of unpacking the various angles of the mob bosses’ corruption, random side stories start popping up.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
15 May 2025
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But the internal investigation promised by department leaders — a probe of what accounted for the delays and blunders — seemed to go nowhere.—
Christopher Goffard,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Noun
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Treating it like a cause-and-effect explanation mistakes the scoreboard for the game.—
Alexander William Salter,
National Review,
9 May 2025
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Now in the context of the very obvious dropping of moral guardrails around international relations, other countries will be less bound by a sense of world order, emboldened by an arms race, and will start to take risks and make mistakes.—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Garcia, who denies gang membership, had an immigration court order protecting him from deportation, which the administration acknowledged was an administrative error.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
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Betts grounded into a fielder’s choice and reached via an error on a should-have-been 6-3 putout.—
Benjamin Royer,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2025
Noun
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And any Catholic who has made a confession to a priest knows that what is said in confession stays in confession, unlike a problematic yet pivotal indiscretion that happens in the movie.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
24 Apr. 2025
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Swiatek is also someone who comes across as eager to please, and her discomfort at the indiscretion, and the resulting perceptions of her, has been obvious.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Transport boxes, electronic scales and gaffs, sharp blades that can be attached to roosters' legs during fights, were found on the property, the news statement said.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2025
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Anglers need both an angling license and a recreational turtle license to harvest turtles using angling gear like hook and line, landing nets and gaff hooks.—
Kay Johnson,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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