Synonyms of gaffe

gaffe

noun

ˈgaf 

1

as in blunder

a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark

committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl

Synonyms & Similar Words

• blunder
• mistake
• error
• indiscretion
• gaff
• solecism
• faux pas
• flub
• impropriety
• miscue
• familiarity
• misstep
• offense
• fumble
• slipup
• goof
• lapse
• discourtesy
• misstatement
• stumble
• miscalculation
• howler
• incivility
• misjudgment
• slip
• misconception
• oversight
• misunderstanding
• muff
• foul-up
• boner
• misapprehension

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gesture
• attention
• courtesy
• formality
• civility
• pleasantry
• form
• amenity
• manners
• mores
• proprieties

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mistake
• blunder
• error
• flub
• miscue
• fumble
• inaccuracy
• misstep
• gaff
• trip
• stumble
• slipup
• screwup
• clanger
• goof
• brick
• bobble
• lapse
• fault
• boob
• slip
• boo-boo
• clinker
• oversight
• fluff
• blooper
• pratfall
• howler
• snafu
• misunderstanding
• misstatement
• miscalculation
• bloomer
• misjudgment
• boner
• misinterpretation
• misreading
• misconception
• misconstruction
• foul-up
• miscomprehension
• misdescription
• misapprehension
• misimpression

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• precision
• accuracy
• correctness
• exactness
• exactitude
• strictness
• perfection
• infallibility
• preciseness
• inerrancy

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of gaffe

As for Freese, he’ll be remembered for the gaffe that gifted Belgium its third goal, but the position is a complete toss-up going forward. — Tom Bogert, New York Times, 9 July 2026

The gaffe led to widespread speculation that Alito was preparing to retire, and that NPR's Nina Totenberg, who has covered the Supreme Court since the 1970s, jumped the gun by publishing too soon a story she had been tipped off about. — Dan Mangan,luke Fountain,kevin Breuninger,garrett Downs,ashley Capoot,justin Papp, CNBC, 2 July 2026

DoorDash can at least take comfort in the fact that Dot’s latest gaffe isn’t wholly unique. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 24 June 2026

Or all the times Republicans went after former President Joe Biden’s gaffes? — S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 18 June 2026